NBA 2024/25 Expert Tips and Best Bets | May 16

There’s just one game on the slate today, but it’s a big one as Denver looks to keep their season alive at home against Oklahoma City. We’re betting on a game seven. This series has been too back and forth to have any other outcome. A big proponent of that will be Nikola Jokic, who we trust for 30+ points in the Denver victory that sees over 216.5 points hit.

Nuggets ML | $2.60 @ PlayUp

The Denver Nuggets are at home looking to save their season in game six against Oklahoma City. They have played the heavily favoured Thunder much tougher than many had expected coming into this series, and there’s no reason to believe that will change now. This series has all the makings of a seven gamer, and we’re betting on that outcome. NBA betting sites see the Nuggets as big underdogs in this game, but with home court advantage, and a team that has shown they can play at or above the level of OKC for long periods of time, we’re taking Denver’s moneyline at $2.60 on PlayUp.

Nikola Jokic 30+ Points | $1.96 @ Betright

Denver watched a fourth quarter lead slip away in game five to find themselves on the brink of elimination. The game came down to no one on Denver being able to make a shot down the stretch aside from Nikola Jokic, who was brilliant. He poured in 44 points on 17/25 shooting, including 13 in the final frame. Jokic has had a subpar shooting series by his standards, but he has exploded for 40+ twice. With their season now on the line, we’re looking towards The Joker to again put his team on his back. There’s good value here at $1.96 on Betright for Jokic to score 30 or more, and we’re backing the world’s best player.

O216.5 | $1.95 @ Betfocus

Conventional wisdom tells us that in elimination games, teams play more structured, and the refs tuck their whistles. This leads to low scoring games. However, in this playoffs we’ve seen the refs allowing for contact in every game, not just ones with elimination potential. These two sides have combined for 217 or more in four of the five games played thus far. With that, we’re taking over 216.5 in this one. We’re betting on the officiating to stay similar to what it has been the whole series, as an even tighter whistle would simply see the game become a wrestling match.