The Denver Nuggets will resume their hunt for the top seed in the Western Conference when they visit the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night. Denver is currently sitting five games ahead of Memphis atop the standings following the NBA All-Star break. Cleveland had won seven straight games before ending the first half of the season with a loss to Philadelphia last week.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET. Cleveland is favored by 2.5 points in the latest Cavaliers vs. Nuggets odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under is set at 223. Before entering any Nuggets vs. Cavaliers picks, you'll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past four-plus seasons. The model exits the NBA All-Star break on a stunning 55-30 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,100. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Cavaliers vs. Nuggets. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for Cavs vs. Nuggets:
- Cavaliers vs. Nuggets spread: Cavaliers -2.5
- Cavaliers vs. Nuggets over/under: 223 points
- Cavaliers vs. Nuggets money line: Cleveland -145, Denver +122
- Cavaliers vs. Nuggets picks: See picks here
Why the Cavaliers can cover
Cleveland did not have All-Star starter Donovan Mitchell for the first meeting between these teams, which resulted in a win for Denver on Jan. 6. Mitchell is the team's leading scorer at 27.3 points per game, and he averaged 33.3 PPG over his final four outings prior to the break. He was also one of the brightest stars in Sunday's All-Star Game, giving him momentum coming into this matchup.
The Cavaliers won seven of their final eight games before the All-Star break, and they are in fourth place in the Eastern Conference. They have been nearly untouchable at home this season, entering this game with the second-best home winning percentage (.806) in the Eastern Conference. Denver is going to be playing without power forward Aaron Gordon (ribs), who is the team's third-leading scorer and second-leading rebounder.
Why the Nuggets can cover
The Nuggets are coming off a phenomenal first half of the season, putting themselves in position to win the Western Conference for the first time in franchise history. They lead the conference by five games with 23 games remaining. Nikola Jokic is in contention for this third straight MVP award, averaging a triple-double with 24.7 points, 11.5 rebounds and 10.1 assists per game.
Jokic is trying to become the third player in league history to win three straight MVPs, and the first since Larry Bird (1984-86). He is going to have some help on Thursday, as Jamal Murray is expected to return from a six-game absence due to right knee inflammation. Murray is the team's second-leading scorer, averaging 20.2 points and 5.8 assists per game.
How to make Nuggets vs. Cavaliers picks
The model has simulated Cavaliers vs. Nuggets 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Over, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in nearly 70% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Nuggets vs. Cavs? And which side of the spread hits nearly 70% of the time? Visit SportsLine to see which side of the Cavaliers vs. Nuggets spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.
