The Nuggets' deep offense will hurt the Mavericks, plus other best bets for Wednesday

USATSI

Good afternoon everyone, it's Chris Bengel back with you once again.

Don't look now, but it's almost that month. With the NFL coming to a close, college basketball teams are jockeying for position in their upcoming conference tournaments and looking to punch their respective tickets to March Madness next month. From a gambling standpoint, this is when you can do a lot of your research for when the NCAA Tournament rolls around. Class is now in session.

With all of that being said, I'm sticking to NBA picks tonight, however. Let's jump into Wednesday's picks.

All times Eastern, and all odds via Caesars Sportsbook

🔥 The Hot Ticket

Mavericks at Nuggets, 9 p.m. | TV: NBA.TV

Key Trend: The Nuggets are 4-0 ATS in their last four home games.
The Pick: Nuggets -4 (-110)

The Nuggets have continued to prove why they're atop the Western Conference standings. While the Mavericks are more exciting team with Kyrie Irving in the fold, I'm still extremely confident in the Nuggets coming out with a sizable victory in this one.

Denver possesses a lethal offense -- one that goes deeper than just Nikola Jokic. Don't get me wrong, Jokic is a big reason for the team's success on the offensive end of the floor, but the Nuggets have so many capable players that can stuff the stat sheet. Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. both excel from the perimeter. Porter is shooting 40.3 percent from three on the season, which is good for second on the team behind only Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

Murray is dealing with a right knee injury and has missed the past five games. He's being listed as questionable for this contest, but even without him in the lineup, the Nuggets have gone 3-2 ATS over that stretch. There's more than enough firepower to absorb Murray's loss if he's unable to suit up.

💰 More NBA Picks

Spurs at Hornets, 7 p.m. | TV: TNT

The Pick: Under 243.5 (-110) -- I know. Betting on a game between the Spurs and Hornets seems gross. I'm not going to lie to you and say that I disagree. However, there's nothing gross about putting some cash in your pocket.

At first glance, these are two teams with brutal records that traded off assets at last week's deadline. After an even closer look, these are two of the more stagnant offenses that the NBA has to offer. The Spurs are averaging just 112.5 points-per-game, which is good for 23rd in the NBA. The Hornets are right behind them in the No. 24 spot with just 112.4 points per contest. Both shoot 34.1 percent or worse from beyond the arc. What this all means is that 243 points gives us a ton of wiggle room. I'm counting on the under here.

Key Trend: The under is 5-0 in the Hornets' last five home games against a team with a road winning percentage of less than .400.

The Pick: Kyrie Irving Over 26.5 Points (-113) -- As I mentioned above, the Nuggets have quite a few weapons. That'll likely mean that the Mavericks will need some big-time numbers from their stars in order to stay competitive in this contest. With that in mind, Kyrie Irving's points prop makes a ton of sense.

Irving has netted at least 28 points in two of his four games with the team and is coming off of a 36-point outing against the Timberwolves. The veteran point guard has been really shooting the ball well from three, with at least three makes from long-range in each of his four games with Dallas. The Nuggets are certainly going to be doing their best to slow down Luka Doncic, so I think that could lead to more opportunities for Irving to do some damage.

Key Trend: Irving has scored at least 28 points in two of his last four games.