3 Bold Predictions for Nuggets-Blazers Game 5
By Peter Dewey
The Denver Nuggets are back at home for a critical Game 5 against the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday.
With the series tied at two games apiece, WynnBET has given the Blazers (-125) a slight edge to Denver (+105) to win the series despite the Nuggets having home court advantage.
Denver will look to prove Vegas wrong by taking Game 5, but it won’t be easy after Portland rebounded for a 115-95 win in Game 4. The momentum has shifted several times in this series, but the Blazers certainly have some confidence heading into tonight.
I decided to take a look at three player prop bets on WynnBET that intrigue me for tonight’s matchup, and these bold predictions may surprise you:
Nikola Jokic Will Go Over 31.5 Points
Coming off a down performance in Game 4, Nikola Jokic is projected to score 31.5 points with the over (+100) looking like a great value to the under (-120).
I’ve been bullish on Jokic all series, and he had been dominant in the paint until he played a series-low 27 minutes in the Nuggets’ loss in Game 4. Jokic surpassed 31.5 points in his first three games of the series, scoring 34, 38 and 36 points respectively.
Game 4 was more of an outlier, as Jokic’s minutes and shots (just 18) were down due to the Blazers’ big lead. Jokic was just 7-for-18 from the field in Game 4, but he has shot 50 percent or better from the field in the other three games.
He is still averaging 22.3 field goal attempts per night in the series, and I’d be shocked if the Nuggets don’t get their MVP-candidate center going early and often in Game 5.
Damian Lillard Will Hit Over 4.5 3-Pointers
On the surface, this is a bold prediction considering that Lillard averaged 4.1 made 3s per game this season, but his usage in this playoff series has caught my eye.
WynnBET has the over (+110) as the underdog in this player prop despite the fact that Lillard attempted 12, 16 and 16 3-pointers in the first three games of the series. Dame struggled in Game 4, as he shot just 1-for-10 from the field and 1-for-6 from 3, but that’s been the outlier in what has been a fantastic series for him.
Lillard hit 4.1 3s per game on 10.5 attempts in the regular season this year. He’s averaged 5.0 makes on 12.5 attempts in the playoffs, and as long as this game is close I’d expect Lillard to continue to launch treys at the rate he did early on in the series.
Given that the over is a +110 underdog, I think it makes a ton of sense given the volume and rate that Lillard has hit shots at this year.
Michael Porter Jr. Goes Under 19.5 Points
MPJ had been impressive for the Nuggets towards the end of the regular season, but he’s gone into a slump recently and I’m not sure that he will get out of it in Game 5.
Dating back to the second-to-last game of the regular season, Porter Jr. is averaging 13.2 points per game and is coming off a dreadful three-point performance in Game 4. The young star has seen his shot attempts drop in each game (21, 13, 11, 3), and the Blazers have done a better job on him and Aaron Gordon than they have with Jokic this series.
WynnBET has the over (-120) favored to the under (+100) on Porter Jr.’s player prop, but after failing to reach 19 points in five of his last six games, I don’t see it happening tonight.