The San Antonio Spurs travel to the Pepsi Center on Saturday night to battle the Denver Nuggets in what many believe should be one of the tighter first round series in the NBA Playoffs. The Nuggets ended the regular season with the second best record in the Western Conference. Will Denver show they they’re a legit contender for the NBA Title? Check out NBA Playoff betting odds, analysis, and a preview of Spurs vs Nuggets Game 1!
Spurs vs Nuggets NBA Playoffs Game 1 Odds, Preview & Prediction
Mark your calendars, Spurs Fam. 🗓
Round 1 is set! pic.twitter.com/0EGbipcQw3 — San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) April 11, 2019
- When: Saturday, April 13 at 10:30pm ET
- Where: Pepsi Center, Denver, CO
- TV: ESPN
- Live Stream: NBA League Pass
- Opening ATS Odds: Denver -5.5
- Over/Under Total Odds: 211
Why San Antonio Spurs are a good bet at +5.5?
San Antonio doesn’t have the overall star power it used to have, but the Spurs are still one of the top teams in the Western Conference. They made the NBA Playoffs again because of the play of DeMar DeRozan and LeMarcus Aldridge.
DeRozan and Aldridge key a deep squad that brings Marco Belinelli, Rudy Gay, and Patty Mills off the bench. Coach Gregg Popovich is one of the top NBA coaches of all time. Spurs always have a shot with Pop on the sidelines.
Team Statistics
Offense:- Points/G: 111.7
- Field Goal %: 47.8
- 3-Point %: 39.2
- Free Throw %: 81.9
- Rebounds/G: 44.7
- Points/G: 110.0
- Field Goal %: 46.3
- 3-Point %: 35.9
- Free Throw %: 75.5
- Rebounds/G: 43.9
Why Denver Nuggets are a good bet at -5.5
Quietly this season, the Denver Nuggets became the second best team after the Golden State Warriors in the West. Denver leans on one of the top 5 players in the league, Nikola Jokic.
Jokic averages 20.1 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game. His skills are unparalleled for a 7’ 0” center. Will Barton, Paul Millsap, Jamal Murray, and Gary Harris surround Jokic. Denver’s skilled from top to bottom and as long as Jokic stays healthy, they should have a shot to unseat the Warriors and win the Western Conference.
Team Statistics
Offense:- Points/G: 110.7
- Field Goal %: 46.6
- 3-Point %: 35.1
- Free Throw %: 75.5
- Rebounds/G: 46.4
- Points/G: 106.7
- Field Goal %: 45.8
- 3-Point %: 33.9
- Free Throw %: 75.3
- Rebounds/G: 42.5
NBA Playoffs Betting Trends for San Antonio Spurs vs Denver Nuggets
- Spurs are 1-4-1 ATS in their last 6 games following an ATS loss
- Spurs are 0-3-1 ATS in their last 4 versus the Western Conference
- Spurs are 21-8 ATS in the last 29 meetings in Denver
- Nuggets are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 home games
- Nuggets are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games versus a team with a losing road record
- Nuggets are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games playing on 2 days rest
Spurs vs Nuggets NBA Playoff Betting Game 1 Final Analysis
On paper, these two squads look evenly matched and in the head-to-head that played out with the Spurs winning 2-of-3 matchups. However, the Nuggets won the last matchup 113-85.
Denver plays better together than any other team in the NBA. The Nuggets secured a 54-28 record, the second best record in the Western Conference, by playing as a team. Although Jokic is their unquestioned leader, he not only leads the team in points and rebounds, which he should because he’s a center, he also leads the team in assists.
Denver runs a different, center-centric system, than other NBA teams. They rely on their center to set up their guards. That makes them more unique. The Nuggets will prevail and cover in Game 1 and set the tone for the series.
NBA Playoffs Betting Pick: Nuggets -5.5
