Best bets, player props for Nuggets-Spurs
With only one game on tap for Thursday's NBA playoff action, we dive into a pivotal Game 6 of the Nuggets-Spurs series and the night's most intriguing player props.
Denver Nuggets at San Antonio Spurs
Line: Spurs -3
Total: 208
The Nuggets overcame a slow start to the first-round series by nabbing consecutive wins and now have a chance to move on to the Western Conference semifinals with a victory in San Antonio.
Denver has also seemingly cleaned up its early-game struggles, storming out to a seven-point lead in Game 5 after trailing by an average of 7.5 in the first quarter through the series' first four contests. It took some time, but the Nuggets are finally playing like the favorite.
The pressure now turns to the Spurs, but history shows they've been a good bet at home in the playoffs following an outright loss. Under head coach Gregg Popovich, San Antonio is on a 23-15-2 run against the spread in that scenario. Meanwhile, the Spurs are 56-34-3 against the spread as a home favorite in the postseason since 2005.
We're banking on this series going seven games.
DeMar DeRozan Over/Under 21.5 points
After DeRozan averaged 24.6 points per contest through the first three games of the series, the Nuggets' Torrey Craig has held the Spurs guard to 17- and 19-point performances, respectively, over the past two outings since being inserted into Denver's starting lineup. DeRozan still shot 46.9 percent from the floor over Games 4 and 5 but hasn't had much room to work with when guarded by Craig. That's the matchup to watch Thursday.
Jamal Murray Over/Under 2.5 made 3-pointers
Murray flopped in the series opener, going 0-for-6 from beyond the arc and shooting 33 percent from the floor in the Game 1 loss. However, his 3-point shot has been trending in the right direction since.
The Nuggets shooting guard has made multiple triples in each of the previous four games, going a combined 7-for-14 over the last two. The Spurs allow opposing shooting guards to hit an average of 3.35 threes per contest, giving Murray another edge in Game 5. If you like the over, it's a plus-money play.
LaMarcus Aldridge to record a double-double
Aldridge recording a double-double is also available at plus money. The veteran forward fell just shy of averaging one during the regular season with 21.3 points and 9.2 rebounds and has already notched a couple of double-doubles in this series, most recently racking up 17 points and 10 boards in Game 5. Aldridge has been close in the other three games, falling either one or two rebounds short.
Nikola Jokic Over/Under 8.5 assists
It's tough to find a better passing center than Jokic, who averaged 7.3 dimes during the regular season. However, after recording 14 assists in Game 1, he hasn't gone over Thursday's posted number in the postseason since. In fact, he's had fewer than nine assists in six of his previous seven games dating back to the regular season.
Alex Kolodziej is theScore's betting writer. He's a graduate of Eastern Illinois who has been involved in the sports betting industry for 11 years. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AlexKoIodziej.