Pelicans vs. Nuggets Prediction
The Jazz did something Thursday night that not many teams have accomplished this season: Beat the Nuggets in Denver. Will the Nuggets rebound on their home-court tonight when they host the Pelicans at 9:00 p.m. ET as a massive favorite? Or is there some value in the underdog Pelicans?
Game Snapshot
571 New Orleans Pelicans at 572 Denver Nuggets
9:00 p.m. ET, Saturday, March 2, 2019
Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
Our NBA Live Odds page pulls spreads and totals from multiple different online sportsbooks so you can compare betting odds to ensure you’re getting the best line.
Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers from online sportsbook BetNow.eu, the Nuggets are 12.5-point favorites to beat the Pelicans. The total, meanwhile, sits at 238 points and as of this writing, 56% of the public betting tickets wagered at online sportsbooks are on the Pelicans to cover the point spread.
New Orleans Pelicans Fantasy Spin
Anthony Davis will not play on Saturday against the Nuggets. He did play well on Friday night in a win over the Suns, making 7-of-11 from the field for 17 points with eight rebounds, three assists, two steals, three blocks and one 3-pointer in just 21 minutes. Davis is going have limits on him every single game, and he did not play in the fourth yet again. Even in 20 minutes, Davis could still be a top-30 player per game because he’s just that good, but the DNP-REST will rack up.
Denver Nuggets Fantasy Spin
Nikola Jokic was in foul trouble against the Jazz during a 111-104 loss on Thursday, scoring 16 points with 13 rebounds, seven assists, five turnovers and five fouls in 32 minutes. It’s never fun to go up against Rudy Gobert, limiting Jokic to just 4-of-14 from the field. Plus, Jokic picked up his fifth foul in the middle of the third quarter, but he picked up more minutes in the fourth to get him to his average in playing time. Big Honey won’t have to face Gobert every night and he was rolling in his three games since the break, averaging 25.7 points, 12.7 boards, 7.0 dimes, 1.3 steals, 0.7 blocks and 1.7 treys. His strong late schedule and being in the hunt for the playoffs makes him one of the safest fantasy studs out there.
NBA Betting Trends
New Orleans
The Pelicans are 13-6 against the spread in their last 19 games when coming off a win of more than 10 points.
Denver
The Nuggets are 4-0 at the betting window in their last four home games versus an opponent with a road winning percentage of less than .400.
Prediction
Even with Davis out, this is too many points for the Nuggets to lay coming off a loss at home in their previous contest. Besides, with Davis limited to roughly 20 minutes per game and sitting out the fourth quarter, it’s not as if he’s a big factor anyway. Denver should be favored tonight and favored by quite a bit. But 12.5? That’s too much. The underdog is 10-4 against the spread in the last 14 meetings between these two teams while the Pelicans have covered in four of their last five games versus the Nuggets.
Saturday NBA Prediction: New Orleans Pelicans +12.5