For the fourth and final time in the 2023-24 NBA regular season, international superstars Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama will go head-to-head when the Spurs host the Nuggets on Friday night. And while the 11.5-point spread in favor of Denver might lead you to believe this won’t be a good game, the battle between Jokic and Wembanyama — and the statistical explosion that comes with it — should be well worth the price of admission.
Jokic, the odds-on favorite to win MVP, has led Nuggets to three straight wins over the Spurs. His dominance — and Denver’s overall consistency — has simply been too much for a rebuilding Spurs team to handle.
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That’s not to say Jokic hasn’t needed to work to get past Gregg Popovich’s team. The reigning Finals MVP put up 39 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists when these squads first met in November. He posted a 31-7-5 line in their second meeting in mid-March. And earlier this month, we witnessed one of Jokic’s best performances of the season when he racked up 42 points, 16 boards, six dimes, two blocks and one steal.
That meeting really highlighted this special frontcourt matchup. Wembanyama posted an incredible line in defeat: 23 points, 15 rebounds, nine blocks, eight assists and one steal. The 20-year-old French phenom missed 20 of his 29 shots and still had such an impact on the game that the Spurs only lost to the Nuggets by five points.
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Needless to say, this center duel will be dazzling hoops fans and NBA bettors alike for many years to come. The sheer brilliance of their respective statistical numbers alone makes their meetings appointment viewing for fans and almost impossible for bettors to pass up on the prop market.
Let’s take a look at the stat projections and BetMGM player props for the Friday night…
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