The Denver Nuggets stunned everyone with a huge 121-119 victory over the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of their Western Conference Semifinals series on Monday. Nikola Jokic’s dominant 42 points and 22 rebounds, and Aaron Gordon’s clutch 3-pointer with 2.8 seconds left, were what pushed Denver over the edge. Denver showed the championship pedigree that carried them to an NBA title just two seasons ago. Now, as the series shifts to Oklahoma City for Game 2, the Thunder are eager to bounce back on their home court, reclaiming their throne as the most dangerous team in the West. The Nuggets will try to shock everyone even more by going up 2-0. We are going to take a look at the Game 1 stats and matchups to determine the best Thunder-Nuggets player props for Game 2.
The 3 Best Thunder-Nuggets Player Props For Game 2
*All Thunder vs Nuggets Game 2 odds are courtesy of Bovada as of Tuesday night.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: Under 33.5 points (-107)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the most formidable scorers in the league. He averaged 32.7 points per game in the regular season and has averaged 28.8 so far in the playoffs. We like the Gilgeous-Alexander going under his point total as one of the best Thunder-Nuggets player props for Game 2.
For one, Gilgeous-Alexander has only surpassed this line once so far these playoffs. On top of that, we could see the Thunder bouncing back in a huge way in Game 2, possibly en route to a blowout. Gilgeous-Alexander notched 33 points playing 40 minutes in a highly contested match. Just imagine what he will do if the game isn’t close and his minutes are down.
Russell Westbrook: Over 11.5 points (-125)
The Russell Westbrook scoring line continues to be too low. Not only has Westbrook been key for the Nuggets over his last few games, but he’s been fairly consistent as well. In these playoffs, every game in which Westbrook plays at least 10 minutes, he’s scored at least 14 points. That’s why we think this line continues to be way too low for Westbrook.
Westbrook looked comfortable at his old home floor in Oklahoma City on Monday. He had 18 points on efficient shooting in 30 minutes of playing time. It seems like both fans and the casinos are consistently underestimating Westbrook. Look for another solid night from him on Wednesday.
Jamal Murray: Over 4.5 rebounds (+112)
This line doesn’t make sense for Jamal Murray. Murray is one of the better rebounding guards in the NBA, and he has looked great on the glass these playoffs. Murray doesn’t average four rebounds a game during the regular season, but in the playoffs so far, he is averaging 5.4. He’s only notched fewer than five rebounds twice since the playoffs began, and we aren’t expecting him to do it again on Wednesday.
Murray has now covered this line in five straight games, which is why the fact that it has positive money returns (+112) is crazy. He always turns his game up a notch in the playoffs, and he has shown that rebounding is part of that improvement. Murray should be able to notch at least five rebounds quite easily in Game 2.
Photo credit: © Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
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