At 33-13, the Denver Nuggets sit atop of the Western Conference. The Nuggets host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night before heading on a difficult three game road trip that begins with the New Orleans Pelicans before games against the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers. That stretch might be even harder if the Nuggets are left without the services of their superstar center Nikola Jokic, who is questionable for tomorrow night’s game with a hamstring injury. The questionable tag comes after Jokic was ruled out of Denver’s game last night. Bettors should monitor Jokic’s status for Sunday night’s matchup against the Thunder, and the Nuggets schedule moving forward.
The Nuggets and Thunder play at 8 p.m. ET tomorrow. Bettors and NBA DFS players will have to follow the news cycle closely. Whether Jokic is in or out, bettors can find an edge on NBA prop bets using the OddsShopper tools. NBA bettors can also try out a one-week free trial of NBA Bet Pro for the sharpest NBA projections and prop betting analytics.
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Nikola Jokic Injury Update – NBA Betting Impact
Jokic appeared on the Nuggets midday injury report on Friday with “left hamstring tightness.” He was listed as questionable on the report before eventually being ruled out before tip off. It’s unclear when or how Jokic picked up the hamstring injury. Jokic missed one game last week to rest an ailing wrist and sat out three games in November due to the NBA’s healthy and safety protocols. There has been little else said about the hamstring injury, making Nikola Jokic’s availability moving forward unclear.
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The Nuggets have faced the Thunder three times this season, winning all three meetings. Denver won the last meeting between these two 131-126 in overtime. Jokic nearly posted a triple double, scoring 39 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists. Oklahoma City is 22-24 and sits in 11th place in the Western Conference standings. The challenge will become more difficult on Denver’s road trip. The New Orleans Pelicans are in 4th place in the west with a 26-20 record. Milwaukee and Philadelphia are both 29-16, tied for 2nd place in the NBA Eastern Conference.
Zeke Nnaji started last night’s game at center in place of Jokic. DeAndre Jordan was used as the backup center after starting for the Nuggets during Jokic’s earlier absences. If Jokic is out the Denver Nuggets’ rotation will be a question mark.
Nuggets-Thunder NBA Betting & DFS Advice
It’s too early to tell if Jokic will suit up or not. If you are doing some early research into tomorrow’s DFS slate, the best place to start is consider pricing and the direction you might take if the superstar center is out. Luckily, the 8 p.m. ET tip against Oklahoma City is the earliest on Sunday’s small NBA DFS slate.
Jokic is the most expensive player on DraftKings ($11,600) so if he is in there will have to be other value on the slate to make him fit into lineups. If Jokic is out his replacement, whether Zeke Nnaji ($3,700) or DeAndre Jordan ($3,600) will become top value plays. The news might not be available until right before lock. One way to stay up on the situation is to tune into Stokastic’s NBA DFS Live Before Lock show.
The Denver Nuggets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder lines have not been released yet. Despite losing Jokic, the Nuggets are likely to be favored over the Thunder. Denver has a host of other players that make them favorites, including Jamal Murray who recorded a triple double last night with Jokic out. Murray tallied 17 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists. He chipped in two steals as well. Once the game is available at books, bettors can look to find value on prop markets with the Nikola Jokic injury causing his minutes and usage to be vacated.
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