The Denver Nuggets (42-28) and Cleveland Cavaliers (39-30) will battle on Friday.
The sixth-place Nuggets enter Friday’s action on a roll, as they have won six of their past eight games and two in a row. Denver will try to stay hot in Cleveland in this difficult matchup.
The Cavs dropped a competitive four-point game to the 76ers on Wednesday. Cleveland also sits in sixth place in the East and will look to jump back into the win column in this cross-conference affair.
The Cavs defeated the Nuggets 99-87 in their only head-to-head matchup this year in Denver. The Nuggets will look to return the favor and hand Cleveland a loss at home in this matchup.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 P.M. EST at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, OH on Friday, March 18th.
Let’s take a look at our NBA expert picks for this contest.
Nuggets at Cavaliers Betting Stats
Looking at Denver Nuggets Stats
The Nuggets are playing an impressive brand of basketball right now. They defeated Philadelphia on the 14th and then took care of business against Washington on Wednesday.
Nikola Jokic strengthened his case for MVP in the 127-109 win over the Wizards with 29 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists. The big man has been remarkable this season and is currently the front-runner for MVP.
The Nuggets as a unit were electric all night on offense. Denver shot over 51 percent from the field and over 40 percent from beyond the arc. Additionally, the Nuggets dished out 30 assists in comparison to just nine total turnovers.
Denver will need a similar performance if they want to win their third consecutive road game against a talented Cavaliers team.
Looking at the Cleveland Cavaliers Stats
Cleveland is currently dealing with a number of injuries and their results over the past couple weeks have been affected because of the various ailments. The Cavs are just 4-6 in their last ten games and they are slowly trending in the wrong direction.
The Cavaliers last took the floor on Wednesday in a 118-114 home defeat at the hands of the 76ers. Darius Garland did all he could do in the loss with 22 points and seven assists, but the Cavs simply did not have the depth necessary to pull out the win.
Overall, Cleveland played a good game. They only coughed the ball up nine times and they dished out 25 assists. But the Sixers shot over 51 percent from the field which ultimately led them to the victory.
The Cavs are trying to tread water in the wake of their injuries. They are still in a fairly good position, but the Raptors could overtake them in the standings with a loss on Friday.
Cleveland will look to upset the odds and take care of business at their home arena.
Matchup Information
Nuggets at Cavaliers Betting Trends
- Denver is 33-37 ATS this season.
- Cleveland is 38-27-4 ATS this year.
- The Cavs are 19-12-2 ATS at their home arena.
- The Nuggets are 20-17 ATS on the road.
- Denver is 19-24 ATS as a favorite.
- Cleveland is 20-13-2 ATS as an underdog.
The Nuggets are listed as a narrow road favorite against the injury-plagued Cavs in this matchup. They undoubtedly have the talent to uphold the NBA betting odds tonight.
Cleveland has been very good ATS this season but they don’t have a clear option for Jokic in the post. Evan Mobley is a talented player but Jokic’s offensive versatility will likely prove too much for him.
Who to Bet Nuggets at Cavaliers
MVP caliber players know how to lead their teams to victory, and Jokic certainly fits that description. Expect Jokic to post unbelievable numbers once against and the Nuggets to get the job done on the road.
The Cavaliers will likely keep this game close until the final minutes of regulation but I would not recommend betting against the red hot Nuggets right now.
Go ahead and roll with Denver as your spread NBA betting selection.
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