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Denver Nuggets vs Philadelphia 76ers 2/8/19 NBA Odds, Preview and Prediction

The Denver Nuggets travel to the City of Brotherly Love to take on the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night in a battle of NBA elites.

Getting Back On Track

The Denver Nuggets are the second best team in the Western Conference at 37-17 and just 1.5 games behind the defending champions Golden State Warriors. But after suffering back to back losses to the Detroit Pistons and the Brooklyn Nets, the Nuggets hope to get back on track and keep pace with the Dubs.

Nikola Jokic has been a jack of all trades for the Nuggets as he is posting 20.2 points, 10.5 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Jamal Murray is having his best season ever at 18.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. Malik Beasley, Monte Morris and Torrey Craig have provided valuable bench scoring of 11.6, 10.8 and 6.3 points per game, respectively.

The Nuggets are the 6th best defensive team when it comes to scoring defense as they allow only 107.1 points per game. Denver is ranked 2nd in passing at 27.5 assists per game and they are also 9th off the glass with 46.3 rebounds per game. Offensively, the Nuggets are 14th in scoring at 112.0 points per game.

What are the Moneyline Odds?

Nuggets

+175

76ers

-210

Odds from Bet365 as of 2/08/19

New East Favorites

The Philadelphia 76ers weren’t content from their successful 2017-18 campaign. They added Jimmy Butler this season so that they can have their own version of a Big Three. Just before the trade deadline passed, the Sixers swung another deal that brought them a fourth superstar in Tobias Harris via a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers. They are now considered as the new favorites in the East.

Joel Embiid has been the man in Philly with 27.4 points,13.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game. Butler is averaging 18.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.0 steals per game while J.J. Redick is scoring 18.3 points per game. Ben Simmons is having a fantastic all-around season with 17.0 points, 9.4 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game.

Philadelphia is 4th in the league in scoring at 115.3 points per game and are 3rd in passing at 27.4 assists per game. They are also the 5th best rebounding team in the NBA at 47.1 boards per contest. The Sixers are ranked 21st in scoring defense with 112.1 points per game allowed.

Who Wins?

Denver is 6-2 SU in its last eight games played. The Nuggets are 3-3 in their last six road games. Philadelphia is 6-4 SU in its last 10 games played and the Sixers are 3-2 SU in their last five home games. Head to head, the Sixers are 6-4 SU in their last 10 meetings against the Nuggets.

The Nuggets have lost two in a row after dealing with injuries to their starters and key players. Denver missed Paul Millsap, Gary Harris and Jamal Murray in previous games. Murray is back while Millsap is listed as day to day with ankle soreness. Murray’s return should perk up the Denver offense which has been outgunned in their last two games.

The Sixers have obviously gotten better on paper at least. Tobias Harris gives them another legit scorer. They also added Boban Marjanovic, Malik Scott, James Ennis and Jonathan Simmons. These new players are listed as day to day though but if any, especially Harris suits up, the Sixers are going to be much better.

Denver is still without Harris and Millsap and while their “next man up” mentality has helped them win games recently, they would be hard-pressed to win this because of the star power of the Sixers. With Embiid, Butler, Simmons and Redick all suiting up for this game, I think Philly is solid especially at their home floor where they are 21-6 SU.

I’m picking the Philadelphia 76ers to beat the Denver Nuggets on 2/8/19.

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Other Bets To Make

The Nuggets are 2-4 ATS in their last six games played. Denver is 1-7 ATS in its last eight games played on the road. The Sixers are also 2-4 ATS in their last six games overall. Philadelphia is 2-3 ATS in its last five home games. Head to head, the Sixers are 12-4-1 ATS in their last 17 games against the Nuggets but are only 4-8-1 ATS in their last 13 home games versus Denver.

What are the Spread Odds?

Nuggets

+4.5 (-110)

76ers

-4.5 (-110)

Odds from Bet365 as of 2/08/19

Denver is 1-5 ATS in their last six road games against opponents with a home winning percentage of over .600, 1-5 ATS in their last six games against teams with a winning record and 1-6 ATS in their last seven road games overall. The Sixers are 19-9 ATS in their last 28 Friday games, 11-5 ATS in their last 16 games after a straight up loss and 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games after a straight up loss of more than 10 points. Philly bounces back from losses nicely and are impressive at home.

Prediction: Sixers -4.5 (-110)

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The total has gone over in 10 out of the last 13 games played by the Nuggets while the total has gone under in seven out of the last 10 games played by the Sixers. The over is 15-12 in Philadelphia’s 27 home games played this season. Head to head, the over is 5-4-1 in the last 10 meetings between the Nuggets and Sixers.

What are the Over/Under Odds?

Nuggets

O 230.5 (190)

76ers

U 230.5 (190)

Odds from Bet365 as of 2/08/19

The Sixers are a Top 5 scoring team this season and the Nuggets are in the Top half of the league in points scored per game. I know Denver is a standout defensive team but the over is 5-0 in the Nuggets’ last five games against Eastern Conference teams. I think both teams have offenses which are better than their defenses.

Prediction: Over 230.5 (190)

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Chris Blain