Best Nuggets vs. Thunder Player Props Tonight: Best Bets & SGP for Game 1

Nikola Jokic leads the Denver Nuggets against MVP favorite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder, and our Game 1 player props focus on the two stars.

Rob Paul

Last updated: May 5, 2025 5:03 PM EDT • 4 min read

Best Nuggets vs. Thunder Player Props. — Pictured: Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic defends a drive by Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Photo by Alonzo Adams via Imagn Images.

Arguably the two best players in the NBA face off tonight when Nikola Jokic leads the Denver Nuggets against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder at 9:30 p.m. ET (TNT, truTV, Max) for Game 1 from Paycom Center.

Our Nuggets vs. Thunder player props focus on the two closing NBA MVP odds favorites in what should be an electric showdown between arguably the two best players on Earth, as we offer our best NBA picks tonight.

⛹️ Best NBA player props for Nuggets vs. Thunder: Game 1

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🔥 Nikola Jokic Over 12.5 rebounds ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Could Jokic make a statement in this series, with the three-time MVP unlikely to win the award this year despite putting together the best statistical season of his career? He might not be going one-on-one with SGA, but look for Jokic to continue his dominant statistical output in Game 1, especially when it comes to cleaning the glass.

For as dominant as the Thunder are, they aren't the best rebounding team- they ranked outside the top 10 in rebounds per game (44.8) in the regular season and gave up the 11th-most per game to opponents (44.9). They really struggled with big men like Jokic, too, allowing the eighth-most boards per game to fives (15.28). Jokic went Over 12.5 rebounds in three of four regular-season games against OKC, averaging 15.8 boards against them.

✅ Best odds: -135 via BetMGM ($10 to win $7.41)

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🔥 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Over 6.5 assists ⭐⭐⭐

While SGA is better known for lighting up the scoreboard himself than setting up others to do so, the plus money odds at our best sports betting sites are tough to pass on given this matchup. The Nuggets allowed the second-most assists per game to opponents in the regular season (29), and the third-most to point guards (9.56).

In four regular-season games, SGA averaged exactly 6.5 apples per game against Denver, but his uptick in minutes in the playoffs should help him top 6.5 in Game 1. We could also see Gilgeous-Alexander taking on a slightly reduced scoring role and upping his facilitating due to Denver's success in slowing opposing point guards' scoring output; the Nuggets allowed the seventh-fewest PPG to point guards in the regular season (24.07).

✅ Best odds: +105 via bet365 ($10 to win $10.50)

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🔥 Jamal Murray Under 20.5 points ⭐⭐⭐⭐

While SGA and Jokic should be running up MVP numbers in Game 1, I don't expect Jamal Murray to have much of an impact against the league's best defense. The Thunder ranked No. 1 in the NBA in defensive rating (107.5) during the regular season while allowing the third-fewest points per game (107.6), which included giving up just the second-fewest PPG to point guards (23.10).

Although Murray popped off for 43 in Game 4 against the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round, he was wildly inconsistent in the series, and OKC is an even tougher matchup. In three regular-season games against OKC, Murray scored fewer than 20.5 twice and shot worse than 36% from the floor in both those games. Expect SGA and Lu Dort to be all over him in Game 1.

✅ Best odds: -130 via BetMGM ($10 to win $7.69)

🚀 Best same-game parlay (SGP)

🧪 Want to build your own SGP? Use our parlay calculator to find the best odds for any same-game parlay.

💡 More NBA expert picks

📡 How to watch Nuggets vs. Thunder live (Game 1)

📅 Monday, May 5
🕗 9:30 p.m. ET
📍 Paycom Center (Oklahoma City)
📺 TNT, truTV | 🛜 Max

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Written By:
Rob Paul

Rob is a Publishing Editor at Sportsbook Review. He’s been with the team since early 2024, with this being his first full-time role in the sports betting industry. Before joining SportsbookReview.com, he contributed to various sports outlets, including FanSided and Pro Football Network. During that period, he spent five years working full-time as a local community journalist, after attending Durham College for journalism and Wilfrid Laurier University for history. He previously hosted an NFL draft and college football-focused podcast where he had the opportunity to interact with future NFL players such as Maxx Crosby and Quinn Meinerz. Rob has spent multiple years working as a freelance podcast producer for numerous sports-related podcasts while making guest appearances on several college football shows. He’s also made guest appearances on SportsTalk Mississippi on several occasions to talk all things NFL draft. Rob values the way sports betting acts as a catalyst for telling stories and growing interest in certain sports, particularly FCS football, WNBA, and mid-major college basketball. He’s always been drawn to the more obscure teams and conferences in major college sports, but most of all, Rob loves using stats to find the best player props to back.