Nuggets vs. Suns player props: Game 5 NBA Playoffs odds, picks, best bets

Devin Booker and Kevin Durant would like a word if you thought the NBA Western Conference semifinal matchup between the Nuggets and Suns was over after the first two games.

Phoenix’s top two scorers put on a scoring clinic in Games 3 and 4 to even up this series at 2-2 ahead of Tuesday’s Game 5.

Oddsmakers are expecting another strong showing from those two and from Denver star Nikola Jokic, whose 53 points weren’t enough for his side on Sunday.

Will those three stars shine bright once again?

Here’s how we’re betting those superstars in the player props market for Tuesday’s contest, which tips off at 10 p.m. ET on TNT.

Nuggets vs. Suns player prop odds, best bets

(via BetMGM)

• Devin Booker O/U 31.5 points (over -125, under -110)
• Kevin Durant O/U 1.5 3-pointers (over -200, under +150)
• Nikola Jokic O/U 9.5 assists (over +110, under -150)

Nuggets vs. Suns player prop picks, predictions, analysis

Devin Booker over 31.5 points (-125)

As much as this might feel like a “sucker bet” after Booker’s scoring bonanza in this series, oddsmakers can only price prop bets so far to any extreme before getting cooked on the other side.

And this simply isn’t far enough.

The All-NBA guard has been on an all-time heater this postseason, averaging 36.8 points through his first nine games – the most by anyone through nine playoff games since Michael Jordan (1990).

He’s done so on a ridiculous 61.7% shooting from the field with a 71.1% true shooting percentage, the best ever by a player with at least 300 points through nine playoff games.

That includes a ridiculous 83 points on 79.1% shooting over his last two games to breathe life back into this series.

He’s also drilled 12 of his 21 attempts from deep (57.1%) across the entire series in a pure display of scoring dominance unlike anything we’ve ever seen.

So what, exactly, suggests that he can’t do it again other than historical precedent, which he’s already shattered in this series?

The Suns need another monster effort from Booker to keep their title hopes alive, and I’d bet on him delivering on Tuesday.

Kevin Durant over 1.5 3-pointers (-200)

Durant has the same points total as Booker (31.5) but hasn’t been nearly as consistent this postseason as his running mate.

That said, I’d still rather not fade the former MVP after he scored 39 and 36 points, respectively, in his last two games.

Instead, I’ll gladly lay the juice here on Durant banking multiple triples, which he’s done five times this postseason and 13 times in 17 games with the Suns.

He’s done so twice in this series despite middling efficiency from deep (25%), which is well below his average this season (40.4%) and across his postseason career (35.6%).

The key has been immense volume: he attempted 12 threes in his last trip to Denver, and he fired a combined nine attempts over his last two games at home.

If he maintains that same shooting volume in a crucial Game 5, he should cash this prop with ease.

Nikola Jokic over 9.5 assists (+110)

As if Jokic hasn’t been brilliant enough this postseason, he dropped a career-high 53 points on Sunday in one of the best individual performances of his storied career.

Lost in the mix of his scoring exploits was his 11 assists, which marked the fourth time this postseason he’s finished with double-digit dimes and the 48th time in 78 games this season.

That’s a 61.5% hit rate for a prop that’s curiously dealing at plus-money ahead of Tuesday.

While Jokic clearly has 50-point potential in his arsenal, it didn’t result in success for his team in Game 4, so I’d expect the Nuggets star to resume his familiar floor general role in Game 5 – especially with Denver’s shooters better equipped to rain threes at home.