Professional sports handicapper Jeff Mattingly previews a Western Conference matchup between the San Antonio Spurs and Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center.
At the time of this writing, the
board is San Antonio -2.5 (2.08, +108) and Denver Nuggets +2.5 (1.79, -127)
San Antonio put the finishing touches on a perfect 6-0 home stand with a thrilling 92-90 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on a last second shot by Manu Ginobili. "It was a tough shot," Ginobili stated after the game. "I got lucky." The Spurs will be making their first of two trips to the Mile High City tonight and both teams captured two victories on each other's home court in last season's series. The team is a dominating 21-3 on the season and has tallied a 7-1 road record against Western Conference opponents. San Antonio is 15-8 ATS on the season and 8-2 ATS when playing against a team with a winning record.
The Spurs will return home after tonight's contest for three more home games and will look to avoid a losing streak on the road, after dropping a 90-85 contest to the Los Angeles Clippers on December 1. Much of the team's success is centered around its offensive attack that currently ranks fourth in the NBA in points per game. San Antonio is also leading the league in three-point field goal percentage (.414) and checks in eighth overall in field goal percentage (.469).
Denver is a solid 15-9 overall this season and holds a dominating 11-1 record at the Pepsi Center entering tonight's Western Conference matchup. The Nuggets have won 10-straight home games and are coming off an impressive 111-94 victory over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday. All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony led the charge with 35 points and 11 rebounds, but the media was more focused on persistent trade rumors swirling around him. "I've got a game here Thursday night against San Antonio and that's what I'm focused on," he stated. Denver is 2-0 ATS as a home underdog of three points or less this season.
The Nuggets are likely to start Ty Lawson at point guard tonight for the second consecutive game, as veteran Chauncey Billups is listed as day-to-day with a right wrist injury. Lawson scored 16 points and dished out six assists against the Magic and is averaging 16.6 points and 5.5 assists in 11 career starts. Denver has dropped two straight to San Antonio in Denver, marking the only active multi-game home losing streak for the Nuggets.
Bettors will be interested in backing the Spurs due to their 4-0 ATS mark in Denver, while the underdog is 8-0 ATS in the last eight meetings.
12-16-2010, 04:52 PM
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