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The Denver Nuggets travel to San Antonio on Friday night to take on the Spurs. The Nuggets come in alone in first place in the Western Conference after taking down the Minnesota Timberwolves at home in their last game. The Spurs have just 20 wins on the season but have seen true promise in budding NBA superstar Victor Wembanyama as the season has worn on. The opening tap is scheduled for 8:00 PM EST.
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Closing in on #1 Seed
The Denver Nuggets took care of business on Wednesday night, knocking off the Minnesota Timberwolves in Denver to take over sole possession of first place in the Western Conference as the Nuggets get set to try and defend their NBA title in this year's playoffs. On Wednesday night, the Nuggets took down the Wolves 116-107 thanks to another MVP-level performance from two-time MVP Nikola Jokic. Jokic, expected to win his third MVP this postseason, scored 41 points while adding 11 rebounds and seven assists in the critical win. Jamal Murray added 20 points and Michael Porter Jr. scored 18 as the Nuggets closed in on the #1 seed in the West.
“Nikola always embraces the physicality. He never shies away from it,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “Rudy Gobert is going to be a Hall of Fame player one day. Rudy Gobert is going to be regarded as one of the best defenders of his generation. And it just speaks to how great Nikola is. I don't think anybody in the NBA can guard Nikola 1-on-1.”
The Nuggets will try to finish strong and close out with two wins to assure home-court throughout the Western Conference playoffs. The Nuggets come into this matchup ranked 14th in scoring in the NBA. They are fourth in field goal shooting and 9th in 3-point shooting. The Nuggets don't rely heavily on the 3-point shot, ranked just 25th in 3-point field goals made per game. The Nuggets' defense has gotten better and better throughout the season. They are now sixth in field scoring defense, fifth in field goal defense, and seventh in 3-point defense. The Nuggets are second in the NBA in 3-point field goals allowed per game. They are seventh in total rebounds per game and third in fewest turnovers per contest.
Key Injuries: No Injuries to Report.
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Keep Progressing
The Spurs have only 20 wins in their first eighty games this season but progress is apparent. The most important progress is in the growth of the player most believe will be the future of the NBA, Victor Wembanyama. Wembanyama has shown flashes of brilliance throughout the season and is the nearly sure-fire winner of the NBA's Rookie of the Year award. The Spurs come into this game losers of three of their last five games including a blowout 127-89 loss to the Thunder on Wednesday night. Zach Collins led the undermanned Spurs with 20 points and 7 rebounds in the loss. The Spurs played the game without Wembanyama and the teams 2nd, third and fourth leading scorers Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, and Jeremy Sochan. All out with various foot and ankle injuries.
“I feel badly because he’s not a happy camper right now,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said before the game about his decision to sit out Wembanyama. “He wants to be out there, but I’m looking at the long view. And, you know, we’ve had some trouble with this particular injury during the season.”
The Spurs will likely be shorthanded once again on Friday against the NBA Champs and that doesn't bode well for them against a team that they are 0-3 against this season. The Spurs are 22nd in the NBA in scoring this season, a number that will suffer without several of their top scorers. They are 25th in the league in field goal shooting and 30th in 3-point shooting. The Spurs shoot it from long-range frequently, ranked 17th in 3-point field goals made this season. Defensively, the Spurs are 25th in scoring defense in the NBA. They are 22nd in field goal defense and 23rd in 3-point defense. The Spurs are 13th in 3-point field goals allowed per game. The Spurs are 13th in total rebounds this season and 11th in fewest turnovers per game.
Key Injuries: SG Devin Vassell and SF Jeremy Sochan are out. C Victor Wembanyama, SF Keldon Johnson, F Dominick Barlow, and SF Cedi Osman are all game-time decisions.
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Best Bets for this Game
Full-Game Side Bet
Insiders Status:
Rating:
The Nuggets need to close out with two wins to secure the top seed in the Western Conference. They are 3-0 this season vs. the Spurs and have won the three games by just under 10 points per game. This game should be even more one-sided given the number of key players missing for the Spurs. If Popovich decides to hold out Wembanyama for another game, this will truly get ugly for the Spurs. The Nuggets are fourth in the NBA in field goal shooting and 9th in 3-point shooting. They will be facing a Spurs team that is just 22nd in field goal defense and 23rd in 3-point defense. Denver will not have any reason to let down in this game with still so much at stake so the Spurs won't be sneaking up on them.
Take the Nuggets.
Prediction: Nuggets to Cover
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Full-Game Total Pick
Insiders Status:
Rating:
The Spurs come into this game ranked 22nd in the NBA in scoring. They will likely be without at least two of their top four scorers and quite possibly all four. The Nuggets are sixth in the NBA in scoring defense and have held four of their last five opponents under 110 points. The Spurs have scored 105 points or less in three of their last five games. This game will likely be one-sided and I won't be surprised if the Spurs fail to score 100 points.
Take the under.
Prediction: Under
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Written By Mark Ruelle , "Mark Ruelle"
Mark has been a sports fanatic since childhood. He is also an avid follower of sports analytics and has used it in his own betting analysis for over two decades. Now we have Mark on our team here at Stat Salt. He holds degrees in marketing, broadcasting, and English and uses this vast array of assets to dissect and analyze game matchups. Mark will provide you with a wide variety of statistics to consider and a strong opinion in each matchup that he covers. Please follow him daily for an up-to-the-minute analysis of all the important games.
