Denver Nuggets vs. Miami Heat Game Preview: Nuggets Look to Snap Six Game Losing Skid
Looking at a line and seeing the second-place team in the Eastern Conference as a seven-point favorite, the instant thought is that line seems reasonable and that team should cover. Well, tonight, the Miami Heat are seven-point favorites, but I don’t think it will be an easy spread to cover. I think the Denver Nuggets could come away with a road victory, and the ‘Betting Model’ agrees with me. at least from the perspective that they carry extreme value sitting at +245.
The Nuggets need to break a six-game losing skid as their last win came on November 14th against the Portland Trail Blazers. Which also happened to be the end of a five-game win streak which included a dominant win over the Heat 113-96.
For the Nuggets this season, they have been led by Nikola Jokić as the big man from Serbia is scoring 26.4 a game while averaging 6.4 assists and 13.6 rebounds. The 6’11 center is listed as a game-time decision after missing the past four games with a wrist injury, a huge reason the Nuggets lost six straight.
On the Heat side of the ball, two key pieces are listed as game-time decisions; Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro. If either Butler or Herro doesn’t suit up tonight for Miami, that is a huge loss, as Butler is number one on the Heat in scoring and Herro is number two.
Also, looking at the game total for tonight’s game, the easy pick is the over. Miami is one of only six teams to have a positive record in favor of the over with a 12-8 mark. To make that number even more convincing the Heat is 9-1 to the over against the Western Conference this season.
So for tonight’s game in Miami, I think the best-valued bets are the Nuggets to pick up a road win and snap their six-game losing skid, bringing them back to .500. Also, with the Nuggets already picking up a win against the Heat this season, they can certainly do it again. As for the game total, with how strong the Heat’s record is in non-conference games in favor of the over, I think tonight’s over will hit.
Picks: Nuggets Moneyline (+245), Spread: Nuggets (+7), Game Total: Over (208)
All NBA game predictions and picks are courtesy of SportsGrid
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