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We only have two more weeks of NFL football left which means the NBA will move from the background to the forefront in the national sports calendar. With as long as the NBA season is, many fans don’t start paying attention until after the all-star break and most will be in for a nice surprise when they realize how competitive the NBA is this season.
In the East, only 6 games separate the 8 seed Toronto Raptors from the top seed Miami Heat, which is extremely rare to see 50 games into the season. With slightly over 30 games left to go in the regular season, the playoff positioning will be intense this year and we could be in for one of the most competitive playoffs in league history where seeding may not matter that much. If you are just getting caught up on the NBA action, head over to our basketball betting odds comparison page to get caught up on the action.
The Nuggets started off the year slowly but have been playing much better in recent weeks and are 7-3 in their last 10 games and winners of 4 in a row. Nikola Jokic is once again in the thick of the NBA MVP conversation and is averaging 26 points per game and is averaging 13 rebounds a game. The Nuggets are one of those teams that don’t get involved in the national discussion that much since they play in smaller market Denver.
The Bucks are currently 5th in the East but are only 1.5 games back of the Heat who are in first place. The Bucks are still one of the heavy favorites to win the NBA title this year as their experience from winning it all last year should give them a significant edge come playoff time over younger teams like the Bulls or Cavs. Giannis looks like the MVP once again and is averaging 28 points and 11 rebounds in another solid year. Grayson Allen signed with the Bucks in the offseason and has provided even more toughness on the defensive end for the Bucks while averaging 12 points off the bench.
The Bucks are the home favorites over the Nuggets but I like the Nuggets’ chances to keep this game close and I think they find a way to cover the spread and potentially pull off the upset. As teams enter the All-Star break they typically start to rest more players as they gear up for the second half and I think the Nuggets are the slightly more motivated team at this point as the seeding in the West is going to have a much bigger impact as teams try to avoid having to play either the Suns or Warriors in the first round.
Get Giannis Antetokoumpo Under 30.5
I think Giannis is held under thirty points in this game simply because he will have to work hard on the defensive end all game trying to slow down Jokic. Guarding a physical player like Jokic can wear you down and I think this will distract Giannis from his typical dominant offensive performance.
With the Nuggets focus on Jokic players like Jrue Holiday and Grayson Allen should have a big day and I think both players are good bets to have a good game at home. Holiday and Allen give teams fits on the defensive ends and whoever guards them will likely need be worn out chasing them around when they are on the offensive end.
This point total seems high for teams that run their offenses through their big men and I think this will be an old-school low-scoring game that is very physical on both ends with something like a 100-96 final score.
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