Mavericks vs. Nuggets Best NBA Prop Bets Today (How to Bet Kyrie Irving, Nikola Jokic)

Kyrie Irving is a must bet on Friday night with Luka Doncic out.

Kyrie Irving is a must bet on Friday night with Luka Doncic out. / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Luka Doncic is out and Nikola Jokic is questionable for the Dallas Mavericks-Denver Nuggets NBA Cup clash on Friday, which means some players are going to need to step up. 

That means we’ll have some interesting decisions to make in the prop market, as Mavs stars Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson may be asked to handle a major workload to keep Dallas alive after splitting its first two NBA Cup games.

Meanwhile, Denver is down Aaron Gordon and looking to build off of Tuesday’s win against Memphis when Michael Porter Jr. scored 24 points. Could he be a player to target on Friday?

Here’s a breakdown of my favorite prop plays for this NBA Cup matchup. 

Best NBA Prop Bets for Mavericks vs. Nuggets

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

• Kyrie Irving OVER 25.5 Points (-120)
• Nikola Jokic OVER 10.5 Assists (-125)

Kyrie Irving OVER 25.5 Points (-120)

With Doncic out, Kyrie Irving should have an expanded role offensively on Friday, and he’s been ultra-efficient so far in the 2024-25 campaign. 

So far this season, Irving is averaging 24.3 points per game while shooting 54.5 percent from the field and 53.8 percent from beyond the arc. He’s also shown in the past that he can step up his scoring with Luka out, averaging 29.4 points, 6.6 assists and 5.0 rebounds in 12 games without Luka in his Mavs career. 

Denver ranks 14th in the NBA in defensive rating – middle of the pack – so don’t be shocked if a few extra shot attempts carries Kyrie past this number on Friday. 

Nikola Jokic OVER 10.5 Assists (-125)

If Jokic is able to suit up on Friday, he’s a must bet at his assist number.

Over his last four games, Jokic has at least 13 assists in each of them, and he’s picked 13 or more dimes in every game he’s cleared 10 assists (seven out of 10 overall).

Dallas is allowing 26.1 opponent assists per game – 17th in the NBA – but Jokic is unlike anyone else.

The three-time league MVP is putting up a whopping 19.8 potential assists per night, meaning he has to convert about half of his potential assists to clear this prop. 10.5 is simply too low if Jokic plays tonight.

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.