Fresh off, arguably, a Christmas snub — seriously, shouldn’t the team with the league’s best record be playing on its marquee night? — the Cleveland Cavaliers will play their first game in four days tonight. Fresh off a Christmas loss, the Denver Nuggets will try to stay afloat in what has been a frustrating season. The crowd at Ball Arena in Denver should be buzzing for the 9 p.m. tipoff.
Cleveland shooting guard Donovan Mitchell should be equipped to handle Denver’s high elevation after playing five seasons in Salt Lake City, Utah (4,265′). Mitchell broke out for the Jazz before a blockbuster trade in the 2022 offseason brought him to the Cavaliers. Between Cleveland and Utah, Mitchell has made five consecutive All-Star appearances and should make it six this year, averaging 23.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game on 45-41-80 shooting splits.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Cavaliers (-155) are slight favorites and the point total is set to 237.5. Below, I’ve highlighted my favorite prop bet centered around Spida.
Best Donovan Mitchell Prop Bet on DraftKings Sportsbook
Donovan Mitchell O29.5 Points + Assists (-110)
The Cavaliers run a pretty egalitarian offense, with three different players averaging at least 10 shot attempts and 18 points per game, which makes Mitchell somewhat unreliable as a top scoring option. Mitchell has had seven 30+-point performances this season, but he has also had 10 games in which he was held to fewer than 20 points, the most of any player averaging at least 23 points per game besides the Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James.
Still, Mitchell has a favorable matchup in the Nuggets, who have struggled with both defense and depth since losing shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the Orlando Magic in the offseason. The 2022-23 champions had a league-average defense in the regular season and a top-four defense in the postseason, while this iteration is once again hovering around the middle. Denver has allowed 116.1 points per game, the eighth-most in basketball, and a league-worst 29.6 assists per game.
With point guard Darius Garland healthy after missing 25 games last season, Mitchell has had fewer playmaking duties this season, and he has averaged 1.5 fewer assists per game than he did in 2023-24. However, he has demonstrated his passing chops more in recent weeks, recording five or more assists in each of his last nine games. In the teams’ last matchup, a 126-114 Cavaliers victory on December 5, Mitchell dished out six assists to go along with 28 points.
The Crown Is Yours: Sign up for DraftKings and experience the ultimate host for games and betting experiences!
All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook, lines and odds subject to change.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
