Sports Writer
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The Denver Nuggets gun for its second straight win while the New York Knicks look to return to the win column as they collide this Monday at Ball Arena.
Denver heads into this game in high spirits following a 127-102 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers while New York looks to bounce back from last Saturday’s 121-106 loss to the Utah Jazz.
Will the Nuggets build on their victory against the Lakers and start another winning run or will the Knicks get back to their winning ways?
That remains to be seen but as of press time, here’s how both teams look in this blockbuster matchup that could potentially be decided in the waning seconds of the game.
After a failed comeback attempt against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday, the Denver Nuggets made the necessary adjustments to return the win column over the weekend as they dispatched the Los Angeles Lakers 127-102 on the road.
Coming in as the 4.5-point underdogs and down by as many as 10 points late in the first half, the Nuggets used a strong second half to cover the spread and hold off a hot Lakers team that entered Saturday, winning seven of their past eight.
The Nuggets look to make it two in a row as they make a quick pit stop before heading on the road again to take on Eastern Conference powerhouse New York Knicks.
New York has been on a tear lately and could pose potential matchup problems against Denver but here are a few takeaways why the latter might just cover the spread here.
If that’s not good enough, the Nuggets are taking on a Knicks team that were out-rebounded by a lowly Utah Jazz squad 52-40.
Although Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns remain threats to score for New York, Denver can take solace in the fact that the Jazz were able to limit them to a combined 3-for-18 shooting from rainbow country.
With the Knicks currently in the middle of an exhausting five-game road trip, there could be potential value towards backing the Nuggets to cover and score its consecutive win at -110.
Whether it was fatigue or just a tough break, the red-hot New York Knicks returned to Earth on Saturday after dropping a 121-106 decision to the Utah Jazz in the second match of their five-game road trip.
It doesn’t get any easier for them next as they take on the Denver Nuggets who most recently welcomed franchise center Nikola Jokic to their lineup.
Nevertheless, there are plenty of reasons why the Knicks can prove the bookmakers wrong and cover the spread here.
For the Knicks to cover the spread against the Nuggets, they will need sharpshooting center Karl-Anthony Towns to get going. Against the Jazz, Towns played like a shell of himself, only recording 16 points on 11.1% shooting for three.
Besides Towns, New York also needs Jalen Brunson to deliver against the Nuggets. Although Brunson had 23 points and eight assists against the Jazz, he only shot 8-for-19 from the field and 2-for-9 from three.
Should the Knicks impose the same defense they showed against the Jazz here and get better shooting nights from Towns and Brunson, leaning towards the road squad to cover the 3.5-point spread at -110 is something worth considering.
Unless the New York Knicks find a way to contain both Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic, there is just no way they can beat the Denver Nuggets even if they get big numbers from their superstars.
Although the Nuggets have struggled in the past and are currently dealing with injuries, the presence of Jokic and Murray in addition to their incredible bench depth should propel them to victory here. Give me the Nuggets to cover at home.
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