The Denver Nuggets had a six-game win streak halted on Monday in Detroit and will be without starting shooting guard Gary Harris for the fourth consecutive game vs the Brooklyn Nets. Meanwhile, the Nets have lost four of their last five games as they deal with injury issues of their own. Brooklyn opened as a 2-point home underdog tonight with the total at 233.5.
- The Nets are 7-3 SU and 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games vs the Nuggets.
- Denver is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games on the road.
- Brooklyn is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games at home.
Question Marks Surround Both Starting Lineups
In addition to Gary Harris being ruled out, Paul Millsap and Jamal Murray are both listed as questionable for tonight. Millsap missed the Monday game vs Detroit after being limited to 21 minutes and zero points on Saturday. Point guard Jamal Murray has been out since January 25 with an ankle injury.
For the Nets, Caris LeVert is getting closer to a return but won’t be in the lineup tonight. Neither will Spencer Dinwiddie, who is out indefinitely after thumb surgery, while Joe Harris is expected to return to the lineup after missing Monday’s game with a hip injury.
Let’s Check Out Bench Statistics
With injury troubles plaguing both sides, it’s prudent to check into the depth of each team. Through 55 games, the Nets are getting 47.7 points per game from their bench players and that’s similar to the 48 points per game the bench has scored in their last five games – good for second in the league behind the Clippers.
In the Nets’ 28 wins this year, the bench has contributed 49.9 points per game.
On the other side of the floor, the Nuggets have gotten just 32.8 points per game from the bench in their last five games, which is 21st in the NBA. The bench is averaging just 16.5 minutes per game during that stretch.
My Pick For Tonight
I think Brooklyn has some advantages in key areas heading into tonight’s game. I’ve already outlined the bench advantage and looking at the Nets’ last five games, they are scoring 16.6 points per game off second chances.
The Nuggets are one of the top defensive rebounding teams in the league and are allowing 12.7 points off second chances during the course of the season. However, looking at their last five games, they’ve allowed an average of 16.2 points per game – something that is likely to continue if Millsap can’t go.
With that, I’m going to take the points and the Nets at home +2. Brooklyn has won nine of its last 10 at Barclays and is 8-2 ATS in the last 10 games vs the Nuggets, including a straight-up win as an 8.5-point dog earlier this season.
