Ball Arena hosts a matinee NBA contest on Sunday afternoon. The Brooklyn Nets visit the Denver Nuggets for the first matchup between the clubs this season. Brooklyn is 38-29 overall and 19-17 on the road, with Denver entering at 46-21 overall and 30-5 in home games. Zeke Nnaji (shoulder) and Collin Gillespie (leg) are out for Denver. Ben Simmons (knee) is out for Brooklyn.
Tipoff is at 3:30 p.m. ET in Denver. Caesars Sportsbook lists Denver as the 9-point favorite, while the over/under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 229.5 in the latest Nets vs. Nuggets odds. Before making any Nuggets vs. Nets picks, you'll want to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past four-plus seasons. The model enters Week 21 of the 2022-23 NBA season on a stunning 61-30 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,700. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Nets vs. Nuggets and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Nuggets vs. Nets:
- Nets vs. Nuggets spread: Nuggets -9.5
- Nets vs. Nuggets over/under: 229.5 points
- Nets vs. Nuggets money line: Nuggets -400, Nets +310
- BKN: The Nets are 20-16 against the spread in road games
- DEN: The Nuggets are 22-12-1 against the spread in home games
- Nets vs. Nuggets picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Nets can cover
Brooklyn is keyed by Mikal Bridges, who is in the midst of a hot streak. The talented wing is averaging 25.8 points per game in 12 appearances with the Nets, and Bridges is shooting 51.4% from the field and 49.2% from 3-point range. Brooklyn's offense is above-average for the season, scoring more than 1.14 points per possession, and the Nets have tremendous shooting efficiency. The Nets are in the top three of the NBA in field goal percentage (49.3%) and 3-point percentage (38.5%), with a top-eight mark in free throw accuracy (80.0%).
Brooklyn is also playing well on defense in recent days, yielding fewer than 1.02 points per possession in the last five games. The Nets lead the NBA with 6.4 blocked shots per game, and Brooklyn is in the top five of the league in field goal percentage allowed (46.2%), 2-point percentage allowed (51.4%), and assists allowed (23.1 per game).
Why the Nuggets can cover
Denver is virtually impossible to stop this season, flying high on the offensive end behind Nikola Jokic. Jokic, the two-time reigning MVP, is averaging a triple-double with 24.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 10.0 assists per game. Jokic also maintains an elite 70% true shooting mark, and the Nuggets dominate when he is on the floor. Denver is No. 2 in the league in offensive rating, scoring 117.3 points per 100 possessions, and the Nuggets lead the NBA with 50.8% shooting from the field.
The Nuggets are in the top three in both 3-point accuracy (38.9%) and 2-point accuracy (57.5%) this season, and Denver moves the ball at a tremendous level. Denver averages more than 29 assists per game, and the Nuggets are in the top five in fast break points (16.4 per game) and points in the paint (54.6 per game). Brooklyn is in the bottom five of the league in defensive rebound rate (69.4%), and the Nets are below the NBA average in free throw prevention, giving up 25 attempts per contest.
How to make Nuggets vs. Nets picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 238 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread hits well over 60% of the time. You can only see the model's pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Nets vs. Nuggets? And which side of the spread hits well in well over 60% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.
