A five-game home winning streak hangs in the balance for the San Antonio Spurs (49-26) when they take on the Denver Nuggets (28-47). The game starts at 8:30 pm ET on Friday, Apr. 3 and will air on Altitude2 and KENS.
The Spurs beat the Magic 103-91 on Wednesday. Aron Baynes led all scorers with 18 points on 5-for-10 shooting. The Nuggets, meanwhile, are coming off a 98-84 loss to the Jazz on Wednesday. Kenneth Faried had a solid game, recording his 23rd double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
The Spurs have won all three contests against the Nuggets this season, including a 120-111 victory in their last matchup. Tony Parker was a standout player in the game, producing 24 points, three rebounds, seven assists, and two steals.
Oddsmakers have deemed this game an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is presently unavailable. The Spurs look to build on their records of 49-26 Straight Up (SU) and 37-36-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 8-2 ATS over their last 10 games. The Spurs have one of the most prolific home offenses in the entire league, averaging 107.0 points per game. San Antonio has been steady from the free throw line, shooting a stellar .778. Spreading the ball around is a huge part of San Antonio’s offense. They are fifth in the league in assists with an average of 24.2 per game. Denver has a habit of getting in foul trouble (22.7 fouls per game), so expect the Spurs to get a number of opportunities from the free throw line.
On the other side, the Nuggets head into the game with records of 32-40-3 ATS and 28-47 SU. Denver has a record of 17-28 SU and 19-24-2 ATS against the West.
Following the Spurs’ latest win over Denver, their SU record rises to 8-2 over the Nuggets in the last 10 meetings. At 5-5, they are even bets ATS. San Antonio has held the edge in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) three times over the last 10, while Denver accomplished this once.
Predictions: SU Winner – SA, ATS Winner – SA
Notes
Denver puts up 100.3 points per game (ranked 15th), but San Antonio typically gives up only 97.1 points per game (ranked fourth).
Denver and San Antonio are well matched, ranking 17th in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Denver puts up an average of 98.1 points on the road, while San Antonio allows 98.3 points at home on average.
The Denver Nuggets have a solid 16-10 record when their opponents score fewer than 100 points this season. The San Antonio Spurs are 15-18 when they score less than 100.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Nuggets are just 12-37 this season. San Antonio is a formidable 34-8 when registering triple digits.
The Nuggets have an offensive rating of 100.7 (ranked 23rd), while the Spurs rank second for their defensive rating of 99.6.
The San Antonio Spurs have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking fourth in the league with a FG% of 46.3%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the Denver Nuggets have an underachieving 3-28 record.
On average, the San Antonio Spurs attempt 22.7 three point field goals per game and the Denver Nuggets attempt 24.6 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 three pointers, San Antonio has a winning record of 16-10, while Denver has an underachieving record of 9-28.
San Antonio has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.80 this season (ranked seventh), while Denver ranks lower at 18th with an A/TO of 1.58.
The San Antonio Spurs rebound 43.7 times per game and are ranked 14th. Ranked seventh, the Denver Nuggets rebound 44.5 times per game.
San Antonio ranks in the top half of the NBA in defensive rebounding at eighth, while Denver ranks near the top of the league (third) in offensive rebounding.
San Antonio has forced an average turnover percentage of 13.9% this season. Denver has a poor 12-23 record when its TOV% is 13.9% or higher.
