It was a pretty good 2024 for Nikola Jokić. The Denver Nuggets center won his third MVP in four seasons, took home a bronze medal for Serbia at the Olympic Games, and welcomed his second child into the world.
Jokić surely hopes that 2025 brings more good fortune, including a run at his fourth MVP and second championship. For the former, he’s off to a great start — averaging 31.0 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 9.5 assists per game while shooting a league-best 48.9% from deep — but for the latter, the Nuggets are languishing at 18-13, sixth in the Western Conference.
Tonight, Denver will welcome the Atlanta Hawks to Ball Arena for a 9 p.m. ET clash. The 18-15 Hawks have been one of the league’s biggest positive surprises, and point guard Trae Young leads the league in assists.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Nuggets are 5.5-point favorites and the point total is set to 246.5. Below, I’ve highlighted my favorite prop bet centered around The Joker.
Best Nikola Jokić Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Nikola Jokić O40.5 Points + Assists (-105)
Wednesday’s clash should be nothing if not entertaining, given that Denver has the fourth-highest offensive rating in the league (117.0 points per 100 possessions) and Atlanta plays at the league’s second-fastest pace (105.4 possessions per game). Fans will get to see the league’s first- and third-top assisters at their playmaking best, going tit-for-tat in a high-stakes game of “anything you can do, I can do better”.
There won’t be a lot of defense played; the Nuggets have the 19th-best defensive rating, and the Hawks 17th. Because of its fast pace, Atlanta gives up 118.8 points per game, the fifth-most in basketball, and 28.1 assists per game, the seventh-worst figure in the league. The only major piece missing from Denver’s rotation is power forward Aaron Gordon, so with a mostly healthy squad around him, Jokić should have no problem either putting the ball in the basket or dishing out dimes.
Jokić has also found success recently against a defense with a similar profile in his most recent game against the Utah Jazz; Utah has allowed the third-most points and second-most assists per game to opposing players. Jokić was easily able to carve the Jazz up, dropping 36 points and adding 22 rebounds and 11 assists in a 132-121 victory on December 30.
Nikola Jokić O2.5 Steals + Blocks (+114)
Jokić isn’t typically thought of as a great defensive player, since his size hinders his mobility somewhat. But perhaps nothing underscores his reign of dominance than the fact that he has led the league in defensive box plus-minus in each of the past three full seasons, as well as leading the league in offensive box plus-minus in each of the past five.
This season, he’s averaging a career-high 1.8 steals per game, eighth among all players who have played at least 20 games. He’s recorded at least one steal in 24 of his 28 games, at least one block in 13 games, and both a steal and a block in 11 contests.
Meanwhile, the Hawks have allowed the fourth-most steals (9.8) and eighth-most blocks (5.7) per game to opposing players. Young is particularly sloppy, ranking second in the league with 4.5 turnovers per game, and his co-star Jalen Johnson (3.0) isn’t too far behind. As a team, Atlanta has the 12th-highest turnover percentage.
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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.
