Peter’s Points: NBA Best Bets Today (Predictions, Prop Bets for Jalen Brunson, Nikola Jokic, Anthony Edwards)

After an exciting weekend of Game 1 matchups, the 2026 NBA Playoffs continue on Monday night with a trio of Game 2 matchups, where three of the top-six teams in the odds to win the Finals are set to take the floor.

The Denver Nuggets (fourth in the NBA Finals odds), Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks (tied for fifth in the NBA Finals odds) are all favored at home as they look to take 2-0 series leads after winning on Saturday.

Here’s a quick look at Monday’s full slate:

Toronto Raptors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
Atlanta Hawks vs. New York Knicks
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Denver Nuggets

After all three home teams covered the spread on Saturday, I'm eyeing Jalen Brunson and Scottie Barnes to headline my favorite bets on Monday.

Here’s a breakdown of my favorite bets for the Game 2 matchups on Monday night.

1 Season, 600 Bets: NBA Betting Record

2025-26 season record: 253-215 (-2.59 units)
2024-25 season record: 281-293-5 (-4.94 units)
OVERALL (since 2021-22 season): 1544-1455-27 (+30.55 units)

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

NBA Best Bets Today

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Jalen Brunson OVER 2.5 3-Pointers Made (-125)
Scottie Barnes UNDER 6.5 Rebounds (-101)
Nikola Jokic OVER 9.5 Assists (-141)
Anthony Edwards OVER 2.5 3-Pointers Made (-136)

Jalen Brunson OVER 2.5 3-Pointers Made (-125)

Jalen Brunson put on a clinic scoring the ball in Game 1 against the Hawks, dropping 19 points in the first quarter and finishing with 28 points overall.

Brunson only took four 3-pointers in the game, but he made 3 of them. He’s now cleared 2.5 3-pointers in three of his four meetings against the Hawks, taking at least eight shots from deep in three of those games.

Atlanta was 13th in the league in opponent 3s made per game in the regular season, and Brunson has such a big responsibility in the New York offense that he’s worth a look at this number.

During the regular season, Brunson shot 36.9 percent from deep on over seven attempts per game, and he has averaged 2.4 3-pointers made per game in his Knicks playoff career.

Scottie Barnes UNDER 6.5 Rebounds (-101)

Scottie Barnes was held to just one rebound in Game 1, and he’s taken a step back as a rebounder since the All-Star break. In his final 26 games after the break, Barnes averaged just 5.6 rebounds per game, failing to clear 6.5 boards in 19 of those matchups.

Even though Barnes is averaging 7.5 rebounds per game for the season, he’s clearly not the same player on the glass that he was early in the campaign, especially with Jakob Poeltl healthy and in the lineup.

Cleveland is 12th in the league in opponent rebounds per game, and I’m not going to put too much stock into Barnes’ play against the Cavs from earlier in the regular season when he grabbed double-digit boards in all three of their meetings. All of those matchups came before Thanksgiving.

While Barnes should have more than one board, I think he’s a fade candidate in this market.

Nikola Jokic OVER 9.5 Assists (-141)

After putting up a triple-double in Game 1, Nikola Jokic may be undervalued as a passer in Game 2 against Minnesota.

Jokic had 11 dimes in Game 1 of this series, and he finished the regular season averaging 10.7 assists per game.

I’m surprised to see this line set below 10.5, as Jokic has 10 or more assists in 15 of his last 22 games (including playoffs), and he averaged 11.2 assists per game from March 1 through the end of the regular season.

In his four meetings with the Wolves during the regular season, Jokic had nine, 15, 11 and 10 dimes, so it’s certainly in the cards for him to reach double-digit dimes in Game 2.

Anthony Edwards OVER 2.5 3-Pointers Made (-136)

Anthony Edwards came up short of this prop in Game 1, but he did take nine attempts from beyond the arc. So, the volume is there for Edwards, even though he’s facing a tough Denver defense that was No. 3 in the NBA in opponent 3-point percentage during the regular season.

I’m going to use a pretty similar handicap for this Edwards prop as I did in Game 1, even though he does not appear to be at 100 percent after dealing with a knee injury at the end of the regular season.

Edwards shot 39.9 percent from beyond the arc during the 2025-26 regular season, averaging 3.4 made 3-pointers per game. In the playoffs, he’s averaged 3.1 made 3-pointers on over eight attempts per night.

Even though the Nuggets allowed a lower percentage of 3s in the regular season, they still finished 18th in the league in opponent 3s per game.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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