The defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets are set to host the New Orleans Pelicans in a key Western Conference matchup on Friday at Ball Arena. Denver is 26-13 overall and 15-4 at home, while New Orleans is 23-15 overall and 11-7 on the road. The Nuggets are coming off a tough 124-111 loss to the Utah Jazz on the road, while the Pelicans are looking to build off a dominant 141-105 win over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday.
Tip-off is at 10 p.m. ET. The Nuggets are favored by 8.5 points in the latest Nuggets vs. Pelicans odds, and the over/under is 228.5 points.Before making any Nuggets vs. Pelicans picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from the red-hot computer simulation model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 12 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 112-62 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning well over $4,000. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Pelicans vs. Nuggets and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for the game:
Nuggets vs. Pelicans spread: Nuggets -8.5
Nuggets vs. Pelicans over/under: 228.5 points
Nuggets vs. Pelicans money line: Nuggets: -357, Pelicans: +283
Nuggets vs. Pelicans picks: See picks here
What you need to know about the Pelicans
Winning is just a little bit easier when you work as a team to post 13 more assists than your opponent, a fact the Pelicans proved on Wednesday. They took their game on the road with ease, bagging a 141-105 victory over Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors. Jonas Valanciunas was the offensive standout of the game for New Orleans as he scored 21 points along with nine rebounds.
The Pelicans are led by the trio of Brandon Ingram (22.0 points, 5.4 assists, 4.6 rebounds per game), Zion Williamson (21.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists per game), and CJ McCollum (19.7 points, 5.0 assists, 4.2 rebounds per game). New Orleans has won six of its last seven games, and enters this matchup with a 22-15-1 record against the spread this season. See which team to pick here.
What you need to know about the Nuggets
Meanwhile, Denver came up short against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday, falling 124-111. The Nuggets were down 99-78 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from. The Nuggets’ defeat came about despite a quality game from Nikola Jokic, who dropped a double-double on 27 points and 11 rebounds.
For the season, Jokic has averaged 25.5 points, 9.2 assists, and 11.8 rebounds, and is currently the betting favorite to win this year’s NBA MVP award. Denver has struggled with fatigue this season, but enters this matchup with its full starting five healthy and available to play. The Nuggets are 17-21-1 against the spread this season. See which team to pick here.
How to make Nuggets vs. Pelicans picks
The model has simulated Nuggets vs. Pelicans 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Over on the point total, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in almost 60% of simulations. You can only see the model’s pick at SportsLine.
Who wins Nuggets vs. Pelicans, and which side of the spread hits well over 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see the picks, all from the model that is on an 112-62 roll on top-rated NBA picks, and find out.