The Denver Nuggets battle the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center on Wednesday night.
The Nuggets are coming off a bounce-back win against the Atlanta Hawks after they were ambushed by the Washington Wizards in their previous outing. Denver leaned on the career-high 47 points of Nikola Jokic to pick up the victory. The Mavs also got back in the win column after losing the Charlotte Hornets in their previous assignment. Luka Doncic delivered his NBA-best 11th triple-double of the season to lead Dallas to the win.
Jokic Coming off Career Night
The Denver Nuggets bounced back from a surprise defeat at the hands of the lowly Washington Wizards by beating the Atlanta Hawks 123-115 on Monday night. The win was Denver’s fourth in their last six games played and it came on a night where Nikola Jokic scored a career-high 47 points.
Jokic’s career-best scoring game didn’t just come with 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals, but it was without any turnover in a total of 37 minutes of floor action. Will Barton also scored a season-high 28 points while Jamal Murray punched in 16 points after scoring a season-high 39 points in their previous game.
The Nuggets rank 19th in the league in scoring at 109.2 points per game this season. They are 19th in rebounding at 44.7 boards grabbed per contest and are 4th overall in passing at 26.3 assists per outing. Denver is tied for the 4th-best scoring defense in the NBA this year at only 105.2 points per game allowed.
Another Doncic Triple Double
The Dallas Mavericks also rebounded from an unexpected loss to the Charlotte Hornets in their last outing. The Mavs rode another brilliant performance by Luka Doncic to pull off a 118-110 win over the Chicago Bulls. Doncic logged his 11th triple-double of the season, the most by any player this season, with 38 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Doncic scored 17 of Dallas’ final 19 points in the third period as they broke the game wide open. Dwight Powell added 16 points on 6-6 shooting from the floor while Tim Hardaway Jr. added 15 points for the Mavs who played without Kristaps Porzingis for the 4th consecutive game due to soreness in his right knee. Porzingis is expected to miss this game as well.
Dallas is the third highest-scoring team in the NBA this season at 116.7 points per game. They are 4th in rebounding at 47.7 boards collected per contest and are 13th in passing at 24.5 assists per game. The Mavericks are giving up an average of 109.3 points per game, 17th in the league this season.
Who Wins?
Denver is 11-3 SU in their last 14 games played. The Nuggets are 4-2 SU in their last six games played on the road. Dallas is 4-3 SU in their last seven games played. The Mavericks are 3-2 SU in their last five games played at home, and 3-7 SU in their last 10 games played against the Northwest Division. Head to head, the Nuggets are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games played against the Mavericks. Dallas is 7-2 SU in their last nine home games played against Denver.
Denver has lost just twice in their last six outings and Nikola Jokic is coming off his best game ever with 47 points without a turnover. The Joker has been criticized for passing on shots but his last outing proved that he could score if he wants to. If he keeps that offensive aggression, Denver should be locked in.
The Mavericks are enjoying success with Luka Doncic playing at another level. Doncic leads the NBA with 11 triple-doubles and he just had one in their last outing. However, Dallas will be without Kristaps Porzingis who is still nursing a sore right ankle. His absence will be key because Denver has a dominant big man in Jokic.
The Nuggets are 10-7 SU on the road this season and The Mavs are 11-8 SU at home. Dallas won the first meeting between these two teams this season 109-106 and did so with both Doncic and Porzingis having off-nights. However, I think Denver should be locked in after a surprise loss against the Wizards and I think Jokic will rule the paint without Porzingis. I like the underdogs here.
Prediction: Denver Nuggets
Other Bets to Make
Denver is 3-6-1 ATS in their last 10 games played. The Nuggets are 3-3 ATS in their last six games played on the road, 0-4-1 ATS in their last five games against the Western Conference, and 2-6-1 ATS in their last nine games versus the Southwest Division. Dallas is also 3-6-1 ATS in their last 10 games played. The Mavericks are 1-5-1 ATS in their last seven games played at home. Head to head, the Mavericks are 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games played against the Nuggets.
Nuggets
+3 (-110)
Mavericks
-3 (-110)
Odds from SportsBetting as of 01/08/20
The Nuggets have outscored the Mavericks by an average of 3.4 points per game in their last 10 meetings. I think this will be another close game between these two teams. Without Porzingis, I like the chances of Denver winning this game, especially with Jokic coming off such a big performance. I’ll take the plus points here.
Prediction: Nuggets +3
The total has gone over in each of the last six games played by the Nuggets. The over is also 5-0 in Denver’s last five road games. The total has gone over in four out of the last six games played by the Mavericks. The over is 11-8 in Denver’s last 19 games played at home, and also 4-2 in their last six January games. Head to head, the total has gone under in six out of the last 10 meetings between the Nuggets and Mavericks.
Over
221 (-110)
Under
221 (-110)
Odds from SportsBetting as of 01/08/20
These teams have combined to score an average of 211.2 points per game in their last 10 meetings and 210.67 points per game in their last three head to head encounters. These teams combined to score only 215.0 points in their first meeting of the season. However, the Nuggets have scored an average of 117.33 points per game in their last six games played and have gone over the 217.5 total in those six games played. Likewise, Dallas has scored an average of 116.33 points per game in their last six assignments and has gone over the 217.5 total in four out of their last six outings, including the last three. The Nuggets have played great defense this season but have been in high-scoring games as of late. I like the teams to hit the over.
Prediction: Over 221