Nuggets vs. Cavaliers NBA Preview and Free Pick (Archive)
The Denver Nuggets continue their road trip with a visit to Cleveland to take on the Cavaliers. Both teams are currently in 6th Place in their respective conferences. Both teams would like to get a win to protect their position. After looking at the NBA odds, which team is the right NBA pick?
Denver Nuggets vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
Friday, March 18, 2022 – 07:30 PM EDT at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are 2-0 on their current road trip so far. After getting a high-profile win against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night, the Nuggets followed it up with a routine victory over the lowly Washington Wizards. Nikola Jokic had 29 Points and 13 rebounds in just 26 minutes against Washington.
"The Joker" was ultra-efficient going 10-14 from the floor and 7-7 from the free-throw line in the win. Regardless of whether or not he wins the award again, Jokic has been playing like an MVP this season.
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Bones Hyland's emergence has been a pleasant surprise on this road trip so far. After scoring 21 against Philadelphia, Hyland scored 17 points in the contest against Washington. With Denver being depleted at the guard position, Hyland's emergence has been a welcome turn of events for the Nuggets.
Hyland has elite quickness, and his shooting has improved since the All-Star break. Hyland helps the Nuggets become a more balanced team, especially on the offensive end.
The Nuggets have traditionally had wildly disparate home-road splits. This season, however, the Nuggets have improved on their ability to play outside of Denver. Denver is 22-15 on the road, one of their best road records in the past 10 seasons.
Denver is 7-3 in their last 10 games. Denver has a point differential of +2.9 this season. Some teams completely collapse under the weight of their injuries, the Nuggets have managed to keep afloat in spite of missing two of their best players.
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers have dealt with multiple injuries as well. The Cavaliers were at the top of the Eastern Conference before injuries knocked them down in the standings. Their most recent loss, the broken finger of Jarrett Allen, has made things tough for Cleveland, especially on the defensive end.
Cleveland's most recent game was a four-point loss at home against the Philadelphia 76ers. The loss dropped Cleveland to 39-30 on the year. They are now only a half-game ahead of the Toronto Raptors in the standings and will need to win games in order to avoid the Play-In tournament.
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Darius Garland had 22 points and 7 assists in the loss to the 76ers. Garland is able to be effective offensively, but he is not enough on a team that is currently lacking punch. The good news for the Cleveland Cavaliers is Caris LeVert should return to their lineup tonight, giving Garland a backcourt mate who can also drive to the rim and create good quality shots for himself and his teammates.
Without Garland needing to completely carry the load on offense, the Cavaliers will have a versatile offensive attack and have a better chance of getting the win tonight.
Evan Mobley vs. Nikola Jokic
Evan Mobley has been the difference for the Cavaliers this season. Mobley is a versatile two-way player. Mobley can score inside and out and will be needed to put pressure on Nikola Jokic on the defensive end. If Mobley can make Jokic work, it bodes well for the Cavaliers' chances.
Mobley will need to be aggressive on the offensive end, and get Jokic worried about foul trouble. Mobley will also face one of his toughest tests as a defender going against the reigning MVP. Mobley does have the skills to shadow Jokic effectively, however. Mobley is quick enough to go outside with Jokic yet talented enough inside to defend his post-ups.
If Mobley has a big night against Jokic, the Cavaliers have a great chance to get the win. If Mobley allows Jokic to have another high scoring evening on an efficient shooting percentage, the Nuggets should get another road win.
Best Bet
I like the Nuggets to continue their road-winning streak. Since the beginning of February, the Nuggets are 8-3 on the road, including 6-0 over the last 6. In that same time, the Cavaliers are 9-11 in all their games.
The Cavaliers are struggling to adjust to their injuries, while the Nuggets adapt and overcome. Jokic will be the best player on the floor and will be able to exploit Mobley’s lack of experience. This line is about 1.5 points short. Today’s NBA pick is the Denver Nuggets -2.5.
NBA Pick: Denver Nuggets -2.5 (-110) at Bovada (visit our Bovada Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.