Nuggets vs. Grizzlies Prediction, odds, best prop bets for NBA Cup on Sunday, November 17

The Memphis Grizzlies are slight favorites on Sunday night against the Denver Nuggets, who may be without Nikola Jokic (questionable, personally) for the second straight game.

Denver lost to a small New Orleans Pelicans team without Jokic on Friday, and the team simply isn’t built to withstand his absence – so bettors will want to check his status before placing their final bets on this game.

Now that Jokic is in the air, let’s analyze the odds, prop bets, and my prediction for Sunday’s game.

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

Moneyline

Total

Nuggets injury report

Grizzlies injury report

Memphis Grizzlies Prop Bets

Bane returned from a seven-game absence against Golden State on Friday, coming off the bench to play just over 27 minutes. He shot 7-for-13 from the field and finished with 18 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals.

I like his rebound prop tonight, especially if he’ll be in the ballpark for 25-30 minutes on Sunday. Bane grabbed 3.5 rebounds in five of his six games this season and grabbed at least six boards in four straight games. He even had six rebounds in less than 17 minutes in the game he was injured in earlier this season.

This is a huge value on Sunday.

Memphis has several key rotation players behind it in Morant, Smart and GG Jackson, but I still think it will win this game with Jokic out.

The Grizzlies are an impressive 8-5 against the spread this season, and they were underdogs on the road Friday night with Desmond Bane back in the lineup after an oblique injury.

Memphis is 4-2 at home this season, but the most important statistic in this game depends on Jokic.

If the three-time MVP is in the league, Denver is in big trouble. With Jokic on the floor this season, the Nuggets are +12.3 points per 100 possessions.

However, when he is out or on the bench, Denver scores -19.4 points per 100 possessions – an on/off swing of +31.7.

I simply can’t bet on Denver unless Jokic is upgraded so he’s available for this game.

Pick: Grizzlies Moneyline (-130)

The odds are updated periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey’s NBA betting record here (including futures). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.