NBA Player Props Today: Nuggets' Gordon Putting Up Numbers Sans Jokic

We got a perfect 4-0 Thursday from our NBA expert player props picks, and hopefully that momentum will carry over to Friday's tantalizing 10-game slate. 

Here are four more player props for your consideration, including a combination prop for Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (-125) on the road in Rip City on March 21, 2025.

Aaron Gordon OVER 25.5 Points + Rebounds vs. Trail Blazers (-125 at Sportsbook)

Preview: Denver Nuggets vs. Portland Trail Blazers, 10 p.m. ET

Some actual rest for three-time Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic has been long overdue, although the worry was that Denver would sink quickly without him in the lineup. The team has at least split its last two games without the superstar big man available, and it was Gordon leading the charge offensively in both games with fellow teammate Jamal Murray also absent with an ankle injury.

Jokic has been ruled out for Friday's matchup versus the Portland Trail Blazers, while Murray is listed as questionable, so that means we're likely to see another healthy dose of Gordon. He's averaging 32 points and 8.5 rebounds on 62.2 percent shooting in 33.5 minutes over these last two outings while having gone well OVER a 25.5 points and rebounds prop on each occasion. 

Portland ranks third defensively over its last five games by holding opponents to 108 points per 100 possessions, and that includes fewer than 100 points being allowed in its last three games. However, the teams that failed to reach triple-digit scoring (Grizzlies, Raptors, and Wizards) have all struggled to score since returning from the All-Star break. Gordon didn't drop more than 10 points in his prior two meetings with the Trail Blazers this season either, but Jokic was around each time and there's much more of a spotlight on the 29-year-old forward this go around. 

P.J. Washington OVER 20.5 Points vs. Pistons (+100 at Sportsbook)

Preview: Detroit Pistons vs. Dallas Mavericks, 8:30 p.m. ET

In a Dallas Mavericks starting lineup deprived of the one-two punch of Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving, it was inevitable that one more more players would elevate their game(s) in order to (try and) compensate. P.J. Washington has only just returned from an injury of his own after sitting seven games with a bum ankle, but all he's done since is put up points and lots of them, albeit in a pair of narrow defeats. 

Washington is averaging 27.5 points in the last two games with 29 and 26, respectively, both of which would go well over the 20.5 points set by oddsmakers as the Detroit Pistons visit the American Airlines Center. His 35 total shot attempts are tied for the lead on Dallas alongside Naji Marshall, although Washington is converting at a higher clip of 57.1 percent to Marshall's 45.7 percent.

In a 117-102 loss to the Pistons back on Jan. 31, Washington registered a double-double of 22 points and 13 rebounds across 35 minutes, although the primary difference this time is that he'll be more of a focal point in Detroit's game plan. Nonetheless, at plus money, it's hard not to like Washington's chances here when factoring in his recent output for Dallas.

Yves Missi OVER 16.5 Points + Rebounds vs. Timberwolves (-104 at Sportsbook)

Preview: New Orleans Pelicans vs. Minnesota Timberwolves, 8 p.m. ET

This is one of the easier picks to justify considering we just saw the New Orleans Pelicans and Minnesota Timberwolves square off a few days ago at the Target Center in an upset 119-115 victory for New Orleans.

The head-to-head matchup against reigning Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert wasn't ideal for rookie Yves Missi, yet the Pelicans center held his own quite well and put up 13 points, seven rebounds, and three rejections in just 26 minutes.

It was the fifth game in a row that Missi went OVER 16.5 points and rebounds, and the ninth time in his last 12 outings. He's averaging 11.6 points and eight boards during those five games, and can hopefully replicate those numbers once again in Minnesota. 

Justin Edwards OVER 12.5 Points vs. Spurs (-110 at Sportsbook)

Preview: Philadelphia 76ers vs. San Antonio Spurs, 8 p.m. ET

What's left of the Philadelphia 76ers' depth chart is a who's who of lesser-known talent looking to make the most of an expanded opportunity that wouldn't have otherwise been there had the core of the roster not been hurt. Justin Edwards, for example, went undrafted last summer and only just cracked the rotation at the start of the calendar year, but bettors need to be keeping a closer eye on him with the numbers he's been producing. 

Edwards has scored at least 18 points in each of his last two games for the Sixers, and now gets a look at a San Antonio Spurs defense which ranks only better than Philadelphia's across the Association since Feb. 20 by giving up 122.8 points per 100 possessions.

The 21-year-old prospect has also drilled at least three triples in each of those games, as well, and that would take him most of the way to an OVER on 12.5 points Friday night. 

NBA Best Player Prop Trends Today

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander OVER 4.5 Rebounds vs CHA (-138 at FanDuel)

I'm one for betting on the league's best players. Now, rebounds aren't the most set-it-and-forget-it props for a star point guard, but SGA finds some extra magic at home. He's cashed the OVER 4.5 rebounds in four of his last five contests in OKC, plus six of his last 10. 

The volume of rebounds in some of these big games makes me think he can do it again Friday. Gilgeous-Alexander had eight boards on March 9 vs Denver. SGA also totalled 10 rebounds way back on February 24 vs MIN. 

Best of all, the Hornets yield enough rebounds as a team for this OVER to hit. Charlotte allows 45.1 rebounds per game (21st in NBA) and 6.6 rebounds per game to point guards (27th). That's why I'm laying this -138 bet at FanDuel.

- Ethan Diamandas