NBA Friday best bets, player props: Raptors, Nuggets to light up scoreboard

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Only four more games are left on the docket Friday before the real fun begins.

For the final time this 2019-20 regular season, here are the best bets and player props on the board.

Denver Nuggets vs. Toronto Raptors (-3, 223.5)

These two teams are trending in opposite directions on the total.

The Nuggets have been one of the best over bets in the bubble. They've cashed seven straight after Wednesday's 124-111 loss to the Clippers. Every Denver game during the restart has finished with 230 points or more, but Friday's opponent is a different animal.

Toronto's gone under the total in six of its seven restart games thanks to a defense that's been far and away the best during the return to play. The Raptors have a 101.8 defensive efficiency rating; the next-best team is at 106.4.

However, Wednesday's 125-121 win over the 76ers was the first time the defense took its foot off the pedal. And if the Raptors comes out with the same intensity they did two days ago, they're going to get walloped on the boards.

The Nuggets are No. 3 in the league in offensive rebounding, while the Raptors are No. 21 on the defensive glass. Denver quietly has the sixth-best offensive rating in the league, ahead of teams like the Bucks and Lakers.

Denver's defense continues to get lit up on the perimeter, though. The club entered Wednesday's game against the Clippers allowing its opposition to shoot 46% from deep during the restart. This is terrible news against a Raptors offense that's No. 6 in the league in both 3-point attempts and makes.

This should look more like a scrimmage than anything.

Pick: Over 223.5

Philadelphia 76ers vs. Houston Rockets (-3, 230.5)

I liked how a shorthanded Philly lineup showed up against the Raptors on Wednesday. The Sixers don't typically have a ton of possessions per game - they're No. 23 in the league in pace - but they played a bit more recklessly, and reaped the benefits.

Posting 120-plus points on one of the league's best defensive units should inspire some confidence for the season finale, especially against a small-ball Rockets lineup that will gladly engage in a track meet.

The Sixers are on a blistering 6-0 run to the over as underdogs. This should be a fun matchup with little to no defense.

Pick: Over 230.5

Player props

Buy - Heat big men vs. Pacers

The Heat and Pacers square off in the finale before drawing each other in the first round of the playoffs. In this tilt, bet on the Heat big men to have a big day in the paint. The Pacers allow the second-most points in the league to centers, behind only the Hawks.

Buy - Kyle Lowry

I love Kyle Lowry's upside against a deflated Nuggets defense, especially if you can get down on some assist props. Denver gives up north of nine assists to point guards and Lowry is in a perfect buy-low spot, putting up fewer than five per game over the last three.

Alex Kolodziej is a betting writer for theScore. He's a graduate of Eastern Illinois who has been involved in the sports betting industry for 12 years. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AJKolodziej.