NBA: Denver Nuggets vs. San Antonio Spurs Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Nuggets travel to San Antonio to meet the Spurs on Friday night and test their strength against one of the big rivals in the Western Conference. Jokic and the boys have been playing superb lately, posting five wins in a row, while on the other side, the Spurs recorded two straight on the past few days. Just one win separates these two teams, so expect a tough and fierce match, because success here is worth double.

Preview

Denver Nuggets (11-7, -155) have five in a row, as we already said, and are looking much better than at the start of the season. Over the past 10 games, Mike Malone’s boys have eight wins, with the latest four coming on the road, all against good teams, Phoenix twice, Dallas and Miami.

Nikola Jokic leads this unit with a near triple-double average – 25.2 points, 11.8 boards and 8.9 assists along with 1.8 steals. The Joker is a phenomenon, one of a kind player who threatens to revolutionize the center position.

However, the guy who was supposed to be his partner Jamal Murray, started this season a bit slower than we expected. The explosive guard records just 19 points with 4.2 dimes, which is way below his standards. Not so long ago, he was enjoying a sensational playoff run with multiple 50+ point games.

Michale Porter Jr is back after a solid absence, and he could be that third guy the Nuggets desperately need to become a title contender. The youngster drops 18.3 buckets each night with 7.1 boards.

San Antonio Spurs (10-8, +150) are oscillating and if they have a bit more consistency, this franchise would be among the top team in the West. Right now, they are a good, solid unit, but nothing more than a playoff contender.

Like always, Gregg Popovich’s side is very versatile in the attack, with seven players who have 10 or more points per game, but it seems that the Spurs don’t have that guy who will take the responsibility in the clutch moments. DeRozan is the closest to that role, but he too isn’t convincing as before.

Even though the former Raptor has 20.1 points, 6.8 assists, and 5.3 boards, his game doesn’t provide the difference on the floor. LaMarcus Aldridge is underachieving greatly, with 14.9 points and just 4.6 rebounds, which is terrible for a center.

What is positive for the team from San Antonio, is Keldon Johnson’s improvement, with the 21-year old becoming a very important part of their team. He started in all 18 matches this year, contributing with 14.4 points and 7.4 boards.

Head to Head Matches

Last year, the Nuggets won both matches against the Spurs, and each one was very efficient, 132-126 in Texas, and 127-120 in Colorado.

Prediction

The margin for the total number of points for this clash is 225, and we simply can’t bet on anything else here but on Over. After the matches last year, this is the only logical thing. Plus, both teams aren’t that good in defense this season, while on the other side, they perform much better offensively. That should bring a higher number of points than proposed.