NBA playoffs betting: Three bets for Friday

The NBA playoffs march on with a pair of conference semifinal matchups Friday night. The game I'm looking forward to most is Game 3 between the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Can the Timberwolves go up 3-0 on their home court? The spotlight will be on Nikola Jokic, who has an uncharacteristic 11 turnovers in this series and has had to deal with the Timberwolves' ferocious defense. Looking forward to seeing what Joker has up his sleeve in Game 3.

Nikola Jokic OVER 29.5 points. You know the playoffs are not for the faint of heart. Going down 3-0? That's practically a death sentence for any team. The reigning MVP is gearing up for a bounce-back on Friday night in what has become a must-win game. Jokic is going to bring the heat against the Timberwolves in Game 3. He has cleared this line in four out of six games against Minnesota this season. Jokic should be very aggressive tonight.

Rudy Gobert OVER 13.5 assists and rebounds. Even though he has cleared this line in only three of his past five games, there's another key detail you should consider. Gobert has averaged 3.2 potential assists and 20.0 rebound chances per game during that span. It's also worth noting that the Timberwolves alternated between having Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns defend Jokic in Game 1. Now that he's back from missing Game 2 due to his son's birth, Gobert can grab more rebounds in Game 3. Gobert played only 25 minutes in Game 1, but he has cleared this line in 72% of his games this season when he played 30 or more minutes.

Josh Hart OVER 5.5 assists. He has hit this mark in three of his past five games and has averaged 8.0 potential assists per game during that stretch. Plus, the Pacers have been tough on point guard assists this season. But with OG Anunoby sidelined, Hart's chances for success are even higher. Also, Hart has cleared this line in 60% of the 20 games Anunoby has missed this season.

Projections and Injury Reports

Basketball Power Index by ESPN Analytics. Injury aggregation by Rotowire.com. Odds by ESPN BET

New York Knicks at Indiana Pacers

Records (Against the Spread)
Knicks: 50-32 (44-37-1)
Pacers: 47-35 (44-36-2)

Line: Pacers (-7.5) Total: 222.5
Money Line: Knicks (+240), Pacers (-290)
BPI Projection: Pacers by 0.2, straight up 51%, 227.5 total points.

Injury Report:
Knicks: Jalen Brunson, (GTD - Foot); OG Anunoby, (OUT - Hamstring); Bojan Bogdanovic, (OUT - Foot); Duane Washington Jr., (OUT - Knee); Julius Randle, (OUT - Shoulder); Mitchell Robinson, (OUT - Ankle)
Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton, (GTD - Back); Bennedict Mathurin, (OUT - Shoulder)

Denver Nuggets at Minnesota Timberwolves

Records (Against the Spread)
Nuggets: 57-25 (38-42-2)
Timberwolves: 56-26 (40-39-3)

Line: Timberwolves (-4.5) Total: 205.5
Money Line: Nuggets (+145), Timberwolves (-170)
BPI Projection: Timberwolves by 5.9, straight up 69%, 202.1 total points.

Injury Report:
Nuggets: Jamal Murray, (GTD - Calf); Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, (GTD - Abdomen); Reggie Jackson, (GTD - Ankle); Vlatko Cancar, (OUT - Knee); Collin Gillespie, (OUT - Knee)
Timberwolves: Jaylen Clark, (OUT - Achilles)