In today’s cross-Conference matchup we will see Denver Nuggets hosting New York Knicks at Pepsi Center, where Nuggets lost only 3 games out of 17 played. Keep in mind, that this is not one of our premium predictions, for those, you will have to subscribe.
Denver Nuggets are currently sitting at the top spot in the West with an overall record of 23-11. Looking at their last 5 games, they have lost 2 against LA Clippers (132:111) and SA Spurs (111:103). On the other hand, Nuggets won against Dallas Mavericks (126:118), SA Spurs in a rematch (102:99) and most recently against Phoenix Suns (118:122). Nuggets have been dealing with some injury problems this season, however, they are still holding an impressive record, with 12 wins in their last 16 games. In their most recent match, Denver Nuggets managed to win against Phoenix Suns. In the first quarter, Nuggets already got a healthy lead of 20 points (16:36). They were outscored by Suns in the 2nd quarter (33:26) but still managed to step into the 3rd quarter 13 points up. The 3rd quarter was relatively close, as it ended 29:28, which meant the Suns were chasing the 12 point deficit in the last quarter. Surprisingly enough, Suns were the better side in the last quarter as they scored 40 points, whereas Nuggets only managed to score 32. Despite being a better team in 3/4 quarters, Suns still suffered a defeat due to their poor performance in the 1st quarter which set them back by 20 points. Final score: 118:122.
New York Knicks are currently the second-to-last team in the East with a 9-28 record in 37 games played. They are far from a position they would like to be in as Knicks have not won a match in 7 games. in fact, they have got only 1 win in their last 13 games. Knicks are coming into this match after a disappointing defeat against Utah Jazz (129:97), where they were simply outclassed. The match started off with a 39:17 1st quarter and a 32:17 2nd quarter. That meant Knicks were 37 points behind before the 2nd half of the match! The 3rd quarter was better for Knicks, who managed to reduce the gap slightly (26:32), but with 31 point margin, it was clear Knicks had almost no chance to come back into the match. The last quarter finished with 32:31 which meant Knicks suffered yet another defeat. Final score: 129:97.
Denver are coming into this match without Barton, Porter, Thomas, Vanderbilt and possibly Harris. On the bright side, Millsap is likely to come off the bench once again as he did against the Suns. Knicks will play the match without Porzingis and Robinson, who remains sidelined. This match heavily favours the Nuggets and I am not surprised by that, still, I do believe Knicks have the talent and drive to put up a good fight. With injury issues at Nuggets, they must not underestimate Knicks despite their poor record. The AH line is currently set at 14 points. Taking that into consideration I simply don’t believe Nuggets will outclass Knicks by 14 or more points, I believe Knick finishing the match with under 14 point margin is far more likely. Looking at recent H2H matches between the 2 sides, Nuggets won the majority of the matches, but the margin was kept under 14 points in all of the last 4 encounters. We predict this will be the case tonight as well.
Prediction: New York Knicks +13.00
Odds: 2.05 Matchbook, 2.00 Pinnacle
