Saturday’s Best NBA Player Props: Betting Nikola Jokic Assists, More

Saturday's best NBA player props come from three of the slate's seven games:

• Phoenix Suns at New Orleans Pelicans: 7 p.m. ET
• Brooklyn Nets at Utah Jazz: 9 p.m. ET
• Indiana Pacers at Denver Nuggets: 9 p.m. ET

As a reminder, our FantasyLabs NBA Player Props Tool leverages our projections against odds offered at various sportsbooks and grades each prop on a scale of 1 to 10. All odds as of 4:30 p.m. ET. View live odds here.

Suns SF Kelly Oubre

THE PICK: Over 4.5 rebounds (-140)

Oubre has recorded only four rebounds in each of his past two games, which is creating some value with the over on his current rebound prop.

He’s averaged 4.9 rebounds in 29.2 minutes per game as a member of the Suns, and he should see significantly more than 29.2 minutes against the Pelicans.

The Suns will be without Tyler Johnson and Richaun Holmes, and Oubre is coming off 36 minutes in his last contest. The absence of Holmes should particularly help Oubre on the glass: Only one member of the Suns has seen a larger bump in rebound rate than Oubre with Holmes off the court this season.

I love Oubre's prospects to record at least five rebounds in a pace-up spot against the Pelicans. I’d play the over up to -165.

Nets F DeMarre Carroll

THE PICK: Under 10.5 points (-115)

Carroll has been a solid contributor for the Nets this season, but his presence in the rotation has diminished recently. He’s logged 22.4 o fewer minutes in four of his past five games, and he’s scored eight or fewer points in three of them.

The Nets are playing at close to full strength at the moment — only Allen Crabbe is expected to miss Saturday's contest — so there’s no reason to expect a bump in playing time tonight.

The Nets are also in a brutal spot against the Jazz, who rank third in defensive efficiency this season. Their implied team total of 106.0 points is the third-lowest mark on the slate and represents a significant decrease from their season average of (111.6).

Carroll has averaged 11.1 points in 25.1 minutes per game this season, so this line feels high given his current role and matchup. I like the under up to -125.

Nuggets C Nikola Jokic

THE PICK: Under 7.5 assists (-122)

Jokic is a special passer for a big man, but this line is too high. He’s eclipsed seven assists in only 48.4% of his games this season, including just twice in his past seven games.

Saturday night's contest against the Pacers also doesn't figure to be full of offensive opportunities. Both of these teams play at a bottom-seven pace, and the Pacers also rank second in the league in defensive efficiency. The resulting over/under of 213.5 is the lowest mark on the slate.

Betting against Jokic is a scary proposition, but handing out at least eight assists against the Pacers is a brutal task. I like the under up to -135.