San Antonio Spurs favored by 2 -110 with a 212 1/2 total against the Denver Nuggets in tonight's game, as two of the NBA hottest teams clash in Denver's Pepsi center, where the Nuggets have won 10 straight.
The BEST against the BEST
Both teams are playing extremely well with San Antonio Spurs sporting a
league best 21-3 record and Denver Nuggets(15-9, 11-1 home) on a 10 game home winning
streak. A Denver win would match their best winning run at home since a 12-0
stretch March 16-April 19, 2005. However, this will be a daunting task for the
Nuggets as the Spurs won both meetings in Denver last year by 19 points and are
playing significantly better team basketball than last season.
Anthony Trade Rumors
So, it
is quite amazing with all the whirlwind trade rumors surrounding 3-time
All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony that the Nuggets are playing this well. Denver
fans could not get a better Christmas present than to have any trade fall
through, but the reality is that a trade will take place at some point soon.
Despite the winning streak, Denver finds themselves in third position in the
Western Conference Northwest division two games behind the Utah Jazz and
Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Rankings
Denver
is averaging 106.8 points per game ranking third in the NBA and by all analyses
are playing solid basketball. However, when you look at the Spurs stats it
clearly shows why they have been winners of 21 of 24 games played to date. They
rank third in assists averaging 23.7 assists per game and fifth in scoring at
105.8 points per game. This combination of passing and scoring make it very
difficult for any defense to defend. Moreover, the Spurs scoring defense ranks
eighth best allowing 96.2 points per game.
The
Spurs rank second best in scoring differential scoring an average of 9.6 points
per game more than their opponents. Denver ranks ninth in scoring differential,
but at just 2.4 points per game. The Spurs are a superior team, but playing in
Denver makes the for a more equitable contest tonight and I strongly believe
Denver will win this game.
The Technical Picture
Denver
has a significant edge in the technical realm supported by a proven money
making system that has produced a 32-10 ATS mark for 76% winners since 1996. When you want to do some NBA betting, play against road
teams where the line is between +3 to -3 and is a very good team outscoring
their opponents by 6+ points per game facing an opponent after allowing 55
points or more in the first half in two straight games.
Another
factor is that San Antonio enters this game off a hard fought win against
Milwaukee last night. Perhaps they got caught looking ahead to this being
showdown, but playing on back to back nights is an added edge for Denver. My
research from my proprietary simulator clearly shows that Denver will score between
105 and 109 points in this game. San Antonio is just 2-15 ATS when they allow
105 to 109 points in a game over the last three seasons.
Free NBA Pick: Take Denver