The NBA world is a little more quiet than usual today, thanks to the Final Four stage of the “March Madness” NCAA tournament. However, The Big Dog has his sights on a clash between two Western Conference team that are already looking toward next season, as a key omission opens the door for today’s “Play of the Day”.
Sacramento Kings @ Denver Nuggets
These two teams are the most recent to have been officially eliminated from contention for the 2016 playoffs, regardless of the fact that most people who follow the league probably had a line drawn through both by the All-Star break. With nothing left to play for, the Sacramento Kings have decided to restrict star centre DeMarcus Cousins to only playing home games for the rest of the season. That’s great news for the Denver Nuggets, who have been torn to shreds by the All-Star big man, in two meetings this season. Cousins has exploded for 76 points and 29 rebounds, while shooting 59.1 percent from the floor. Without him, the Kings are 2-11 for the season and 13-43 overall, proving just how central his presence is to anything good that happens for that franchise. Nuggets coach Michael Malone will hope to get a victory over the team that sacked him in puzzling fashion, after just 24 games of the 2014-15 season. A key to this may well involve the continued improvement of rookie point guard Emmanuel Mudiay. The number seven overall pick in last year’s draft has boosted his scoring output to 15.8 per game in March, on the back of an improved field goal percentage of 39.1, while his minutes remain steady at around 30 per game. With the Kings still rated as the most porous defence in the league, Mudiay should see plenty of opportunity to fill the box score in a win for his team. The Big Dog thinks this double is some of the best value to be found, all season.
Selection
Emmanuel Mudiay 15+ Pts/Denver Nuggets To Win (Player Performance Doubles) @ $3.10 (Sportsbet)
Tools
Results Spreadsheet
