NBA Betting Picks: Cleveland Cavaliers vs Denver Nuggets Lines and Best Bets on December 5

Fresh off their impressive NBA Emirates Cup victories, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Denver Nuggets hope to sustain their winning momentums as they clash this Thursday at the Rocket Mortgage Field House.

(Photo by Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images)

Cleveland enters this matchup in high spirits following a 118-87 blowout win over the Washington Wizards while Denver escaped the Golden State Warriors 119-115 on Tuesday to return to the win column.”

• Early Cleveland Cavaliers vs Denver Nuggets betting lines have the home team as a slight 3.5-point favorite though it is worth noting that the Nuggets won their previous matchup by 29 points.
• The Nuggets and the Cavaliers met twice last season with each team winning in their home courts by double digits.
• Cleveland, however, is slightly better than Denver this season as far as covering the spread is concerned, posting a 16-6 Against-The-Spread (ATS) slate as opposed to the latter’s 8-10-1 ATS card.

With Cleveland and Denver no longer in contention for the league’s in-season tournament, the focus shifts into this matchup that could set the tone for their two-game season series.

Will the Cavaliers protect its homecourt like they did last season or will the Nuggets change the narrative and draw first blood in their season series?

That remains to be seen but as of press time, here’s how the current Cleveland Cavaliers vs Denver Nuggets odds look like.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Denver Nuggets DraftKings NBA Odds for December 5

Moneyline

• Cleveland Cavaliers: -166
• Denver Nuggets: +140

Spread

• Cleveland Cavaliers: -3.5 (-110)
• Denver Nuggets: +3.5 (-110)

Over/Under (Total)

• OVER 234.5 (-110)
• UNDER 234.5 (-110)

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Denver Nuggets Injury Report

Cleveland Cavaliers Injury Report

1. Ty Jerome – Illness – Day-to-Day
2. Darius Garland – Head – Day-to-Day
3. Luke Travers – Day-to-Day
4. Max Strus – Ankle – Out
5. Emoni Bates – Meniscus – Out

Denver Nuggets Injury Report

1. Vlatko Cancar – Knee – Out
2.  DaRon Holmes II - Out

Best NBA odds for Cleveland Cavaliers vs Denver Nuggets

• The Cleveland Cavaliers have covered the spread 10 times in 13 home games this season. The best Cleveland Cavaliers odds for the home team to cover the spread are available on Bet365 at -110.
• The Denver Nuggets have covered the spread in four of their nine away games this season. DraftKings has the best odds for the Nuggets to cover the spread at -110.
• A high-scoring affair is usually on the cards when the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Denver Nuggets clash with three of their past five encounters hitting the over. The best Cleveland Cavaliers vs Denver Nuggets odds for the over are available on DraftKings at -110.

Why will the Cleveland Cavaliers cover the spread?

A collective team effort propelled the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 118-87 over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday and such a thing might be needed here as they welcome the Denver Nuggets to town next.

With the Nuggets in full force and in better shape than a couple of weeks ago, the Cavaliers will likely need everyone to step up as they gun for its third consecutive win and considering the latter’s play in the past few games, that might not be a problem.

• Seven Cavaliers players hit double figures against the Wizards with franchise superstars Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley each recording 19 points each to lead the team’s offense, which also got 48 points from its reserves.
• It is also worth noting that the Cavaliers have been more than impressive in front of their fans this season, covering the spread 10 times in 13 home games so far.
• Even more impressive is the fact that they have been unbeaten against Western Conference teams this season, going 4-0 against their opponents from the opposing conference.

Considering its remarkable record against the West and their uncanny ability to cover the spread at home, backing the Cavaliers to walk away with a comfortable victory might be a good play here.

Of course for the Cavaliers to cover the spread and do such a thing, they would need to impose their presence down low, especially on the rebounding department. It is worth noting that Cleveland lost the rebounding battle in their three losses this season.

Should they control the boards and get production from everyone, especially Mitchell, Mobley, and Darius Garland, we might be in for another Cleveland masterpiece.

Why will the Denver Nuggets cover the spread?

The victory over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday did little to help the Denver Nuggets advance to the next round of the Emirates NBA Cup.

But that could prove to be a blessing in disguise for the Nuggets as they can now turn their focus on fighting for the much more coveted Larry O’Brien trophy.

Up next for the Nuggets are league-leaders Cleveland Cavaliers, who have caught the league by surprise this season winning 17 of their first 20 games.

On a surface, that sounds impressive and it actually is but there might not be a better time than right now for the Nuggets to face the red-hot Cavaliers.

While the Cavaliers are still sitting atop of the league standings, it is worth noting that they have been experiencing some struggles lately, losing twice in their four games.

• Even more good news for the Nuggets is the ongoing explosion of franchise superstar Nikola Jokic who has been averaging 32 points, 11.3 rebounds, eight assists, and 2.3 steals while shooting 58.9% from the field and absurd 56.8% from rainbow country.
• Other than Jokic, Denver as a team has been more than impressive in the perimeter in the past few games, forcing teams to just make around 32% of their shots from the three-point area.

One thing the Nuggets have to do to cover the spread and perhaps beat the Cavaliers is to continue its suffocating defense and dictate the rebounding battle.

With the Nuggets having Aaron Gordon back in the lineup, they should gain some much needed muscle down low and that could play a significant role in helping them cover the spread at these current odds.

Besides Gordon and Jokic, Denver may need Jamal Murray to step up not only on offense but also on defense as well as they try to contain a streaking Donovan Mitchell, who currently averages 24.6 points for the Cavaliers this season.

Final Cleveland Cavaliers vs Denver Nuggets NBA Prediction: Denver Nuggets ML +140

The Cleveland Cavaliers head into this match as the favorites and rightfully so. They have the best record in the league and they have proven that their hot start to the season is anything but a fluke.

However, the plus money on a healthy Denver Nuggets squad is something I could not ignore at these current odds. With the Nuggets having a slightly better frontcourt than the Cavaliers, I am going out of the limb here and picking the road team to walk away with the win.

Of course, this is a risky pick – one that can backfire but the value is on the Nuggets here. Give me the Nuggets to win outright.