Brooklyn Nets at Denver Nuggets Betting Pick/Player Prop
08 May 2021
Brooklyn comes into this game having lost four straight games, and this has been a rough stretch of the schedule for the Nets. This team looked like the top seed in the East, but will likely have to settle for second in the Atlantic Division.
Denver comes into this game with a record of 44-23, but they have lost of their last three games. The Nuggets are playing for playoff seeding in what is a loaded Western Conference again this year.
The Brooklyn Nets are four-point favorites over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night.
Nets Need More From Bench
If the Brooklyn Nets are going to make a deep run in the NBA Playoffs then they are going to need more production from the bench. Brooklyn has a terrific “Big Three” with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden, but they aren’t a very deep team.
Harden is currently out of the lineup due to injury, but Durant and Irving are good enough to take over at any time. The Nets are averaging 118.5 points per game, which is the second-highest scoring average in the NBA.
The Nets are giving up more than 115 points per game, and that could be a problem when the playoffs begin. Brooklyn has allowed at least 113 points in every game during this losing streak.
Jokic Doing it All For Denver
The Nuggets suffered a massive blow when they lost Jamal Murray for the season with a torn ACL. Denver was expected to take a step back after that injury, but Nikola Jokic has just continued to carry this team to wins.
Jokic is leading the team with 26.4 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 8.5 assists per game this season, and is likely the MVP of the NBA. Michael Porter Jr. has really come into his own this season as well, and he gives the team a great second option.
Denver has taken a step back on the defensive end of the floor this season, and that will need to be fixed before the playoffs begin.
Brooklyn Figures Things Out
The Brooklyn Nets are simply too good to continue losing games, and that offense is going to figure it out. The absence of Jamal Murray is a huge blow for the Nuggets, and they an’t keep up with the top teams in the league.
Nikola Jokic is a huge matchup problem for the Nets, but Kevin Durant is the same thing for the Nuggets. This should be a high-scoring affair with two great offenses on the floor, but that style of game is more suited for Brooklyn.
Denver will keep it close for three quarters, but the Nets pull away late. Bet the Brooklyn Nets -4.0 over the Nuggets on Saturday night.
Player Prop
Kevin Durant (-125); Over 28.5 Points
While most players in the league would be satisfied with a 20-point game, it’s an off-night for Durant. That was the case in his last outing against Dallas on Thursday as Durant missed 14 of 21 shots from the field, including 0-4 from beyond the arc, to finish with 20 and fall below his season scoring average (28.0) for just the second time in the last six games.
Neither Durant nor head coach Steve Nash sounded alarmed after the game. And for good reason. The last time Durant fell below his season average, he rebounded with a bang. Coming off a 17-point effort against Toronto on April 27, Durant had 42 on 16-of-24 shooting in the next game against Indiana.
Durant and the Nets also don’t seem to be sweating their 4-game losing streak with KD saying he was glad it was happening now and would make the team better. Perhaps he knew something about his matchup with the Nuggets tonight. When Durant faced Denver back on January 12, he had 34 points on 12-of-18 shooting in a 122-116 Nets’ win.
With Brooklyn focused on snapping their losing streak and Durant focused on bouncing back from a rare off-game, we’ll take KD (-125) to go over 28.5 points tonight in Denver.
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