After a rough and tumbling weekend of NBA basketball, we return with a Tuesday night slate of games that are headlined by the New Orleans Pelicans on the road taking on the Denver Nuggets.
The Nuggets boast the top home record in the NBA, and their entire team seems to transcend on offense and hit a new level of cohesion amongst their roster.
Many role players perform better on their home court, but there seems to be a special kind of something in the air for the Nuggets.
Their last matchup came up short against the 76ers, and Michael Porter Jr. made his long awaited return recently to their lineup.
The Pelicans have experienced more injuries than nearly everyone in the league, and Zion Williamson is still a couple of weeks away from his own return.
With all of this factored into the spread, the Nuggets draw the favorite on their home court by a considerable margin over the Pelicans at -7.5.
Finding their groove in the revolving door of lineup changes
It has been a struggle for the Pelicans this season to keep a consistent lineup on the floor. Even in a recent game, they saw CJ McCollum resting to keep his energy high.
Brandon Ingram’s back in the lineup has been helpful, but they will want to enter this last stretch of the season with a fully healthy squad to develop that chemistry that they need.
As a team, mostly that we have seen on paper, the Pelicans have the potential to be one of the most dangerous units in the Western Conference. They have the perfect combination of youth and veterans.
It will be a tough test to go into Denver, but they certainly can get the job done.
Regressing in the race for MVP award
For a prolonged stretch, it felt like Nikola Jokic had a stranglehold on the MVP award this season. His play had just been out of this world, and he continued to dominate opponents however he pleased.
That all changed when they played the 76ers, and it was Joel Embiid who made his voice heard with a whopping 48 points and 17 rebounds.
Now the Nuggets are not in too much trouble, and no one should worry so much about a game in January.
They still have the best home record in the NBA, and if they maintain their one seed in the conference that will give them a huge advantage in the playoffs.
Pelicans @ Nuggets Betting Prediction
When two of the top contenders meet each other in the regular season, it is always a treat for any viewer tuning in.
With how well the Nuggets’ role players play on their home court, the Pelicans may very well be in for a world of hurt if this game gets out of hand early.
New Orleans can score with the best of them, so the spread favors them in that regard if they get a couple of cheap buckets late.
Still, it is best to roll with the Nuggets at home at -7.5.
100% up to $3,000 Bonus
Bovada is our most recommended ONLINE CASINO and POKER ROOM for US players with excellent deposit options. Get your 100% signup bonus today.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.