NBA Player Props – Nikola Jokic, Nuggets vs Suns G1
NBA Player Props Prediction – Denver Nuggets vs Phoenix Suns G1 30.04.2023. On the night between Saturday and Sunday, the first semifinal of the NBA Western Conference will begin, and the Denver Nuggets and the Phoenix Suns will compete. Can Jokic and the team reach the final?
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NBA Player Props Prediction
The Nuggets dominated the playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves with a dominant 4-1 victory and thus scheduled a duel in the semifinals with one of the contenders for the ring.
The two-time MVP of the league and one of the main candidates for that prestigious award this season, Nikola Jokic, was the central figure of the Nuggets. Still, the impression is that he played with as much intensity as was necessary, so we have yet to expect more effective games from him.
The main question here is whether Jokic will be aggressive; we believe that he will, and that, unfortunately, the Nuggets will not have room to maneuver with minutes and his aggressiveness because the Suns are an extremely quality team offensively. Hence, they need Nikola at his best.
Nikola Jokic
The following statistic best confirms how dominant a player Nikola Jokic is when he wants to be.
Jokic scored 24+ points in 28 consecutive games when he made at least 17 shots from the field, so the main question here is whether he will be aggressive, and as we stated, we believe that the Denver Nuggets will not have the luxury of Jokic playing with less intensity.
Also, the Suns are the favorites in this playoff series, but the Denver Nuggets have a home-court advantage and are quite successful there. However, it will be more difficult for them, so the starters will likely get huge minutes.
One of the shortcomings of this Suns team is certainly the weak protection of the interior or the racket and the protection of the hoop; this proved to be true in the first round, where Plumlee and Zubac had some notable games, while Westbrook very easily found his way inside.
Another thing that works for us here is the fact that the Suns very rarely practice doubles, so we think that it will not happen here either, at least not in the first game.
Throughout his career, Nikola had some great games in duels with the Suns; we certainly believe this will be the case now in the big semi-finals of the Western Conference.
H2H:
12.01.23 Denver Nuggets-Phoenix Suns 126:97 – N. Jokić (21 pts)
26.12.22 Denver Nuggets-Phoenix Suns 128:125 – N. Jokić (41 pts)
25.03.22 Denver Nuggets-Phoenix Suns 130:140 – N. Jokić (28 pts)
21.10.21 Phoenix Suns-Denver Nuggets 98:110 – N. Jokić (27 pts)
Tip-off Time: Saturday, 29.04.2023. 8:30 PM ET / Sunday, 30.04.2023. 02:30 CET
Prediction: Nikola Jokic Over 25.5 Points
Odds: 1.90
Sportsbook: Bet365
