Winner Winner Chicken Dinner! A complete sweep yesterday, the second of the week, and now winners of 10 of the last 12 bets placed in this column. But the smoke from the victory cigar of yesterday has long been put out, and the focus is back on today. The reset to zero, or ‘stay present’ mindset is beneficial for a bettor. Regardless of how much you won or lost the previous day, it will not have an effect on today’s betting. There are seven NBA games today and three teams on back-to-back games; Utah Jazz, Brooklyn Nets, and Miami Heat. Miami is the only team at home for both of their back-to-back games. The Bet of the Night looks to take advantage of the Brooklyn Nets on the road, and against the defending champions. The column also takes advantage of the Miami Heat and their injury plagued team in back-to-back games. Two player props will be delivered from the Chicago Bulls tonight versus the heat. There are several players that are being withheld until more information is available. As previously mentioned if a Jonathan Kuminga prop becomes available take a look at his points. His average is 11.9, but he has cleared it the last three games, and will likely play more minutes tonight. If the bookies offer anything near his average… Hammer the over.

 

NBA Best Bets & Betting Picks December 14th

NBA Bet of the Night

Same-Game Parlay: Denver Nuggets Moneyline & Nikola Jokic OVER 28.5 Points (+125 BetMGM) – 2 Unit Bet

Nikola Jokic was ejected in his last game after just sixteen minutes of playing. It was a move that had teammates, opposing players, coaches from both staffs, the audience, and the commentators baffled. It took five real time minutes for everyone to figure out what actually happened. He was visibly upset about it after the game, but still managed to joke that they have won both times he has been ejected this year, so maybe he’s not needed. That was the first indicator that he is going to have an MVP caliber game tonight at Ball Arena. In their last home game, the Denver Nuggets suffered their first loss at Ball Arena this season to the Houston Rockets. That is also unacceptable from the standards set by Coach Malone, and he will have drilled that into his bench players who will be needed. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is out this game, and Aaron Gordon is still banged up. Due to that, the defense may not be as good as it has been this season. Nikola Jokic will play over his average of 34.2 minutes per game, and could be asked to score more points than his average of 27.2 per game, fourth highest in the league. Nic Claxton of the Brooklyn Nets is a professional center, but will have difficulty with Nikola Jokic. Particularly after playing over thirty-three minutes in last night’s victory over the Phoenix Suns.
 
To sum it up this bet wins because; Denver is back home at Ball Arena, the Nets are on the second of back-to-back games after a tough match up against the Suns, Nikola Jokic has a clear positional advantage tonight, he displayed signs of frustration to which he usually responds with a great performance (he responded with 30 points after the suspension earlier this year), N. Jokic has the fourth highest scoring per game in the Association, it is a game he may have to score more than his average to win. 

NBA Prop Bets

Nikola Vucevic, Chicago Bulls – OVER 11.5 Rebounds (-115 DK)

A different Nikola takes the stage for this prop bet, and Nikola Vucevic is playing back to his All-Star form. It’s interesting how the Chicago Bulls play has changed since the injury of Zach Lavine. They have won four of their last six games, and certain player’s numbers have drastically increased. N. Vucevic has played thirty-one or more minutes in ten of his last eleven games, and he has also recorded twelve or more rebounds in three of his last four games. The Miami Heat are playing in back-to-back games and will be without their All-Star starting center, Bam Adebayo. N. Vucevic should cover the highest rebounding prop of the game as long as he earns his usual thirty-three plus minutes per game. He is fifth in rebounds per game at 10.5, but is averaging 12.2 in the month of December. Trust the former All-Star to earn his monthly average against backups Kevin Love and Orlando Robinson.

Coby White, Chicago Bulls – OVER 20.5 Points (-135 BetMGM)

Coby White has a similar scenario as Nikola Vucevic, with their numbers increasing in the absence of Zach Lavine. C. White has covered the over on his point prop the last three games, and his point line has moved up to 20.5 as of now. He has played thirty-three or more minutes in all but one of his last eleven games. He has scored more than 20.5 points in five of his last six games, including three in a row. The Heat give up the sixth fewest points to opposing point guards, but on back-to-back games they may play several bench players, including Duncan Robinson and RJ Hampton, against a hot scorer. The Chicago Bulls’ 2019 7th overall pick is really shining this year, and C. White is on a hot scoring streak. Trust him to cover the ove again against a struggling Miami Heat.

 


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Bet Smart, Be Lucky - Iggy

*All Bets to be placed at 1 unit unless specified otherwise