Cleveland Cavaliers vs Denver Nuggets 02/10/2021 NBA Odds, Preview and Pick

The Cleveland Cavaliers visit the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center on Wednesday night.

Cleveland heads to this game having dropped their last four assignments and with a 2-8 L10 games record. The Cavs will be without Kevin Love and Larry Nance Jr for this contest. Meanwhile, the Nuggets have lost three straight games and are just 1-4 in their last five outings. Denver won 8 of 10 games before their current slide and they will be looking to get back on track with a win at home.

Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers have dropped below the .500 mark after winning just twice in their last 10 games. The Cavs are 10-14 on the season and are in third place in the Central Division and 11th in the Eastern Conference. Despite those, Cleveland is just 1.5 games behind 8th place and 3.5 games back of the 3rd seeded Boston Celtics. In their last game, the Cavs dropped a 113-119 game against the Phoenix Suns.

Backcourt partners Collin Sexton and Darius Garland led the Cavs with 23 and 17 points, respectively against the Suns. Andre Drummond had another double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds while Jarrett Allen had 14 points and five rebounds. Aside from missing Kevin Love, Cleveland played without Larry Nance Jr. who broke his left hand last weekend. Nance was averaging 9.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game this season.

Cleveland ranks second to last in scoring at 104.0 points per game. They have the league’s 9th best scoring defense at only 110.3 points per game allowed. The Cavs are 25th in rebounding at 43.5 boards grabbed per contest and are 23rd in passing at 23.2 assists per game this season.

Denver Nuggets

After winning five straight games, the Denver Nuggets have won just one in their last five assignments. Denver is 12-11 on the year and is in third place in the Northwest division, 6.5 games behind the Utah Jazz. The Nuggets are tied for the 7th spot in the Western Conference team standings and are coming off a 13-point loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 35 points, one game after putting up 50 in another losing effort to the Sacramento Kings. The Joker also added 12 rebounds and six assists in another brilliant all-around effort that went for naught. Jamal Murray added 11 points but shot just 4-17 from the field while Michael Porter Jr. scored just 8 points on 3-9 shooting.

The Nuggets are the third-best scoring team in the NBA at 115.3 points per game but are just 20th in scoring defense at 112.7 points per game allowed. Denver ranks 7th in the league in passing at 26.7 dimes dropped per contest and are 12th off the glass at 44.7 boards grabbed per outing.

Who Wins?

The Cavs are 1-6 SU in their last seven games played. Cleveland is 3-8 SU in 11 road games played this season, and 1-6 SU in their last seven games against the Western Conference. The Nuggets are 1-4 SU in their last five games played. Denver is 5-6 SU in 11 home games played this season, and 1-4 SU in their last five February games. Head to head, the Cavs are 6-4 SU in their last 10 games played against the Nuggets. Cleveland is also 5-2 SU in their last seven road games against Denver.

Both teams are struggling lately.

The Cavs have not been able to stop their opponents from lighting up the scoreboards, conceding at least 119 points in their last four assignments. Meanwhile, the Nuggets are the third-best scoring team in the league behind the Bucks and Nets. Andre Drummond could pose a tough matchup for Nikola Jokic but Jokic’s just having a fantastic start to the season.

Cleveland has beaten Denver in their last two meetings and the Nuggets know that. Denver also knows that they have to end their current slide if they are to catch up with the Western Conference leaders. The Cavs are missing two key players. Denver simply has too much firepower for Cleveland. Give me the Nuggets.

Prediction: Denver Nuggets -450

Other Bets To Make

Cleveland is 0-7 ATS in their last seven games played. The Cavs are 0-5 ATS in their last five games played on the road. Denver is 1-4 ATS in their last five games played. The Nuggets are 4-7 ATS in 11 home games played this season, 2-5 ATS in their last seven games against the Eastern Conference, and 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games against the Central Division. Head to head, the Cavs are 5-4-1 ATS in their last 10 games played against the Nuggets.

The Cavs have struggled on the road this season and they head to Denver having lost their last five games away from home. Although Cleveland is coming off a six-point loss to Phoenix, their previous three losses were by 18 points or more. Denver has dropped three in a row but those losses were to the Lakers, Bucks, and the red hot Jazz. Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. should have big bounce back games here. I’ll lay the points with the Nuggets.

Prediction: Denver Nuggets -9.5

The total has gone under in five out of the last seven games played by the Cavaliers. The under is 8-3 in Cleveland’s 11 road games played this season, and 6-1 in their last seven games played against the Northwest division. The total has gone over in four out of the last five games played by the Nuggets. The over is 9-4 in Denver’s last 13 home games. Head to head, the total has gone under in four out of the last five games between these two teams.

The Cavs are next to last in the NBA in scoring at only 104.0 points per game. They are the worst scoring team in the league when playing on the road at 98.6 points per game scored. Cleveland is still without Kevin Love while Larry Nance Jr. is also out of commission. They have scored 105 or fewer points in five out of their last six games played. Denver is a high-scoring team but won’t need its scoring prowess too much against a low-scoring Cavs team. It also helps that the Cavs are Top 10 in the league in scoring defense and that the Nuggets are only 23rd in pace. All signs point to the under.

Prediction: Under 223

Place Your Bets Now!