Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

The Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder meet in tonight's most highly anticipated matchup on the NBA slate.

My Nuggets vs. Thunder predictions expect Nikola Jokic to dominate the boards and clear his rebound total.

Find out more in my NBA picks for Monday, March 9, with tip-off set for 7:30 p.m. ET on Peacock.

Nuggets vs Thunder prediction

Nuggets vs Thunder best bet: Nikola Jokic Over 12.5 rebounds (-110)

Nikola Jokic grabbed 17 rebounds in that overtime loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on February 27. He battled OKC’s twin towers of Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein in that meeting, but the Thunder could be missing that size tonight.

Hartenstein is sidelined with a calf injury, and Holmgren is overcoming illness, leaving him questionable. Along with backup center Branden Carlson’s absence, 6-foot-9 Jaylin Williams is the lone big man left to fight Jokic on the glass.

Jokic has averaged 20.6 rebounding chances per game since the All-Star break (fifth most), and projections range from 11.9 to 13.3 boards.

Nuggets vs Thunder same-game parlay

The Denver Nuggets have had some trouble away from home recently. They’re 3-5 SU and 4-4 ATS as a visitor since the start of February. OKC is 26-6 as a host so far this season. 

Game models call for less than 230 combined points in a heated Western war that will have a postseason-like intensity to it, especially after the fireworks of their last matchup.

Jokic’s rebounding chances are sitting north of 20 boards per game, and OKC is a bad rebounding team even at full strength. The Thunder are 25th in rebound rate and allow a lot of offensive rebounds.

Nuggets vs Thunder SGP

• Thunder moneyline
• Under 231.5
• Nikola Jokic Over 12.5 rebounds

Our "from downtown" SGP: Why So Serious?

Lu Dort and Jokic decide to leave the fighting on the scoreboard, with OKC’s forward projected to reach double digits and Joker’s forecasts flirting with 27 points.

Nuggets vs Thunder SGP

• Nuggets +7
• Nikola Jokic Over 26.5 points
• Nikola Jokic Over 12.5 rebounds
• Lu Dort Over 9.5 points

Nuggets vs Thunder odds

• Spread: Nuggets +6.5 (-115) | Thunder -6.5 (-105)
• Moneyline: Nuggets +210 | Thunder -260
• Over/Under: Over 232 (-110) | Under 232 (-110)

Nuggets vs Thunder betting trend to know

The Nuggets are 6-11 SU but 10-7 ATS against OKC over the last three years. Find more NBA betting trends for Nuggets vs. Thunder.

How to watch Nuggets vs Thunder

Nuggets vs Thunder latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

The Golden State Warriors have lost three of their last four games, but they’ll look to get back on track when they face the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center tonight.

Both teams have hit the Over often this season, and my Warriors vs. Jazz predictions and NBA picks expect another high-scoring affair in Salt Lake City.

Warriors vs Jazz prediction

Warriors vs Jazz best bet: Over 226.5 (-110)

Strong defense certainly hasn’t been a hallmark of the Utah Jazz this season, as the team ranks dead last in defensive rating. Utah is 37-27 to the Over, including an NBA-high 22-10 at home. Utah has hit the Over in three of its last five at the Delta Center.

This Golden State Warriors defense has been better than Utah’s, but the Warriors are 36-27 to the Over and 12-5 as the road favorite.

The Warriors have hit the Over in seven of their last 10 games, and the teams have gone Over in three of their last four head-to-head matchups.

Warriors vs Jazz same-game parlay

The Jazz are 34-30 ATS, and they've covered in 17 of 32 home games. Conversely, the Warriors are just 28-34-1 ATS. The visiting team is 14-17 ATS on the road and 6-11 as the road favorite. Both teams are shorthanded, but I'll give the edge to the home team.

With all of Jaren Jackson Jr., Walker Kessler, and Jusuf Nurkic sidelined, Kyle Filipowski is the go-to guy in Utah's frontcourt. As a starter, the big man has averaged 13 points and 8.5 boards, and across his last nine games since rejoining the starting five, he's averaged 14.7 points and 8.4 rebounds.

Filipowski has scored 12+ in eight of his last nine, and he's grabbed 9+ rebounds four times in that span, including three straight appearances. He's got plenty of opportunity, and he'll face a Warriors frontcourt that will once again be missing Kristaps Porzingis.

Warriors vs Jazz SGP

• Over 227
• Jazz +6
• Kyle Filipowski Over 11.5 points
• Kyle Filipowski Over 8.5 rebounds

Our "from downtown" SGP: Can't stop Kyle and Keyonte!

Keyonte George is averaging a career-best 24 points per game this season, and he's been Utah's most consistent — and electric — scoring option. Across his last three, George has averaged 29.3 points and hit the Over on this line twice. Strong play from him and Kyle Filipowski will keep Utah competitive tonight.

Warriors vs Jazz SGP

• Over 227
• Jazz +6
• Kyle Filipowski Over 11.5 points
• Kyle Filipowski Over 8.5 rebounds
• Keyonte George Over 23.5 points

Warriors vs Jazz odds

• Spread: Warriors -6 | Jazz +6
• Moneyline: Warriors -245 | Jazz +200
• Over/Under: Over 226.5 | Under 226.5

Warriors vs Jazz betting trend to know

The Jazz have gone Over the total in 25 of their last 35 home games for +14.0 units and a 36% ROI. Find more NBA betting trends for Warriors vs. Jazz.

How to watch Warriors vs Jazz

Warriors vs Jazz latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Down Giannis, Kyle Kuzma, and Kevin Porter Jr., the Milwaukee Bucks lost to the Orlando Magic 130-91 in yet another blowout. Without the aforementioned creators, the Bucks just didn’t have enough juice to go with the Magic, who have now taken the season series 2-1. Read our full summary of the game here and catch a six-minute audio recap on the Bucks+ podcast, Bucks In Six Minutes, below.

Player Grades

Myles Turner

23 minutes, 3 points, 0 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 1/6 FG, 1/3 3P, -27

Another invisible Turner game. For what it’s worth, big, athletic teams like the Magic would appear to play against Myles’ strengths, and that played out last night. He was only able to get three triples up and six shots overall. Posting up is usually not a go-to for him, but especially not against that team. There was also next to no resistance on defence as he played sparingly yet again.

Grade: D

Ryan Rollins

22 minutes, 15 points, 1 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 3 steals, 5 turnovers, 5/12 FG, 3/7 3P, -14

Ryan really felt the burden of being one of the only playmakers available last night, reflected in his five giveaways. The Magic were physical with him, succeeding in getting him off his game. I did feel like he got a raw deal on a few no-calls, though. Doc actually admitted postgame that too much was placed on Rollins’ shoulders:

“It was too much on [Ryan], honestly. Ous was the other ball-handler tonight. We just didn’t have a lot to start. We did run our stuff; didn’t run it well. They were up pressuring us… taking us out of stuff… It’s one thing to have injuries. It’s another when you have injuries to everybody who facilitates your offence. Puts you in a tough spot.”

Grade: D+

AJ Green

28 minutes, 4 points, 2 turnovers, 1/8 FG, 1/8 3P, -30

The rough AJ stretch continued last night. He was no match for their physicality and had a dreadful night shooting, a major trend of late.

Grade: D-

Ousmane Dieng

24 minutes, 2 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 turnovers, 1/7 FG, 0/2 3P, -29

Dieng did have a nice stretch in the second quarter, racking up four of his five dimes in the period (including a nice lob to Sims), but his shot escaped him for the game. I’ve referenced other guys who struggle with physicality; well, Ousmane might be the worst offender. The Magic neutralised him pretty well because of his lack of strength, heavily restricting his freedom with the ball (specifically his ability to come tight off screens).

Grade: D+

Bobby Portis

28 minutes, 18 points, 10 rebounds, 7/11 FG, 4/5 3P, -7

BP was the one of the only shining lights last night. He was aggressive in seeking shots and, due to his recent form, was able to pump-and-go to the rack once or twice.

Grade: B+

Cam Thomas

20 minutes, 17 points, 6 assists, 7/12 FG, 2/4 3P, -3

A better night for CT, who finally got some shots to fall amid a rough stretch. That said, I was more impressed with his six assists than anything else. On two chances where he could reasonably have shot it in the second quarter, he made the right play, hitting BP and AJ for triples.

Grade: B+

Jericho Sims

25 minutes, 10 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 5/5 FG, -30

I liked Jericho’s game. He scored eight of his 10 points in the first half, but all were dunks in which he made himself available and assertively flew to the rim with no messabout. Sims also continues to make a real difference by pursuing offensive boards. Finally, he stuck with the Magic’s guards and bigs on switches, forcing a good amount of tough shots from the likes of Bane and Banchero.

Grade: B+

Pete Nance

22 minutes, 6 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 4 fouls, 3/5 FG, -17

A solid game from Nance, who did most of his damage in the final frame with hustle and smart play. That said, he made an intelligent play in the first quarter, cutting from the short corner after Bobby caught it on the short roll, receiving the ball for the dunk. Gets in the right spots.

Grade: B

Doc Rivers

I thought Doc did a decent job coaching with the players available. Tough to battle that team without a creator like KPJ, who was huge in helping them get a win the last time these teams played. Maybe he should have given some of AJ’s minutes to Cam—given AJ’s struggles and Cam’s ability to get hot and score off the bounce—but I get not doing that, given CT has been off himself.

Grade: C

DNP-CD: Gary Harris

Garbage Time: Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Andre Jackson Jr.,

Inactive: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Alex Antetokounmpo, Kyle Kuzma, Kevin Porter Jr., Taurean Prince, Cormac Ryan

Bonus Bucks Bits

• I suspect the coaches are deliberately putting Ousmane Dieng one pass away from the guy running pick-and-roll, so that if/when the defence blitzes the ballhandler, Dieng is the release valve and can use his size and passing instincts to hit the open man as the defence recovers. He took advantage of this more against the Jazz than the Magic, but look for it in the coming games.
• This was the second game in a row in which Gary Trent Jr. has been a part of the rotation.
• Thanasis got on the court with over nine minutes left in the fourth, which is to say garbage time started early.
• AJax made a nice lookaway pass to Nance in the final minutes.
• The Magic were also on the second game of a back-to-back, but they played at midday the day before and thus would’ve arrived in Milwaukee at a decent time.
• Orlando shot 14/33 from three (42.4%).
• Paolo Banchero, who’s had a poor season relative to expectations, went 12/16 and 3/6 from three. He is shooting 46.5% from the floor and 31.0% from deep this season.
• Former Buck Jevon Carter has been a part of the Magic’s rotation after getting picked up by Orlando at the deadline following his being waived by the Bulls.

Up Next

The Bucks are back at Fiserv tomorrow night against the Phoenix Suns. Catch the action at 7:00 p.m. CDT on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin.

During a January game in San Francisco against the Golden State Warriors, the New York Knicks did something that should have never happened: they didn’t defend their teammate, Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns, 30, the Knicks’s second best player, was being subjected to aggressive intimidation by Warriors defensive stalwart Draymond Green, as Green is accustomed to doing to an opposing forward. In the middle of the fourth quarter, Towns drove on Green who tried to take a charge, then proceeded to trip him when he was on the ground as Towns rose up for a layup. Earlier in the game, Green had walked over to Mike Brown, the head coach of the Knicks, and exchanged pleasantries. After the game, they laughed heartily even though the Knicks lost a game that they were a better fourth quarter away from winning. Green said on his podcast that Knicks coaches chirped him throughout the game but it all felt too friendly; the spirit of friendly competition remains a good rule of law, but Green’s an antagonizer who needs to be pushed back. Furthermore, it was not the first time that Green had provoked Towns. A season ago, he called him soft, then claimed that Towns was ducking him when he missed the game against the Warriors in March. The hell with fraternizing when the opposition is attempting to punk one of our star players: if the game was competitive, then the soul of the cordial association with Green during and after the game was a corrupt comedy.

There wasn’t nearly enough of a defense of Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns, or “KAT”, as he known as, is in the midst of his second season with the Knicks. The deft shot-making that he possessed in his first season hasn’t always been there during his second season. It is easy to forget — with his struggles this season and the general criticisms about his body language and toughness that are often thrown Towns’s way — that his shot making in the fourth game of the first round against the Pistons gave the Knicks some breathing room in the form of a 3-1 series lead. Even if Brunson doesn’t do his sixth game heroics, they would have still had a seventh game at Madison Square Garden because of Towns’s clutch shots. Where Brunson is the team leader, the politician with everyone in his back pocket, the backcourt stalwart that is reminiscent of the great scoring guards of this generation, Towns is a luxurious weapon. 

Towns is an earnest star. His instincts lead him to show emotion on the court, emotion that allows for the most traditional kinds of men to question his mental toughness. For instance, when Towns was told by Shaquille O’Neal that it would take a formidable one-two punch with Brunson for the Knicks to finally hoist the trophy the fans have been longing to see, Towns pushed back with some of his trademark humility and kindness. “I said you were playing soft… It’s high aspirations, of course there are going to talk about Brunson, but it’s you and your play, you have to be dominant… You played in the paint tonight, that’s the way you have to play”, explained Shaq. Shaq is from a different time, where the center was supposed to play behind the basket and although he played against Dirk Nowitzki in his prime, nor was it like athletic specimens such as Kevin Garnett or Patrick Ewing played as restrictedly as Shaq played, he believes that a big man belongs in the paint. Towns pushed back with slight vigor. “We win a championship, we can talk about anybody, as long as all we get a ring. The main goal is to win, it don’t matter who gets the credit.” Whatever one takes from this conversation, it showed who Towns is compared to the some of the legends that he grew up with. There’s such a toxic masculinity, a sense of selfish responsibility in Shaq that is catered to the ideas of 1990’s America, a guy’s guy persona that sits right next to his inability to stay out of commercials on our television screen. If receiving credit was a woman, Shaq would marry it after the first date. 

Towns is much different than that. He grew up in the Obama era, where players team up in free agency together, played for John Calipari at Kentucky, where freshmen used to hone their skills in Lexington without haggle. He is the son of Jackie Towns, who passed away during COVID, and Karl Towns Sr. When Mrs. Towns was alive, you could find her cheering on Karl at the games. Everyone in the NBA has supportive parents, the trope of the no-father Black men is ridiculous, but the outward love that Towns has for his parents is apparent. The best version of Towns’s personality exists when he recollects his close relationship with his mom, and the toll that her death has taken on him and how he has fought to keep his emotions at bay whenever he thinks about her. He is an emotionally intelligent, genuine person in the sea of what is sometimes braggarts and wooden personalities. Whatever one makes of Towns’s gentleness at times, his babyish complaints to the referees and his three point launches, there is nothing cynical in him. Towns is much maligned because he does not perform the unadulterated masculinity, the traditional sense of duty and honor that some of the greatest NBA legends have performed. Not since Chris Bosh has there been a big man that is teased for not being as performatively macho as someone like Shaq is.

Sometimes Towns’s emotions on the court get the best of him, though. In the midst of being human, he can be annoying. He can be overly sensitive to contact, he can complain about the previous call when he should block it away and move on to the next possession. His lift is not the same as it was the year before and my mind immediately wonders whether Towns has an injury he doesn’t want anyone to know about it. In the year of 2025-2026, I am reminded of Sensei Sergio from One Battle After Another, who tells Leonardo DiCaprio’s Bob Ferguson, “Ocean Waves, Bob, Ocean Waves.” Whenever Towns is sulking, or conversing with Mike Brown over a play or two on offense and defense, Sensei saying “ocean waves” is what I keep thinking about. Macho men like Jimmy Butler were trying to teach him that, but they forget to uplift the sensitive Towns first, before being tough on him. Towns’s methods of receiving communication is the method of a younger millennial: with kindness and collaboration. Furthermore, it is not as if being on the block would miraculously change the Knicks’s team. Towns is best used as a pick and pop player, a forward in space, a matchup nightmare for teams that put undersized players on him, and a shot maker that can hit three that no man his size should be able to hit. Other than the great Dirk Nowitzki, he is the best shooting big man of all-time, although, at 36.8%, his percentage this season has creeped down from what they were last season.

In 2024-2025, Towns’s task was score when Brunson was not on the court, take over games when Brunson was not quite there. He did that against the Pacers in the comeback third game of the Eastern Conference Finals, when Towns had a monster second half. He looked unstoppable. Knicks fans can’t expect that every time but we have seen a dominant player before and are waiting for it to come out this season. Shaq, in his twisted, selfish, slightly toxic way is absolutely correct: this team will go nowhere without Towns and he needs to take the responsibility like he knows that he can. He knows that more than he lets on even though he wants to play the role of good teammate. One can understand that it is a team sport while taking the responsibility for the hopes of a championship contending team. This is the world that the big man before him made, and although his talents are different than them, it is fine to follow in their footsteps. He knows that. As he says to Shaq after the pushback, “Legend, I agree with you”, even though to call Towns soft is to mischaracterize his style of play. Watching him defend himself alone against Green was torturous. One got the sense that he was tired of this bully attempting to literally bully him and wanted a teammate to get in Green’s face so Green would dumb his fake tough guy persona down. It must be tiring to go to war with no one next to you but the pleasant OG Anunoby. It’s just basketball, of course, but it did not inspire the tough New York kid that is inside of me. I felt for Towns after that game. He needed his brothers to tell the neighborhood bully to go away.

The Knicks know that an opposing player dissing Towns publicly and on the court can’t happen anymore. Leon Rose traded for the pest Jose Alvarado, a tough kid from Brooklyn who if he ever backed down a day in his life would not be in the NBA. Jeremy Schoen will be good for a few technical fouls come April and May. Towns’s affinity for avoiding corny macho behaviors is what makes him an unique talent but the events of Green and the Shaq interview shows that the league wants him to perform those things as if they are going to help him make shots. They won’t but the complaining to the referees adds fuel to the fire, adds to the lore that he is someone who you can disorientate. All Knick fans want is a title, or at least a trip there, a chance at surprising someone in Oklahoma City, San Antonio, or Denver, and if Towns can play like he did last postseason, the Knicks can make it there. He will be a legend in this city and beyond if he does that, no matter how Shaq and the one-step-away-from-being-part-of-the-manosphere dudes think he should play like. However, hope is not something that is myth. It is earned. The Towns that I saw last season is needed. 

I’ll be honest, even feigning the tiniest bit of optimism about some of these games is now becoming extremely difficult.

The Philadelphia 76ers begin their second of three back-to-backs in March on Monday with a visit to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Sixers will be wildly shorthanded, to say the least — the end of 2024-25 season-level shorthanded.

Tyrese Maxey, truly the very last bit of paper clips and string holding this mess of a team together, will miss at least both games of the back-to-back after being diagnosed with a right fifth finger (pinky) sprain suffered in the final moments of Philly’s loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night.

The team announced the diagnosis on Sunday, adding that Maxey would be undergoing further testing and would reevaluated after the back-to-back.

The news comes as the team was already struggling along without the help of Joel Embiid (right oblique strain) as well as Paul George (suspension), who both remain sidelined for Monday. As of Sunday evening, VJ Edgecombe is questionable after missing the Sixers’ last two contests due to a back contusion suffered from a hard fall in a game against the San Antonio Spurs last week.

So, the Sixers will be without their top three scorers and may even be missing their fourth.

Not that there’s any optimal time for that, but this really isn’t the time if the team still has some sort of playoff contention ideas in their minds. Philadelphia have fallen to eighth in the Eastern Conference at 34-29, and the tumble may only accelerate. The Sixers are just a game and a half ahead of the Atlanta Hawks in ninth and three ahead of the Charlotte Hornets in 10th — both teams with some real positive momentum behind them that could see them jump Philadelphia sooner rather than later if the Sixers aren’t careful.

It gets to a point where you run out of things to say about this Sixers team, I’ll be honest. I’m running out of contingencies like “if they can just do this in this game” or “if they can just survive these few games” or “if they can just wait until this player gets healthy.” There comes a point when even I, someone employed to write words about these games, am simply at a loss for them.

So let’s talk about Cleveland.

The Cavaliers are coming into Monday night’s contest on the second leg of a back-to-back, having fallen to Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics on Sunday afternoon. Even considering that loss, though, Cleveland is playing great basketball. They’ve won 16 of their last 22 contests, with two of those victories being consecutive wins against the Sixers on Jan. 14 and 16. And both of those came against a full-strength Philadelphia squad — Embiid, George, Edgecombe and Maxey all played.

And you can bet they’ll be looking to use this golden opportunity to get themselves back in the win column on Monday against the hospital Sixers. The Cavs currently sit at fourth in the Eastern Conference, just a game and a half back from the New York Knicks for third and four games behind the Celtics in second. They are another squad looking to actually ascend in the East, in comparison to the Sixers who seem to be trying to plummet as quickly as possible.

Coming in on the end of a back-to-back, the Cavaliers’ injury report is not due to be available until Monday afternoon. That being said, Cleveland’s only major absence on Sunday was Jarrett Allen, who missed the matchup with Boston after having to exit early from the Cavaliers’ win over the Detroit Pistons last Tuesday with a knee injury. The veteran center had been playing his best basketball of the season recently too, averaging 22.1 points and 11.1 rebounds across 12 games prior to the one he exited early. Allen is also shooting 63.6% from the floor across 51 contests.

He’s far from the only one playing good ball in Cleveland right now, though. Donovan Mitchell continues to lead the Cavaliers averaging a career-best 28.6 points in 56 games this season. Former Sixer James Harden, traded from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Cavaliers at the beginning of February, has played 10 games for Cleveland so far, averaging 19.1 points shooting 54.8% from long range (on 6.5 attempts per outing) and 8.1 assists in that stint. Evan Mobley is also chipping in 17.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game.

So, coming into this Monday matchup a bit stronger than the Sixers, I’d say.

Could we see a miracle? Of course, I suppose… but it would have to be one of borderline-biblical proportions for the available Sixers lineup take down the Cavs right now.

Philadelphia — what’s left of them — tip off against Cleveland at 7 p.m. ET.

Game Details

When: Monday, March 9, 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: RocketArena, Cleveland, OH
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Follow: @LibertyBallers