A slow start in the 76ers-Heat game stunted our chances for a three-game winning streak. Hopefully, we can finish the week on a high note. But with the NFL playoffs in full swing, the NBA Sunday slate will likely be a lot lighter over the next few weeks. And while there aren’t any sides or totals that interest me on the card, I did manage to find a prop that’s worthy of consideration.
Let’s head to the Mile-High City, where the Nuggets will take on the Utah Jazz.
Moneyline: Jazz -215 | Nuggets +180
Spread: Jazz -5 (-110) | Nuggets +5 (-110)
Total: Over 223.5 (-110) | Under 223.5 (-110)
NBA Championship Odds: Jazz +2200 | Nuggets +2700
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook today and get your first bet risk-free for up to $1,000.
Utah hopes to increase its 5.5-game lead over Denver on Sunday night. Although the Jazz is slightly off the pace of last season’s winning percentage (.722), at 28-14 (.667), they’re still one of the top teams in the Western Conference. Yet, while Utah is currently the fourth seed, it would be the top seed in the Eastern Conference. While the Jazz’ standards might have dipped slightly, one player that hasn’t experienced a drop in form is Jazz center Rudy Gobert. Gobert’s averaging 15.5 points and a career-high 15.1 rebounds per game. He’s recorded at least 13 rebounds in each of his past five games, which makes his prop of 12.5 rebounds extremely attainable.
The Jazz faces a Nuggets team that ranks in the top half of three-point attempts. Gobert’s made a living in being able to track down long rebounds from three-point attempts. That should work to his advantage, considering that the Nuggets rank 17th three-point percentage (34.7%). The Frenchman’s recorded at least 15 rebounds in 19 of the 37 games he’s played in this season.
When the Jazz played the Nuggets earlier this season, Gobert racked up 16 rebounds. As a result, I think he’s got a great chance to get near that mark on Sunday. The only thing that gives me some pause is that Nuggets center, Nikola JokiÄ, left the game with a knee contusion towards the end of the first half.
While I still think the over is worth a play in Gobert’s rebounding prop, I’ll look to limit my action to a half-unit.
Pick: Half-unit on Gobert over 12.5 rebounds (-112)
All NBA predictions and picks are courtesy of SportsGrid.