Cleveland Cavaliers vs Denver Nuggets betting tips and predictions for Thursday’s NBA game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Winners of 7 games in their last 8 appearances the Cavaliers look to win one over the best team in the Western Conference the Denver Nuggets. Read on for all our free predictions and betting tips.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Before the All-Star break Cleveland had a 7-game win streak ended by the Philadelphia 76ers, but despite that they should have the momentum heading into tonight’s game as they’ve gone 6-1 SU in their last 7 home games. Ricky Rubio is the only name appearing on the injury report, his role hasn’t been big for them this season so even if he doesn’t play it shouldn’t make a big impact on the outcome.
Donovan Mitchell had 40 over the weekend in the ASG, which is really good news considering he’s dug himself out of the poor form he was in during the 2nd part of January. Cleveland lost the first meeting of the seasons 121-108 on the road back in early January, but this being a home game it should be a completely different story as they are 25-6 SU these this season.
Denver Nuggets
Denver comes out of the All-Star break in a comfortable position with a 5-game lead over the Memphis Grizzlies atop of the Western Conference. They’ve won 4 of 5 games and 10 of 13 vs Eastern Conference opponents. However, they do tend to struggle a bit on the road this season, having gone just 14-14 SU in 28 games played.
In their last 6 such games they have just 2 wins, and tonight in Cleveland they could be without a couple of really important players with Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray both being questionable. Nikola Jokic didn’t play a big role in the all-star game so he should be fresh and healthy here. The Serbian is chasing his 3rd straight MVP award and currently averaging a triple-double with his team leading the Western Conference.
Despite the Nuggets’ dominance this season, I’m still going with the home team here as they’ve proven to me they are more than capable of beating anyone when playing at home. Cavs are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 overall and 5-1 SU in their last 6 vs West teams. Back Cleveland.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Denver Nuggets Predictions & Odds
Right off the bat I think this game will be decided on the defensive end, as that’s just how these two teams have played over the last 10 meetings. An average of just 216.9 points per game has been scored in those games, with the O/U record standing at 4-6. Losing Gordon and Murray will be a huge blow to the Nuggets offense, they combine an average of over 30 points per game this season, so it’ll be up to others to fill those holes offensively.
It might prove to be a difficult task as they are playing the number 1 defense in terms of efficiency this season, Cleveland averages just 107.1 points allowed per 100 possessions. Pace is another factor worth considering here – Denver averages 100.8 possessions per game ranking 19th, while the Cavs are dead last in the NBA averaging just 97.7 possessions. Take all that into account, I believe we’re in for a dominant display on defense from both teams. Back the under.
