Spurs vs Nuggets Betting Odds – Nuggets Will Enter Break With a Win Streak
When the San Antonio Spurs travel to Denver to take on the Nuggets, they will be facing a team that has already beaten them twice this year. While both Chauncey Billups and Carmelo Anthony have sat out recent games with ankle injuries, they should both be in the lineup on Thursday night. The Spurs meanwhile, are in a bit of a slump having lost six of their last 10 and look to get back in the win column before heading into the break.
- What: NBA Betting
- When: Thursday February 11 – 10:30pm EST
- Where: Pepsi Center – Denver, CO
- Key Stat: Spurs have lost six of their last seven against playoff teams.
The Storyline – Spurs vs Nuggets betting odds
Denver has won seven of its last 10 games and is coming off a 36 point dismantling win to Dallas and now sits two games ahead of the Utah Jazz and Mavericks for second place in the Western Conference. San Antonio is in the middle of their annual Rodeo road trip and is 2-2 so far after dropping games to Portland and the Lakers. Tony Parker is back after missing a couple games with an ankle injury so this will be the first time this season that the two teams will meet with healthy rosters.
Offensive Matchups – Spurs vs Nuggets betting odds breakdown
By checking out the sports book, one will find that the Nuggets will score points since they boast the second best scoring offence at 107.5 points a game. Being able to run-and-gun as well as playing half court when needed, they have one of the best all around offences with seven players averaging over nine points a game. Billups is averaging a career best 19.2 points a game this season and in his absence recently rookie Ty Lawson stepped in and looked very comfortable running this team. Since Anthony is back, they get their statistical and on court leader back which should help make their team run more smoothly.
Tim Duncan might be the quietest superstar in sports. The future Hall of Famer has been going about his business in San Antonio having another great year without garnishing very much recognition. His numbers are slightly off his career best but by putting up 19.7 points and 10.7 rebounds a game he has the Spurs in the heat of the playoff race despite the injury problems they have had. George Hill is on the best scoring run of his two-year NBA career. Over the past six games, he's averaged 18.6 points and hasn't scored fewer than 16 points. After struggling early in the season, Manu Ginobili is starting to play like he has in past seasons averaging over 16 points in his past 10 games. The Spurs as a team have been held under 100 points in six of their last 10 which should not be a surprise as their average is right around the century mark.
Betting Edge: Nuggets
Defensive Matchups – Spurs vs Nuggets betting odds
Denver is a strong defensive team however it does give a lot of trips to the charity stripe. On average the Nuggets are giving away around 26 free throws a game en route to allowing 101.6 points per game. They have a solid interior defence with a combination of Nene Hilario, Kenyon Martin and Chris Anderson always looking to swat the ball away and average 23.4 rebounds and over 4 blocks a game.
Like all of the Greg Popovich led Spurs teams to come before them, this year’s edition is very good defensively. Holding teams to just 96.2 points a game, San Antonio has one of the best defences in the league. They also hold their opponents to a league low 4.7 three pointers a game which will be put to the test against a Denver team that puts up 6.7 per game while shooting over 38 percent from downtown. San Antonio is able to be solid defensively despite being in the bottom part of the league in both steals and blocks.
Betting Edge: Spurs
Notable Injuries – Spurs vs Nuggets betting odds
After both Anthony and Billups missed games in the past two weeks, both are back and expected to play in the game however Martin may sit this one out as he missed last game with knee tendinitis.
Tony Parker is banged up but will play, other than that, the Spurs are healthy.
Betting Edge: Spurs
Betting Prediction – Spurs vs Nuggets betting odds breakdown
Those doing online betting should know that the Nuggets have been nearly unstoppable at home this year, with a 22-4 record, and will look to win another one. Having won both the previous two games by a combined 21 points, Denver looks poised to win this game.
Pick: Nuggets
