The San Antonio Spurs (35-24), the NBA’s top scoring defense, will square off against the Denver Nuggets (32-26) at Pepsi Center. Action gets underway at 9 p.m. ET on Friday, February 23, 2018, and it can be seen on Altitude Sports & Entertainmnt.
San Antonio Spurs vs. Denver Nuggets ATS Preview
The last time the Nuggets played, they defeated the Milwaukee Bucks, 134-123. Denver’s Nikola Jokic played an enormous role in the victory, registering 30 points, 17 assists and 15 rebounds on his way to his fourth triple-double of the season. The Nuggets had a fantastic effective field goal percentage of 0.694 (above their season average of 0.528), while the Bucks had a free throw rate of 0.174 (below their season average of 0.225).
The last time the Spurs played it was against the Nuggets. In that game, the two teams combined to score 226 points, well over the projected point total of 208.5. The Nuggets won 117-109, covering as 7-point underdogs. With the win, the Spurs now lead the season series against the Nuggets two games to one. The Nuggets’ 9.8 turnover percentage was their biggest strength over the Spurs, who had a mark of 16.4. Jokic played a huge role in the victory, recording a triple-double with 23 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists.
Denver may have difficulty getting to the foul line in this battle. The Nuggets rank 18th in the NBA with a free throw attempt (FTA) rate of 0.190, while San Antonio ranks second in FTA rate allowed (0.167).
Of San Antonio’s 59 games, 31 have finished under the O/U total, while 31 of Denver’s 58 games have finished under the projected point total. Both teams have very similar records straight up (SU) and against the spread (ATS). The Spurs are 35-24 SU and 29-26-4 ATS, while the Nuggets are 32-26 SU and 28-27-3 ATS.
Nikola Jokic has been solid over the last five games for Denver, averaging 18.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game.
San Antonio Spurs at Denver Nuggets Betting Prediction
Prediction: SU Winner – Nuggets, ATS Winner – Nuggets, O/U – Over
Betting Notes:
- The Nuggets rank fourth in points in the paint per game (48.6) while the Spurs rank 20th (42.8).
- Denver averages 13.7 fast break points per game, which ranks seventh in the NBA. San Antonio ranks 14th in fast break points allowed per game (11.5).
- San Antonio ranks third in blocks per game (5.5) while Denver ranks 18th (4.6).
- San Antonio ranks 18th in steals per game (7.3) while Denver ranks 22nd in steals allowed per game (8.1).
- San Antonio is 12-16-3 ATS on the road with 18 unders, 12 overs and 1 push.
- Denver is 17-12-1 ATS at home with 17 unders and 13 overs.
- In games where they hold opponents below 100 points, San Antonio is 23-10 and Denver is 13-2.
- The Nuggets are 26-17 when they score over 100 points, while the Spurs are 28-6.
- The Nuggets rank second in second chance points allowed per game (9.9) while the Spurs rank 12th (11.7).
- San Antonio ranks sixth in assists allowed per game (21.1) while Denver ranks 26th (24.4).
- The Spurs rank 11th in points off turnovers allowed per game (15.7) while the Nuggets rank 28th (18.9).
- The Nuggets rank first in rebounds allowed per game (40.9) while the Spurs rank seventh (42.0).
- Denver ranks ninth in three pointers attempted per game (30.4) while San Antonio ranks 25th (24.6).
Bettings Trends:
- Denver is 4-1 ATS with 5 overs in their last five games.
- Over their last five games, San Antonio is 2-3 ATS with 5 overs.
- The Nuggets’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 4.0, up from 1.0 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Spurs have scored an average of 110.6 points per game (9.0 above their season average) and allowed an average of 108.2 points per game (9.7 above their season average).