by Chuck Sommers
Sunday, Mar 12, 2023
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Ball Arena, Denver, CO
Where to watch: ALT, YES
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Nuggets -9
BetMGM: Nuggets -9
Caesars: Nuggets -9
Season record
Nets: 38-29
Nuggets: 46-21
The All-Star break is over in the NBA and it's time to get on the horse and finish up the final home stretch of the season. Big trades, uncertainty, and absolute hilarity across the board all gearing up for the final home stretch of this season. You know who is also gearing up for the home stretch? Our champion handicappers at bigal.com who are ready to win their way all the way to the playoffs. There's a lot going on that we can't wait for in these final 23-25 games and you're going to need every bit of hardcore analysis you can get from this group. Just in the last 30 days we've had some big winners. Doc's Sports has posted a 16-6-0 record in the last month (+$9,200). AAA Sports has killed it at 17-8-0, and then Al McMordie with a dominant 20-11-1 mark over the last 30 days. Everything you need to know and more about what's going on this league and sports in general will be a fun finish to the end. All you have to do is go to bigal.com and find our Best Bets page and put forth something that only you think is good. Here's a hint: Go to the bigal.com website and happy betting!
Nets - Nuggets preview, prediction and analysis
The Brooklyn Nets will not go quietly into the night, but this is surely set up to be one of their biggest tests toward this late in the season when they face the top-of-the-West Denver Nuggets on Sunday in Denver.
The Nets are coming through on a heavy travel schedule. But they are in a happy mood after winning 124-123 in overtime against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday.
Mikal Bridges was spectacular once again with 34 points and six rebounds, while Spencer Dinwiddie had 29 points and blocked the potential game-winning 3-pointer from Mike Conley to preserve the win.
“I don’t think anybody knew that Mikal was was this amazing offensively, just being completely real,” Dinwiddie said. “It’s our job to make sure that he can get to his spots and get his shots and continue to shoot, stack up these thirties as much as he possibly can.”
With their fourth win in the last five games, the Nets’ playoff hopes are still very much alive after losing four straight. Brooklyn has also covered in five straight while being the underdog for three of them, including as 4.5-point dogs against Minnesota. So far, everything’s been good on that front.
The Nuggets, meanwhile, are coming off something rare: A loss. Not just a loss, but a loss where Nikola Jokic recorded a triple-double. And not just a loss where Nikola Jokic recorded a triple-double. They lost to the San Antonio Spurs in quite a shocker. Even though the Spurs tend to play hard, that’s still a loss to the Spurs.
And not to mention the Nuggets have now lost two games in a row. Jokic had 37 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, and Jamal Murray had 24 points and seven assists, but no one else could really make an impact here.
“I think we have faith in what we can do,” Murray said.
The Nuggets have dropped three straight against the spread after covering in six of the last seven. Sometimes when you’re the best team in the West, all that matters is you win.
Prediction
Thinking the Nuggets will bounce back. The Nets are playing great ball, but Denver at home is too much of a task for a young team. Nuggets 119, Nets 110
Projected starting lineup
Nets:
PG: Spencer Dinwiddie
SG: Mikal Bridges
SF: Cameron Johnson
PF: Dorian Finney-Smith
C: Nic Claxton
Nuggets:
PG: Jamal Murray
SG: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
SF: Michael Porter Jr.
PF: Aaron Gordon
C: Nikola Jokic
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert basketball picks today. And if you enjoyed this preview, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NBA projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
