Nailing a +400 and +106 NBA player prop on Friday night resulted in a nice jump in overall units for the season, and with some rare picks to be made on a Saturday for Odds Shark, let's cross our fingers that this recent success isn't just a flash in the pan and it can carry through over the weekend.
Here's three expert player prop picks for the five games scheduled on Saturday, February 22, including a prop for Nikola Jokic in the juiciest of matchups against the Los Angeles Lakers at Ball Arena.
Nikola Jokic OVER 39.5 Points + Rebounds vs. Lakers (-113)
Preview: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets, 8:30 p.m. ET
Death, taxes, and Jokic owning the Lakers' soul. Fans of the purple and gold have long had nightmares over the numbers the three-time Most Valuable Player has produced against their squad, and with obvious holes in the interior after parting with the now injured Anthony Davis in a trade to acquire Luka Doncic, Jokic could feast like he never has before with a severe lack of options to combat him.
Since 2022-23, Jokic has averaged a near triple-double of 26.9 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 9.3 assists across eight matchups with Los Angeles. That's nearly identical to what he's contributed in 14 playoff games throughout his career (25.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 8.6 assists), and the Denver Nuggets lost just two of those outings.
With a combined prop for points and rebounds set at 39.5 by oddsmakers, Jokic has beaten that number in each of his last three appearances and six of his last eight games. He's also done so in three-straight games versus the Lakers, six of his last seven, and seven of his last nine. Good luck to the combination of Jaxson Hayes and Alex Len, because they're in for a long night at the office in the Mile High City.
Royce O'Neale OVER 11.5 Points vs. Bulls (-111)
Preview: Phoenix Suns vs. Chicago Bulls, 5 p.m. ET
On a roster alongside Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal, eight-year pro Royce O'Neale has avoided fading into the background offensively by being one of the Phoenix Suns' more consistent outside shooters, connecting on a career-best 41.5 percent of his attempts from behind the arc this season. He just led the team in scoring for the second time in a 120-109 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, finishing with 27 points with six triples in 35 minutes of action.
Exceeding a points total of just 11.5 against a Chicago Bulls team that's lost five in a row seems doable for O'Neale, considering he's done exactly that in his last two outings and five of his last seven dating back to Feb. 3. Chicago's defense is dead last during this recent streak of futility, allowing 123.2 points per 100 possessions, although Phoenix's isn't much better at 119 points allowed per 100 possessions (24th).
The game's point total of 238 is the second-highest on Saturday behind Lakers-Nuggets, so oddsmakers project defense to be an afterthought at the United Center. O'Neale will never be the focal point of an opposing coach, and should be open more often than not on the road in the Windy City.
Keon Johnson OVER 12.5 Points vs. 76ers (-115)
Preview: Brooklyn Nets vs. Philadelphia 76ers, 7:30 p.m. ET
Keon Johnson has led the Brooklyn Nets in scoring in four of their last six games and five of their last eight, and on Saturday against the Philadelphia 76ers, the 22-year-old wing won't need to be fighting for attempts with D'Angelo Russell who will be sidelined with an injured ankle.
Johnson just missed out on a triple-double one of the last times Brooklyn played the Sixers, registering a 15-8-8 line in 36 minutes in what amounted to a 29-point loss at the Barclays Center on Jan. 4. Now he only had six points against Philadelphia right before the All-Star break on Feb. 12, but Russell took 15 shots that day and led the Nets with 22 points, so that output needs to be compensated for on Saturday.
Now Johnson has only scored 13 or more points in 16 of his 53 appearances this season, but absence (mainly Russell's) can create opportunity, and Brooklyn needs offense desperately.
