The Denver Nuggets look to continue their good start to the 2018-19 season as they travel to California to take on the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night at the Golden 1 Center.
The Nuggets are 24-11 on the season and have the third best record in the league. The Kings meanwhile are currently at 19-18 and looking outside the playoff picture.
The Denver Nuggets yielded the NBA’s best record after back to back losses to the Los Angeles Clippers and San Antonio Spurs in the closing week of December. But the Nuggets have bounced back with three straight wins and while they have not yet caught up with the Bucks yet, Denver is still the #1 team in the Western Conference prior to the start of Wednesday’s games.
The Nuggets are the 3rd-best defensive team in the league at 104.8 points per game allowed. Denver is also ranked 2nd in passing at 27.2 assists per game and they are 7th off the glass at 46.9 rebounds per game. Offensively, the Nuggets have the 18th best scoring average in the league at 110.1 points per game.
Denver Nuggets vs Sacramento Kings 1/3/19
Moneyline Odds: Nuggets -150, Kings +130
Odds from gtbets.eu as of 1/3/19
Bogdan Bogdanovic gave the Sacramento fans a great Christmas present when he delivered the Kings’ first game winning buzzer beater since 2015 when they beat the Los Angeles Lakers 117-116 last Friday. But since then, the Kings have stalled, losing back to back games to the Lakers ( they had a home-away set) and the Portland Trail Blazers. As a result, Sacramento has fallen off the Top 8 but at 19-18, they are still very much within striking distance of the leaders.
Sacramento ranks 5th in the NBA in team scoring at 115.0 points per game. The Kings are 9th in the league with 25.4 assists per game. They are also 18th in rebounding at 44.6 rebounds per game but the Kings are only 28th in scoring defense at 116.7 points per game allowed.
The Nuggets enter this game with a three game winning streak. Denver is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games played and they are 9-8 SU in 17 road games played this season. The Kings are coming off back to back losses. Sacramento is 4-6 SU in their last 10 games played and the Kings are 10-8 SU at home this season. Head to head, the Nuggets are 6-4 SU in their last 10 meetings.
Denver is having an excellent start to their season and are playing well on both ends of the floor. On the other hand, the Kings have been a standout offensive team but their defense is one of the worst in the league. The Nuggets are above .500 on the road and the same can be said about the Kings at home.
The return of Gary Harris and Paul Millsap will be an added boost for the Nuggets who have been playing handicapped this year. With two of their opening starters back in action, Denver should pose even more problems for Sacramento’s already bad defense. With Denver playing at full strength, the Nuggets should be able to take care of business against the Kings and win this road game.
We’re picking the Denver Nuggets to beat the Sacramento Kings on 1/3/19.
The Nuggets are 19-16 ATS on the season and Denver is 7-10 ATS in 17 road games played so far. The Kings are 21-15-1 ATS this season. Sacramento is 11-6-1 ATS at home this season. Head to head, Denver is 6-4 ATS in their last 10 meetings against Sacramento.
Denver Nuggets vs Sacramento Kings 1/3/19
Spread Odds: Nuggets -3 (-109), Kings +3 (-109)
Odds from gtbets.eu as of 1/3/19
Denver has been streaky this season as the Nuggets are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 games after an SU win. Denver is also 6-2 ATS in their last eight games playing on one-day rest. Meanwhile, the Kings are 0-4 ATS in their last four games after scoring more than 100 points in their previous game, 0-4 ATS in their last four against the Western Conference and 0-4 ATS in their last four games overall.
Prediction: Nuggets -3
The under is 20-14-1 in Denver’s 35 games played this season. The Nuggets have seen the the total go under in 10 of their 18 road games played. The total has gone over in 25 out of the 37 games played by the Kings. The over and under are at an even 9-9 in Sacramento’s 18 home games played this season.
Denver Nuggets vs Sacramento Kings 1/3/19
Over/Under Odds: Over 227.5 -109, Under 227.5 -109
Odds from getbets.eu as of 1/3/19
The Kings are one of the top scoring teams in the league this season and with Denver’s scoring defense ranked in the bottom half of the league, you can expect Sacramento to do their thing here. Meanwhile, the Kings are second to the last in scoring defense so the Nuggets should be able to pile up the points too. Those said, the stage is open for a high scoring affair on Thursday night.
Prediction: Over 227.5
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