Denver Nuggets at San Antonio Spurs
Wednesday, 12/22/10, 8:30 PM EDT
Opening Point Spread: San Antonio -7
Current Betting Line: San Antonio -7
Opening Total: 214
Current Total: 213.5
Denver was under the impression that it won the last meeting with San Antonio last Thursday when star forward Carmelo Anthony hit a shot at the buzzer, but the play was waved off due to an offensive foul. “It’s a play that I think goes either way a lot,” said head coach George Karl. “It seemed like the referees, the like to hit us with tough calls.” The Nuggets enter tonight with a 16-10 overall record and 4-8 mark on the road, including wins in three of six tries against Western Conference opponents. The team barely held on against the Timberwolves on Saturday at the Pepsi Center, blowing a 20-point lead, only to end up on the winning end of a high-scoring 115-113 contest. Anthony led the squad with 24 points, marking his 19th 20-plus scoring effort of the season. Denver is 9-16 ATS on the season and currently an underdog on the NBA lines page.
The Nuggets could be back at full strength in regards to their lineup for tonight’s contest at the AT&T Center, as point guard Chauncey Billups, center Chris Anderson and forward Kenyon Martin all practiced on Monday. Denver will be seeking revenge from the home loss earlier in the year and searching for its fourth straight victory in San Antonio. “We owe them a lot of payback,” said guard Ty Lawson. Reaching the 100-point mark offensively would give the club a good chance of pulling out a win, as the team is 15-4 when scoring 100 or more points this season.
San Antonio improved its NBA-best record to 24-3 with a 118-110 win over the Phoenix Suns by scoring 40 points in a crucial third period. “Tim Duncan was really magnificent in the third quarter,” said coach Gregg Popovich. “We executed really well when he was in.” He scored 20 points and 15 rebounds in the contest, which was a bit of a surprise due to coming into the contest averaging 13.9 points per game. The Spurs are 15-2 overall at home, including a 7-2 mark versus Western foes. San Antonio will be looking to push its current win streak to double digits and is currently 9-2 ATS when playing against a team with a winning record.
The Spurs have won four straight games that have been decided by eight points or less, which is a crucial point due to the current line. “We feel pretty good about ourselves right now, but I think we have a lot to build on,” said Duncan after the win over Phoenix. “Our record is really good and that’s a great situation to be in.” San Antonio holds a 95-60 all-time advantage in the series over Denver and the All-Star forward led the team with 28 points and 16 rebounds in the first meeting this season.
Bettors will be interested in the Nuggets being 15-5-1 ATS when playing on three days rest, while the Spurs are 10-2 ATS versus the Northwest Division.
The NBA handicappers at Maddux Sports are having an incredible season and can’t wait for you to join them tonight!
