Cleveland Cavaliers vs Denver Nuggets Prediction, Preview and Odds - 10/25/2021

Game Time: 9:00 pm ET, Monday, October 25, 2021

Venue:  Ball Arena, Denver, CO

Where to Watch:  BSOH

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Cavaliers NL, Nuggets NL; Over/Under:  NL points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Cavaliers NL, Nuggets NL; Over/Under:  NL points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Cavaliers NL, Nuggets NL; Over/Under:  NL points

 

Cleveland Cavaliers:  1-2 (4th place, Central Division)

Denver Nuggets:  2-0 (3rd place, Northwest Division)

 

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Cleveland Cavaliers:  won at home on Oct. 23 against the Atlanta Hawks 101-95.

Denver Nuggets:  won at home on Oct. 22 against the San Antonio Spurs 102-96.

 

 

 

The Cavaliers are coming into this game with a 1-2 record overall to start their season off and they are 0-1 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. The Cavs started their season off with 2 straight losses against the Memphis Grizzlies and the Charlotte Hornets but they bounced back on Saturday night with a big home win over the Hawks, snapping that 2 game losing streak coming into this one off of a win. That game was very close in the first half with the Cavs trailing by 3 points at halftime but they came out in the second half and dominated the third quarter to take a big lead on them. The Hawks came back a bit in the fourth quarter but by then it was too late and the Cavs did not allow them to get enough points to claw back into the game. Ricky Rubio led the team in points with 23 along with 8 assists and 6 rebounds while rookie Evan Mobley was 2nd on the team with 17 points, 1 assist and 11 rebounds. Their win was more of a team effort as no other player scored more than 15 points themselves in that one. Rubio led the team in assists with 8 in that game while Jarrett Allen led the team in rebounds with 14. Their offense is averaging 111.3 PPG in their first 3 games while their defense is allowing 116.7 PPG against them. The Cavs opened as a 3 point underdog in their last game with that line closing around 8.5 while the point total opened at 223 and roughly stayed the same by the time that line closed. The Cavs not only covered the spread in that game but they won straight up on the moneyline as a +290 underdog while the game stayed under the total with 196 total points.

 

 

The Nuggets are coming into this game with a 2-0 record overall to start their NBA season off and they are 1-0 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They have had a strong start to their season winning 2 games straight against the Phoenix Suns and the Spurs coming into this game on Monday night. They beat the Spurs on Friday night in a game that was close for the entire length of it but the Nuggets maintained a slight lead the whole game. The reigning MVP Nikola Jokic went off in that game with a team-high 32 points along with 7 assists and 16 rebounds. Monte Morris was 2nd on the team with 13 points while Will Barton had 12 points himself but this entire offense was carried by Jokic in that game. Jokic also led the team in assists with 7 and in rebounds with 16. Their offense is averaging 106 PPG in their first 2 games while their defense is allowing 97 PPG against them. The Nuggets opened as an 8 point favorite in their last game with that line closing around 7.5 while the point total opened at 219 and closed around 222 points. The Nuggets did not cover the spread in that game winning it by 6 points while the game stayed under the total with 198 total points.

 

 

The Nuggets are coming into this game as a 10.5 point favorite with the current betting odds according to the bookmakers. They have been playing very well in their games with 2 big wins against some pretty good teams and now they get a bit of a break with a bad Cavs team coming to town. The Cavs got their first win of the season in their last game and what a big win it was as they took down the Hawks at home. Now they are on the road here in Denver, a very tough place to play due to the altitude, and they will likely have a let down spot here. They are not going to have an answer to stop Jokic and he has been an absolute beast in their 2 games so far. The best bet to place in this game is on the Nuggets to cover the spread in this one.

 

Cavaliers Nuggets Prediction:  Our free NBA Pick for Monday, October 25, 2021 (9:00 pm ET start time) is Nuggets 111 Cavaliers 92.

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Cleveland Cavaliers: 1009-1073 ATS in all games. 340-382 ATS as a road underdog. 496-541 ATS in road games. 327-357 ATS in the first half of the season. 77-82 ATS against Northwest division opponents. 337-365 ATS in non-conference games.

Denver Nuggets: 1028-1006 ATS in all games. 160-159 ATS as a home underdog. 513-490 ATS in home games. 145-127 ATS against Central division opponents. 354-340 ATS in non-conference games.

 

 

Cleveland Cavaliers:  D. Windler (SG) Ques Mon - Knee injury. D. Garland (PG) Ques Mon - Ankle injury.

Denver Nuggets:  V. Cancar (SF) Out Mon - Hip injury. J. Murray (SG) Out indefinitely - Knee injury.

 

 

Cleveland Cavaliers: Jarrett Allen is one player to watch on the court in this matchup. He is coming off of a good game where he led the team in rebounds and he will need to do the same in this game as he will have to go up against Jokic here under the basket. He will need to play at his best to try and stop the beast so look for him to step up in this game as he could be the key to the Cavs keeping this game a close one. 

 

Denver Nuggets: Nikola Jokic is one player to watch in this contest. He leads the team in points per game and in rebounds per game this season and he is coming off of a game where he was their entire offense. He led the team in points, assists and rebounds and he has been a huge force in their offense in both games this season being their leading scorer. Look for him to keep up his high level of play here and dominate once again as he carries his team in this one yet again.

 

 

"We're definitely really happy about our first win, it felt great. But we don't want to just settle on it. We want to keep winning and growing from here." - Evan Mobley on the Cavs getting their first win of the season.

 

 

"I really think because I'm slow. That's the pace that fits me and I'm comfortable in that pace. You can see how the league is going, everybody is so athletic, so fast, they can jump, they can go by a guy." - Nikola Jokic on his style of play in their games.

 

 

 

PG    Darius Garland 

SG    Collin Sexton

SF    Lauri Markkanen

PF    Evan Mobley

C    Jarrett Allen

 

PG    Monte Morris

SG    Will Barton

SF     Michael Porter Jr.

PF    Aaron Gordon

C     Nikola Jokic

 

 

PPG: C. Sexton (20.7)

APG: D. Garland (12)

Reb/G: E. Mobley (8.3)

 

PPG: N. Jokic (29.5)

APG: W. Barton (5.5)

Reb/G: N. Jokic (14.5)

 

Coaches:

Cleveland Cavaliers: J.B. Bickerstaff (3rd season)

Denver Nuggets: Michael Malone (7th season)