Denver Nuggets Will 'Get-Right' After Blowout Loss To Lakers Vs. Indiana Pacers Monday
One of the two NBA games worth watching Monday is the Denver Nuggets (37-20) visiting the Indiana Pacers (32-23) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse for a 7 p.m. ET tip-off. Denver is a legit title contender with a three-time NBA MVP (Nikola Jokic) and Indiana made the Eastern Conference Finals last season and has won seven of its past 10 games.
The Nuggets split their first two games after the NBA All-Star break, beating the Charlotte Hornets 129-115 Friday and losing to the Los Angeles Lakers 123-100 Saturday. The Pacers crushed the Memphis Grizzlies 127-113 Thursday and the LA Clippers 129-111 Sunday in their first two contests following the NBA All-Star Game.
Denver Nuggets at Indiana Pacers Odds (DraftKings)
- Moneyline: Denver (-192) | Indiana (+160)
- Spread: NUGGETS -5 (-110) | Pacers +5 (-110)
- Total — 245.5 — Over (-110) | Under (-110)
Denver has two strength-on-weakness edges over Indiana on the glass and getting to the foul line. The Nuggets have a +2.8 free-throw-attempt margin and a +3.7 rebounding margin per game over opponents, while the Pacers have a -1.4 free-throw-attempt per game and a -3.4 rebound rebounding margin per game.
The Lakers overpowered the Nuggets Saturday. Los Angeles was more physical and hustled harder than Denver, which is bulletin board material for Nuggets head coach Michael Malone. Hence, I'm expecting a more motivated Denver team Monday.
Furthermore, the Lakers held Jokić to one of his worst games this season (12 points on 2-for-7 shooting). Jokic will bounce back against the Pacers, who cannot replicate LA's defensive strategy vs. Jokic because Indy has one of the worst defenses in the Association.
Denver Nuggets C Nikola Jokić looks to pass vs. the Indiana Pacers C Myles Turner at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. (Photo Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports)
Granted, Pacers C Myles Turner is one of the best rim protectors in the NBA, and the Lakers don't have any legit bigs. However, Luka Dončić and LeBron James are two of the smartest basketball players in the world. Essentially, Indiana can't out-think Denver and Jokic like Luka and Lebron did, if that makes any sense.
There will be a lot of possessions because the Nuggets are sixth in pace and the Pacers are seventh. So, Denver can win by margin Monday since it has the best offense in the NBA when PG Jamal Murray is playing well. With that in mind, Denver has better shot quality on both ends of the floor, according to CleaningTheGlass.com.
Prediction: Denver 127, Indiana 118
- At the time of publishing, the best number I found for the Nuggets was at DraftKings. As a rule, always look for the best odds for the bet you want to make. For the record, I'm risking 1.1 units on Denver -5 (-110).
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