The Denver Nuggets (26-24) look to end a five-game road losing streak when they go head-to-head with the San Antonio Spurs (33-19) at AT&T Center. The games Over/Under (O/U) opened at 201 points with San Antonio set as a 6-point favorite. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, January 30, 2018, and it can be seen on Altitude 2 Sports.
Denver Nuggets at San Antonio Spurs Free Preview
The last time the Nuggets played, they lost a tough one against the Boston Celtics, 111-110. Denver’s Nikola Jokic had a solid game, leading the team in scoring with 24 points on 8-for-17 shooting. Boston was lights out from beyond the arc (17-36; 47.2 percent). Denver, meanwhile, did a terrific job of making free throws (16-21; 76.2 percent).
The Spurs hope to keep it rolling after defeating the Sacramento Kings in their last game, 113-98. San Antonio’s Dejounte Murray had a solid performance, recording 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. San Antonio dominated every stat category in the game. They had a great offensive rebounding percentage of 31.7 (above their season average of 23.0) and a turnover percentage of 6.7 (better than their season average of 12.6). For those same stats, Sacramento was 13.3 and 9.4, respectively.
Points at the line could be scarce for San Antonio in this contest. The Spurs rank 18th in the league with a free throw attempt (FTA) rate of 0.187, while Denver ranks fourth in FTA rate allowed (0.169). Moreover, the Nuggets rank second in offensive rebounding percentage (26.6 percent), while the Spurs rank fifth in defensive rebounding percentage (79.3 percent).
Both of these teams have a tendency to finish under the projected point total. Denver games have gone under 61.2 percent of the time, while games including San Antonio have finished under 57.7 percent of the time. Looking at straight up (SU) and against the spread (ATS) records, the Spurs have a substantial advantage. They are 33-19 SU and 27-21-4 ATS, while the Nuggets are 26-24 SU and 21-25-3 ATS.
Jokic has really been playing well over the last five games for Denver, averaging 15.4 points, 12.0 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game.
These teams have already met once this season. The two teams combined for 192 points in that game, which was well under the projected point total of 208. The Spurs won 112-80, covering as 7-point favorites. San Antonio made 14 of their 27 three pointers (51.9 percent), while Denver was 7-28 (25.0 percent). Jokic was the top overall scorer in the game with 23 points.
Denver Nuggets at San Antonio Spurs Betting Prediction
Free NBA Pick: SU Winner – Nuggets, ATS Winner – Nuggets, O/U – Under
Betting Notes:
- The Spurs rank third in blocks per game (5.4) while the Nuggets rank 16th (4.7).
- Denver ranks first in rebounds allowed per game (40.9) while San Antonio ranks 11th (42.3).
- Denver ranks fifth in assists per game (23.8) while San Antonio ranks 17th (22.3).
- Denver averages 13.5 fast break points per game, which ranks eighth in the NBA. San Antonio ranks 11th in fast break points allowed per game (10.9).
- Denver is 8-14-2 ATS on the road with 14 unders and 10 overs.
- San Antonio is 17-7-1 ATS at home with 13 overs and 12 unders.
- In games where they hold opponents below 100 points, Denver is 13-2 and San Antonio is 22-10.
- The Nuggets are 20-15 when they reach 100 points, while the Spurs are 26-3.
- The Nuggets rank third in second chance points per game (14.3) while the Spurs rank 14th (12.7).
- San Antonio ranks 10th in points off turnovers allowed per game (15.4) while Denver ranks 29th (19.3).
- The Nuggets rank eighth in three pointers attempted per game (30.2) while the Spurs rank 26th (24.4).
- The Spurs rank 18th in steals allowed per game (7.8) while the Nuggets rank 25th (8.4).
- Denver ranks fifth in points in the paint per game (48.2) while San Antonio ranks 23rd (41.7).
Betting Trends:
- San Antonio is 3-2 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders in their last five games.
- Over their last five games, Denver is 1-3-1 ATS with 4 unders and 1 over.
- The Spurs average margin of victory in their last five games has been 4.6, up from 3.4 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Nuggets have scored an average of 107.0 points per game (0.8 above their season average) and allowed an average of 105.4 points per game (0.2 below their season average).
