Denver Nuggets vs New Orleans Pelicans betting tips and predictions for Tuesday’s NBA game on TNT. The Pelicans are looking to end an 8-game losing streak as they take on the best team in the West the Nuggets who are also on a 2-game slide. Read on for all our free predictions and betting tips.
Denver Nuggets
Losing the last 2 games at Milwaukee and Philadelphia hasn’t had a huge negative impact on the Nuggets standings as they still remain the #1 seed with a 2 game lead ahead of Memphis. However, losing marquee match-ups like that will certainly give them an idea where they are as a team right now, which is something they can use once we get close to the postseason.
They return home following a 3-game road trip, at Ball Arena only 4 times they lost in 22 games this season. Jamal Murray has been listed on the injury report, he is officially questionable for tonight, but we could see him play according to latest reports. Denver is 10-3 SU in their last 13 games, they’ve won 16 of 17 at home and are 7-3 SU in the last 10 head-to-head vs the Pelicans.
New Orleans Pelicans
Injuries have ruined the Pelicans’ season these last month and a half. They’ve now dropped all the way down to 8th in the standings and are in real danger of slipping even further if they don’t turn things around quickly. Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum return to the line-up, while Zion Williamson remains out and isn’t expected back until after the all-star break.
New Orleans has just 1 win in 6 road games, but they’ll be clinging on to their 11-5 ATS record in the last 16 games vs Denver ahead of tonight’s game. The Nuggets have beaten them in 6 of the last 8, so they have a tough task ahead of them. One thing that might help the Pelicans is their perimeter defending which is the best in the NBA this season, teams are scoring just 34.2% of their threes against them.
It would take a major collapse by the Nuggets to lose here, but I feel like the Pelicans won’t be without a chance. Denver’s last 4 games have all been decided by less than 8.5 points which is the spread tonight. Take the road team and the extra points here.
Denver Nuggets vs New Orleans Pelicans Predictions & Odds
The Pelicans’ best chance of winning tonight will be pushing the tempo. They are one of the most reliable road teams in the NBA when it comes to betting on the over, with 17 of their 25 games cashing on that bet. We just saw the Bucks drop 135 points on them and Giannis have 50 in the game, they’ll be facing a similar player in Nikola Jokic tonight against the Nuggets.
After a sub-par performance in the duel with Joel Embiid, the 2-time MVP will be highly motivated to improve his numbers in tonight’s game. Denver is the number one ranked offensive efficiency in the league, averaging 115.5 points per 100 possessions. With no Zion on the inside, the Pelicans could have issues defending their paint. I’ll be taking the points in this one.
