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The San Antonio Spurs visit the Pepsi Center on February 10, 2020, for a date with the Denver Nuggets.
The Spurs are still out of the picture with the All-Star break coming up. San Antonio is 22-30 SU on the year and they are four games behind the 8th placed Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference team standings. The Spurs have lost four straight games heading to Monday’s contest. Meanwhile, the Nuggets are the 2nd ranked team in the West and the top team in the Northwest Division. Denver is just three games behind the L.A. Lakers for the top spot in the West and they have won five of six including their last three outings.
Chasing the 8th Spot
The San Antonio Spurs head to Denver having dropped their last four outings. The Spurs only have two wins in their last nine games played and they are still eight games below the .500 mark and four games off the playoff pace in the Western Conference. In their last outing, San Antonio lost to the Sacramento Kings 102-122 on Saturday night.
Dejounte Murray had 17 points while LaMarcus Aldridge added 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Spurs. DeMar DeRozan had 14 points and six assists before he was tossed out after back to back technical fouls. Bryn Forbes added 16 points with 4 assists while Derrick White scored 13 points to lead the San Antonio bench.
The Spurs are ranked 10th in the league in scoring at 113.1 points per game but they are 21st in scoring defense at 114.4 points per game allowed. San Antonio is 13th in the league in passing at 24.4 assists per game and they are 16th off the glass with an average of 45.2 rebounds per contest.
Nuggets Thrive Despite Injuries
The Denver Nuggets have thrived despite playing with injuries to key players. Denver picked up its fifth victory in its last six games and their third straight overall by downing the Phoenix Suns 117-108 last Saturday night. Denver got Paul Millsap back for the first time since January 6th but they still played without Will Barton, Mason Plumlee and Michael Porter Jr.
Jamal Murray continues to wax hot in his return with 36 points on 14-17 shooting against the Suns. Nikola Jokic had 23 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists while Gary Harris added 10 points 7 rebounds. Paul Millsap played his first game after missing 16 outings and he delivered 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists in 18 minutes of bench time.
The Nuggets rank 19th in the league in scoring at 110.0 points per game this season. They are 17th in rebounding at 45.1 boards grabbed per contest, and 5th in passing at 26. 2 dimes per outing. Denver has the 3rd best scoring defense overall at 106.2 opponents points per game allowed.
Who Wins?
San Antonio is 1-4 SU in their last five games played. The Spurs are 0-5 SU in their last five games played on the road. Denver is 5-1 SU in their last six games played. The Nuggets are 3-0 SU in their last three games played at home, and 6-1 SU in their last seven games played against the Western Conference. Head to head, the Nuggets are 6-4 SU in their last 10 games played against the Spurs. Denver is also 7-1 SU in their last eight home games against San Antonio.
The Spurs continue to struggle as the second half of the season has begun. San Antonio has lost four consecutive games and they have not been able to play consistent basketball for 48 minutes per game. The pressure is on as the Spurs’ playoff streak still hangs in the balance right now.
Denver played without three starters in the last couple of weeks. But after getting Gary Harris and Jamal Murray back last week, they have also welcomed the return of Paul Millsap. Sure, there are still injuries to their lineup but their starting unit is at 100% strength right now.
The Nuggets have won the last four head to head meetings in Denver. San Antonio is reeling right now and they are just 8-18 SU on the road this season. The Nuggets survived playing without three starters now they are complete and that’s trouble for Popovich and the Spurs.
Prediction: Denver Nuggets
Other Bets to Make
The Spurs are 5-5 ATS in their last 10 games played. San Antonio is 3-3 ATS in their last six games played on the road, 1-5 ATS in their last six games played against the Northwest Division, and 4-12 ATS in their last 16 February games. The Nuggets are 5-1 ATS in their last six games played and Denver is 5-1 ATS in their last six games played at home. Head to head, the Nuggets are 3-1 ATS in their last four games played against the Spurs.
Spurs
+7.5 (-112)
Nuggets
-7.5 (-108)
Odds from BetOnline as of 02/10/20
The Nuggets are still without Michael Porter Jr. and Will Barton but they have all their starters back. That is going to be key in this game because the return of Harris, Murray, and Millsap relieves Nikola Jokic of the scoring load and helps him focus on doing the other things he does well inside the basketball court.
Prediction: Nuggets -7.5
The total has gone over in five out of the last six games played by the Spurs. The over is 5-1 in San Antonio’s last six games on the road, and the over is 4-1 in their last five games played against the Western Conference. The total has gone over in four out of the last five games played by the Nuggets. Denver has seen the total go over in two out of their last three home games. The total has gone over in four out of the last six meetings between these two teams.
Over
219 (-110)
Under
219 (-110)
Odds from BetOnline as of 02/10/20
These teams have combined to score an average of 206.5 points per game in their last 10 meetings and only 199.0 points per game in their most recent three head to head encounters. Denver has the third-best defense in the league and they have held six out of their last eight opponents to 108 or fewer points per game. Meanwhile, San Antonio has scored 105 or fewer points per game in their last three outings. This one should go under the total.
Prediction: Under 219
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