No longer the NBA MVP favorite, Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets wrap up a five-game road trip in Washington to take on the Wizards on Wednesday, March 22 at 7 p.m. EDT / 4 p.m. PDT. The Nuggets are favorites in the game with a point total set at . Elsewhere, Zach LaVine and the Chicago Bulls host the Philadelphia 76ers for the second time in three nights at 7:30 p.m. EDT / 4:30 p.m. PDT. The Bulls are underdogs in the game, which features a point total set at . Below, we’ll go over NBA player props for Wednesday night.
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Nuggets At Wizards Player Props
Nikola Jokic Over 35.5 Points and Rebounds
Here are Jokic’s core points, rebounds and assists props for the game against the Wizards:
- Points: Over/Under /
- Rebounds: Over/Under /
- Assists: Over/Under /
- Points and Rebounds: /
Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets will look for a repeat of their previous matchup with the Wizards in the rematch on Wednesday night. Denver won by 13 in a game that totaled 269 points.
Joker has had plenty of success against the Wizards over the last few seasons. In his last three meetings with Washington he’s averaged 33.3 points 15.3 rebounds in just 30 minutes per game, all on 75% shooting from the field. That includes the 43 points on 85% shooting (17-20 FG) he gave the Wizards last December.
Jokic’s points and rebounds combo prop is set at / and I’m taking the over.
Josh Lander is 9-4 and up 5.0 units betting NBA player props since last week. Check out the NBA Coast 2 Coast podcast each and every weekday with co-host Nate Weitzer and give him a follow on Twitter, @jlboogy
Editor’s Note
Weak Wizards’ Defense
Washington has struggled to defend opposing centers all season, allowing the fifth-most points to the position. Not surprising when you look at the three guys they rely upon to defend the post: Kristaps Porzingis, Daniel Gafford, and occasionally Taj Gibson.
On the season, that trio is surrendering the 10th most points in the paint to opponents. Last meeting Denver lit up the Wizards with an insane 98 post points. Jokic contributed 34 paint points by himself.
Porzingis sat out that game, leaving it up to Gafford and Gibson to defend the back-to-back NBA MVP and Jokic ate them alive. He posted 33 of his 43 points while one of them was attempting to guard him.
Road Joker
Jokic is putting up slightly better numbers at home than on the road this season, but his recent road numbers are still very impressive. Over his last 6 road games he’s hit his points and rebounds combo prop five times. The only failed attempt was against the New York Knicks last Saturday, the best interior defense in the league.
Coach Michael Malone is running out his All-NBA center for 37 minutes per game over those six games. With Memphis just 3.5 games back of the Nuggets, the race for the 1-seed in the West is now much tighter than Denver would have liked.
Also at stake for Jokic is the MVP race (). With Joel Embiid now favored to win, the Nuggets have more incentive to feed Jokic a ton of minutes and help him put up big numbers.
76ers At Bulls
Zach LaVine Over 28.5 Points and Assists
Here are LaVine’s core points, rebounds and assists props for the game against the 76ers:
- Points: Over/Under /
- Rebounds: Over/Under /
- Assists: Over/Under /
- Points and Assists: /
The Bulls and 76ers will play the second game of a home-and-home series on Wednesday night. Monday night’s affair wasn’t pretty as both teams shot worse than 43% from the field and worse than 28% from deep.
I considered hitting the over on Zach LaVine’s points prop on Monday, but ended up staying away from it altogether. The thought was he might regress from his recent stellar performances versus Philly, which ended up being half correct. LaVine shot horribly from the field, but still hit the over on his points thanks 10 free throw attempts and ten minutes of double overtime.
With his points and assists combo prop at the same number as last game, I’m pulling the trigger on the over for Zach LaVine on Wednesday night.
Home Cookin’
LaVine has thoroughly enjoyed playing in Chicago as of late. In seven games at home since the All-Star break, LaVine is averaging 30 points and five assists per contest. He’s also hitting more than three 3-pointers at a 47% clip and has a 31.5% usage rate.
LaVine has been a 3-point machine against the 76ers as well, hitting nearly four triples per game on 43% in his last six against Philadelphia. Using quick math that’s nearly 10 3-point attempts when he plays Philly.
The odds for LaVine’s 3-point prop at are pretty enticing as well.
The strength of Philadelphia’s defense is down low with Embiid, not on the perimeter with James Harden (still questionable to play on Wednesday) and Tyrese Maxey. That’s why the 76ers allow the seventh-most points and the eighth-most threes to opposing shooting guards.
