Western Conference foes trending in opposite directions meet on Monday when the Denver Nuggets host the San Antonio Spurs at the Pepsi Center. The Spurs (22-30), who are 10th in the West, have lost four in a row, while the Nuggets (37-16), who are second in the conference, have won three in a row and five of six. Tip-off from Denver is set for 9 p.m. ET.
San Antonio leads the all-time series 163-127. Denver is a 7.5-point favorites in the latest Spurs vs. Nuggets odds, while the over-under for total points scored is set at 221.5. Before making any Nuggets vs. Spurs picks, check out the NBA predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times, and last season it returned a whopping $4,280 on its top-rated NBA spread and money line picks. It's already returned over $3,000 in profit on all top-rated NBA picks during the 2019-20 season and entered Week 16 on a blistering 34-18 run on all top-rated NBA spread picks. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Nuggets vs. Spurs. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the NBA odds and trends for Spurs vs. Nuggets:
- Nuggets vs. Spurs spread: Nuggets -7.5
- Nuggets vs. Spurs over-under: 221.5 points
- Nuggets vs. Spurs money line: Spurs +251, Nuggets -322
- SA: Sixth in the NBA in field-goal percentage at 47.1
- DEN: Eighth in the league in scoring margin at plus-3.8
Why the Nuggets can cover
The model has considered that Denver was red hot in its 117-108 win over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday, shooting 54.9 percent from the floor, the fourth-highest field goal percentage of the season. The Nuggets are now 11-1 when shooting above 50 percent from the field this season.
Center Nikola Jokic continues to lead the Denver offense, averaging 20.6 points, 10.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game. Against the Suns, he poured in 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Jokic ranks 10th all-time in NBA history with 39 career triple-doubles. He has recorded 12 double-doubles in the last 13 games.
Why the Spurs can cover
Even so, Denver isn't a lock to cover the Nuggets vs. Spurs spread. That's because San Antonio has known nothing but success under coach Gregg Popovich, now in his 24th season, compiling a 1,267-605 (.677) record and winning five NBA championships, all since 1998-99. San Antonio has had a winning record in 22 straight seasons, making the postseason each time.
Guard DeMar DeRozan leads the Spurs, averaging 23.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.2 assists. He reached 16,000 career points on Jan. 29 in a win over Utah. Only six players league-wide have more since he was drafted in 2009. He is one of three players to score 1,000 or more points in each of the last 10 seasons. San Antonio is 6-1 against the spread in its last seven games following a straight up loss of more than 10 points.
How to make Nuggets vs. Spurs picks
SportsLine's model is leaning over on the total. In fact, it says Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. will score nearly six points more than his average, while Spurs shooting guard Lonnie Walker IV will better his average by nearly one point. It has also generated an against-the-spread pick that cashes in nearly 60 percent of simulations. You can only get the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Spurs vs. Nuggets? And which side of the spread can you bank on in nearly 60 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Nuggets vs. Spurs spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up nearly $3,000 on its NBA picks this season, and find out.
