NBA Picks: Denver Nuggets vs. Milwaukee Bucks

Denver Nuggets at Milwaukee Bucks
Monday, 4/15/13, 8:00 PM EST, TV: FSWI
Opening Point Spread: Denver -5
Current Betting Line: Denver -6
Opening Total: 211
Current Total: 210
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker

Denver Nuggets PG Ty Lawson returned to action Sunday

Denver earned a 118-109 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers as 15-point home favorites Sunday night, while going OVER the total for a second consecutive contest. The Nuggets are now in position to clinch home-court advantage for a first-round playoff series with one more win, but they may be more concerned about losing another starter, as forward Kenneth Faried suffered an ankle injury. “We’re dropping like flies,” commented Nuggets guard Ty Lawson. Denver is 8-8 SU and 10-6 ATS when playing on back-to-back days, which is important to consider when making your NBA picks against the spread Monday night.

The Nuggets are 18-22 overall when playing away from the Pepsi Center, including a 5-8 mark versus Eastern Conference opponents. Denver has dropped three of its last five road games in this series, but has gone 14-5 overall versus Milwaukee since the 2003-04 campaign. Offensively, the team received a major lift with the return of starting point guard Ty Lawson, who scored 12 points and dished out 10 assists in his first action since March 27.

Milwaukee is already locked into the No. 8 seed in the upcoming Eastern Conference playoffs, as it prepares to take on the Miami Heat in the first round, but it has dropped 11 of its last 14 games. “We’ll try to keep our guys fresh and keep them playing enough that they’re feeling in a rhythm,” stated Bucks coach Jim Boylan. The Bucks will likely be without the services of starting point guard Brandon Jennings, which will place more pressure on reserve guard J.J. Redick to produce. Milwaukee is 11-25 ATS during the second half of the season, which is hard to ignore when examining the NBA betting lines.

The Bucks have already set a new franchise high with 541 blocks this season, with center Larry Sanders being one of the best defensive players in the NBA, but he’ll likely miss this affair with a sore back. Redick was 2 of 11 from 3-point range Saturday, but he’s totaled 38 points in two games versus the Nuggets this season.