The NBA In-Season Tournament resumes tonight with West Group B action as the Denver Nuggets hit the road to battle the New Orleans Pelicans. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET.
Denver (9-2) was able to shake off an upset loss to the Rockets earlier in the week by edging the Clippers 111-108 on Wednesday. Clinging onto a one-point lead late, Nikola Jokic buried two clutch free throws with 13 seconds left to give them just enough cushion to survive. New Orleans (5-6) ended a five-game losing skid by torching the Mavericks in a 131-110 rout a day earlier. The Pelicans took control of this game early and were never in any danger beyond the second quarter.
On the injury front, Jamal Murray is still out for the Nuggets with a right hamstring strain while CJ McCollum is still out for the Pelicans with a collapsed right lung.
Denver enters the game as a 5.5-point favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook, accompanied by a total of 226. The Nuggets are a -205 moneyline favorite, making the Pelicans a +170 underdog.
Nuggets vs. Pelicans, 8 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: Pelicans +5.5
New Orleans is settling into its six-game home stretch and with a few days off, it should be fresh and ready to roll into this contest. Meanwhile, Denver is kickstarting a five-game road trip and is 1-3 ATS as the visiting team this season. The Nuggets have done well without Murray over the last two weeks, but I think they drop one to a decent Western Conference foe this evening. Give me the Pels to cover and win.
Over/Under: Under 226
Denver is 3-8 on overs so far this year, making it the most under-friendly team in the league. I think that trend continues tonight as we’ll see these two teams slugging it out on the defensive side of the floor. Take the under in this contest.