Media and sportsbooks across the country continue to sleep on the Nuggets.
Denver heads into the second half of the NBA season with the second best record in the West. The Nugs are also now hitting their stride as a team after an ugly stretch in early December. Denver has won six of its last eight games.
The odds for Nuggets to win title
The Nuggets have the eighth lowest odds to win the 2020 NBA title at most sportsbooks.
At DraftKings the Nuggets are +2000 to win it all. The Bucks (+275), Lakers (+300), Clippers (+320), Sixers (+1400), Rockets (+1600) and Jazz (+1800) all have lower odds.
At FanDuel it’s more of the same as Denver is +2500. At 888 Sport the Nuggets are +2000. And at Bet365 the Nugs are +1500.
Nuggets NBA betting value
One could make the case that the Nuggets have the best betting value in the league. They are likely to get a top three seed. And there is growing sentiment from some NBA insiders that the Lakers and Clippers aren’t locks to make the Western Conference Finals.
The Lakers haven’t looked right in a few weeks and have struggled against top teams of late. LA fell to Houston on Feb. 6, fell to Portland on Jan. 31, lost to Philly on Jan. 25 and were dumped by Boston back on Jan. 20.
The Clippers, meanwhile, continue to have major health issues. Paul George left Thursday night’s game against Boston with a hamstring injury. And the team is limping into the All-Star break having lost three of its last four.
LeBron and crew look to be a bad matchup for the Nuggets, but there is no guarantee that Denver will have to face the Lakers in the postseason.
This year’s West playoffs will be all about matchups, and if Denver can get lucky and avoid a certain team or two they’ll be in business.
Denver with potential to beat top teams
The Nuggets have shown that they are capable of beating top teams in the West this season. They beat the Jazz in Utah on Feb. 5. And they also knocked off Utah in Denver on Jan. 30. The Nuggets toppled Houston on Jan. 26, beat the Clippers on Jan. 12, and knocked off the Thunder on Dec. 14.
Nikola Jokic is now averaging 20 and 10 after a rocky start. And if Mike Malone can continue to have Jamal Murray and Will Barton playing at an elite level, a championship run is not out of the question for the Nuggets.
