NBA Monday player props: Big spots for Nikola Jokic, Kevin Porter Jr.

We closed out last week in the green with a 13-8 record on player props. Nine games are on Monday's board, so let's return to our winning ways right off the bat.

Nikola Jokic over 9.5 assists

The Nuggets are the league leaders in assists per possession (0.269), and Jokic is a major reason for that. The current MVP favorite is averaging 8.8 dimes per game and has logged double-digit totals in six of the last eight contests.

He should continue piling them up against the Grizzlies, who rank No. 26 in opponent assists per made field goal (0.627) and No. 22 in assists allowed to centers per game (3.9).

Kevin Porter Jr. over 1.5 made threes

Only the Jazz and Trail Blazers attempt threes more frequently than the Rockets, who take over 45% of their shots from beyond the arc. They make about 13.5 of them per game and have received a big lift in that area from Porter, who's canned multiple triples in five of his last seven starts.

Here, he draws a Heat defense that's playing the second half of a back-to-back and allowing the second-most triples per game to shooting guards (3.9).

Josh Jackson over 17.5 points

Jackson has been looking to make an impact in the league ever since the Suns drafted him fourth overall in 2017. It's safe to say he's on the map after 11 straight starts with the Pistons.

Jackson's averaged roughly 17 points per game over his last 10, with double-digit attempts from the floor in six consecutive. There doesn't seem to be any sign that he'll slow down against a Cavaliers unit that surrenders the NBA's second-highest shooting percentage to shooting guards (46.1%).

Collin Sexton over 22.5 points

Ironically, the only team giving up a worse clip to shooting guards than Cleveland is its Monday opponent: Detroit. That turns our attention to Sexton, who has gone over this total in five of his last seven outings.

The third-year star is 23rd in the league in usage rate and went off for 32 points against these same Pistons earlier in the year.

Joel Embiid under 1.5 made threes

The 76ers rank just 25th in the NBA in 3-point frequency (34.5%) and 26th in makes per game (11). That points to a fade for Embiid, who's registering a career-low 3.1 attempts per contest in 2020-21.

The four-time All-Star has been held under this total in five of his seven starts since returning from injury, and he's only attempted more than five triples once over that stretch.

Embiid draws a stingy perimeter defense in Monday's tilt with the Warriors, who are allowing the fourth-fewest 3-point makes to centers this season.

Alex Kolodziej is a betting writer for theScore. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AJKolodziej.