Best NBA Player Prop for Nikola Jokic in Timberwolves vs. Nuggets Game 2

The Denver Nuggets and Nikola Jokic find themselves in slightly unfamiliar territory being down 0-1 in the Western Conference semifinals after dropping the opening game at home to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Now, to avoid going down 0-2 before traveling to Minnesota, the Nuggets will look to their 2-time MVP for leadership on the hardwood.

But will Jokic be able to provide enough to put the Nuggets over the edge or will it be more of what we saw in Game 1?

Best Player Prop for Nikola Jokic in Timberwolves vs. Nuggets Game 2

• Nikola Jokic UNDER 12.5 Rebounds

Nikola Jokic UNDER 12.5 Rebounds

There is no doubt that Jokic will come back out in Game 2 to right some wrongs from Game 1. But will that include the rebounding category to the tune of 13 boards? Not likely.

This entire player prop for Jokic comes down to his matchup against Rudy Gobert. In his 37 career games against Gobert, The Joker is averaging 10.1 rebounds per game and during this past regular season he went under 12.5 boards in each matchup against Gobert. In fact, the only game against the Timberwolves where he went over 12.5 rebounds was when Gobert was out back in March.

A couple things to note: In the playoff series last year, Jokic averaged 12.4 rebounds per game and in the one loss to Minnesota, he went under logging 11 rebounds. For the series he went under this line in three out of five games and in the closeout game he had 17 rebounds.

So, there is a non-zero chance that Jokic breaks through and has an iconic performance because in wins for the Nuggets in the playoffs that is usally what happens. But for Game 2, I think he will go under again on the glass.

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