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Best NBA Player Props Today: Predictions for Nikola Vucevic, Nikola Jokic on Monday

Nikola Vucevic and Nikola Jokic have the same name, but they're having very different seasons. These two stats show why they're both in great spots on Monday.

By Gage Bridgford

Nikola Jokic shoots the ball
Nikola Jokic shoots the ball / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images
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With a 14-game slate ahead of us tonight, we’ve got two plays lined up for tonight. The first is going to be a familiar player that we targeted earlier in the season with Nikola Vucevic against the Milwaukee Bucks, and we’re going with another Nikola for the second play with Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets taking our second spot tonight.

We went 2-0 on Thursday. Payton Pritchard made it sweatier than we were hoping for, but he eventually got the job done. He had two 3-pointers in the first half, and he didn’t make his fourth until the fourth quarter when he attempted five 3-pointers and hit just one. In the Michael Porter Jr. world, he played a little over 32 minutes in the game, and he cleared it by just one stat. After registering a combined six rebounds and assists in the first half, he got just one rebound in the third quarter before two late assists pushed him over in the fourth quarter.

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NBA Best Bet Today

  • Nikola Vucevic O1.5 3s (-115) - 1 Unit BetMGM
  • Nikola Jokic O0.5 Triple Doubles (+215) - 1 Unit Caesar’s Sportbook

Nikola Vucevic O1.5 3s (-115) BetMGM

There was a point earlier in the year where Vucevic’s 3-point line was getting a little bit out of hand, but that number has come down in recent weeks due to slightly less volume. Despite the diminished volume, he’s still been relatively consistent in accuracy. This season, he’s shooting an incredible 46.5 percent from 3-point range on 4.5 attempts per game. This comes just one year after he was shooting 29.4 percent from downtown. He’s cleared this line in 19-of-28 games this year, including both matchups against tonight’s opponent.

The Bulls are welcoming the Milwaukee Bucks to town for tonight’s contest. In two games against Milwaukee, Vucevic has shot 6-of-16 from 3-point range, which is below his 46.5 percent on the year, but it’s still not bad. The Bucks are allowing the ninth-most 3-pointers to opposing centers this season, and, dating back to last season, Vucevic has cleared this line in five of his last six matchups against Milwaukee. This is a great spot for him tonight.

Nikola Jokic O0.5 Triple Doubles (+215) Caesar’s

Our second play of the night is going to be on arguably the best player in the NBA in Jokic. Jokic and the Nuggets have struggled to a 15-11 record this year, which has them fifth in the West, but he has done everything he can to keep them in the thick of the Western Conference race. He’s averaging a career-high 30.9 points per game while tying his career-high of 9.8 assists per game. He’s also shooting a whopping 50.5 percent from 3-point range on 4.4 attempts per game.

Tonight, the Nuggets are taking on the Phoenix Suns who sit in 11th place in the West despite being just 1.5 games behind the Nuggets. Through 23 games this year, Jokic has turned in 11 triple-doubles, and he’s missed it by two or fewer assists four times this season. He just needs his teammates to his more shots. The Suns are allowing the seventh-most assists and 10th-most rebounds to centers this year. The Nuggets’ defense struggles to put teams away, and I think that should lead to more minutes for Jokic. This is a great price for a guy who can fill up the box score while barely breaking a sweat.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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