The Denver Nuggets (41-18) face the Cleveland Cavaliers (38-23) on Thursday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Nuggets vs. Cavaliers odds, and make our expert NBA picks and predictions.
The Nuggets defeated the Dallas Mavericks 118-109 as 6.5-point home favorites the Wednesday before the All-Star break. Denver owns the best record in the Western Conference and is 5 games ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Cavaliers lost 118-112 as 2-point road underdogs to the Philadelphia 76ers last Wednesday. Cleveland has still won 8 of its last 10 games and is the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Denver won the 1st meeting with Cleveland on Jan. 6, covering as 5.5-point home favorites in a 121-108 victory where the 221.5 Over connected.
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Nuggets at Cavaliers odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:52 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Nuggets +120 (bet $100 to win $120) | Cavaliers -140 (bet $140 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Nuggets +2.5 (-108) | Cavaliers -2.5 (-112)
- Over/Under (O/U): 223.5 (O: -108 | U: -112)
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Nuggets at Cavaliers key injuries
Nuggets
- F Aaron Gordon (rib) out
- G Jamal Murray (knee) questionable
Cavaliers
- G Ricky Rubio (knee) out
For most recent updates: Official NBA injury report.
Nuggets at Cavaliers picks and predictions
Prediction
Cavaliers 116, Nuggets 111
Moneyline
With how well they perform at home, the CAVALIERS (-140) are the pick here, although betting the spread offers better value. Cleveland is 25-6 at home while Denver is 14-14 on the road.
Against the spread
CAVALIERS -2.5 (-112) is the ideal choice in this game. The Nuggets won’t have Gordon to help defend the Cavaliers’ talented frontcourt duo of F Evan Mobley and C Jarrett Allen.
The Cavaliers are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games following an ATS loss and are 20-10-1 ATS at home.
Over/Under
BET OVER 223.5 (-108).
While the Cavaliers play at the slowest pace in the NBA, both of these teams are top 10 in offensive rating. Denver is also making 51.2% of its shots (best in the NBA) while Cleveland converts 48.9% of its shots (5th-best).
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