NBA: How to Bet Joel Embiid vs. Nikola Jokic Tonight

One of the most hotly anticipated games of the NBA regular season is here as the top two MVP favorites do battle for the second and final time this year with Joel Embiid going head-to-head against Nikola Jokic when the Philadelphia 76ers take on the Denver Nuggets. We've consulted our NBA predictions model to identify where the betting value is tonight in this heavyweight title clash that could very well decide who this year's most valuable player will be.

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How to Bet Embiid vs. Jokic Tonight

Philadelphia 76ers vs. Denver Nuggets, 9:30PM ET

The race for this year's NBA MVP has been a fiercely contested one that has ebbed and flowed all season. After getting as high as +2900 in November to go back-to-back-to-back, Nikola Jokic has averaged a near triple-double this season as he catapulted to a -400 favorite to win on March 6 this year. 

However, just as quickly as Jokic ascended to almost unbackable status, the Denver Nuggets' descent as a basketball team began. The Nuggets lost five out of six games from March 8 to March 18, which coincidentally aligned with Joel Embiid going crazy, averaging 34.5 points through the month of March to see him leapfrog the Nuggets' big man as the current favorite to take home the Michael Jordan Trophy for the first time in his career at odds of -150 with DraftKings Sportsbook.

But don't let the odds fool you - a lot of eyes will be on tonight's game and a dominant performance either way could sway the voting panel towards one guy.

And as far as our predictive analytics model goes, we're anticipating the man from Denver throwing one more big blow.

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How to Bet Jokic vs. 76ers

Dimers.com's predicted stat line for Nikola Jokic:

• 24 points
• 11 rebounds
• 11 assists

The reigning two-time MVP is a much scarier prospect on his home court this season, averaging 25-13-11 in Denver, compared to 25-11-9 on the road. Our model is expecting the Serbian's home form to stay true, predicting a stat line of 24-11-11. When glancing at the current lines available among the various sportsbooks, the best play here looks to be for Nikola Jokic to record a triple double, currently listed at odds of +135 with DraftKings Sportsbook.

How to Bet Embiid vs. Nuggets

Dimers.com's predicted stat line for Joel Embiid:

• 34 points
• 9 rebounds
• 4 assists

Embiid lit it up the last time these two teams met with 47-18-5 on January 28 in a performance that well and truly solidified his name as an MVP contender this season. But our model is not expecting a repeat this time.

Looking at the lines at the time of publishing, and there's not a whole lot of value for Embiid. FanDuel Sportsbook currently have his points prop over/under at 34.5 points, rebounds at 11.5 and assists 5.5. 

There appears to be a narrative that after two straight MVP awards, Jokic is not as consumed with it as Embiid, who has long coveted the honor. Will The Process find an extra gear or two with the MVP on the line? He might, and for that reason anything could happen that could well and truly defy a predictions model like ours. There's not enough captivating data for us to go heavy into an Embiid bet here, but if you must, the play we're suggesting here is for Joel Embiid to go under 51.5 points, rebounds and assists, which can be found at odds of -115 with FanDuel Sportsbook.

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