Nuggets center Nikola Jokic finds himself under scrutiny as the Denver Nuggets prepare to face the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 3 of their playoff series, currently tied 1-1. After a narrow 119-114 loss in Game 2, where Jokic recorded 24 points, 15 rebounds, and 8 assists, he faces a challenging over/under of 29.5 points for Thursday's game.

Jokic has averaged 24.5 points per game in this series, but the SportsLine Projection Model forecasts he will fall short of his scoring total, projecting him to finish with 26.8 points. This trend aligns with his recent performance, having gone under his points market in 8 of his last 10 games as a favorite, averaging 23.9 points in those contests.

In contrast, the model is optimistic about Scottie Barnes of the Toronto Raptors, who is set to face the Cleveland Cavaliers at 8 p.m. ET. Barnes has been a standout performer, averaging 23.5 points and 6.0 assists in the series, with an over/under of 23.5 points + assists. The model anticipates he will exceed this total, projecting an average of 27.5 points + assists for the upcoming game.

Top player prop picks for Thursday include:

• Josh Hart, Knicks, Over 7.5 rebounds
• Scottie Barnes, Raptors, Over 23.5 points + assists
• Nikola Jokic, Nuggets, Under 29.5 points

With the playoffs heating up, following the insights from the SportsLine model could yield significant returns, especially considering its impressive 24-9 record on top-rated NBA spread picks this season.