The Washington Wizards (10-24) square off against the Denver Nuggets (24-10) at Capital One Arena. The game starts at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 4, 2020, and will air on Altitude Sports & Entertainmnt.
Denver Nuggets at Washington Wizards Betting Prediction
The last time the Nuggets played, they covered the 1-point spread against the Indiana Pacers, 124-116. The total points for the game (240) came in well over the O/U total of 208. Denver out-rebounded Indiana. The Nuggets had 15 offensive rebounds and 47 total rebounds, while the Pacers had nine and 34, respectively. Denver was lifted by Will Barton, who recorded 14 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
The Wizards got blown out by the Portland Trail Blazers in their last contest, 122-103. They were unable to cover as 3.5-point underdogs. The game’s total points (225) came in over the O/U total of 217.5. Getting to the charity stripe was one of Portland’s largest strengths. They had 33 free throw attempts, while Washington had 25. Washington’s Jordan McRae put together a good performance, leading both teams in scoring with 35 points on 12-for-26 shooting.
It will be a battle of contrasting tempos as the fast-paced Wizards (ranked seventh in the league in possessions per game) will look to push the slower-paced Nuggets (27th in possessions per game). Additionally, the Nuggets rank first in offensive rebounding percentage (25.2 percent), while the Wizards rank 28th in defensive rebounding percentage (74.9 percent).
Denver has a phenomenal 24-10 straight up (SU) record, but they are just 12-17-5 against the spread (ATS). Nuggets games have a tendency to finish under the total (58.8 percent).
Meanwhile, Washington is 10-24 SU and 17-16 ATS. Unlike Denver, games including the Wizards have typically finished over the total (60.6 percent).
This is the second game of the season between these two teams. In the first, Barton had 17 points, eight rebounds and eight assists and the Nuggets beat the Wizards 117-104, covering as 10-point favorites. The game finished with a total of 221 points, which was 6 points below the projected point total of 227 points. The Nuggets had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (24.4 vs. 9.4) and had a better free throw rate (0.189 vs. 0.147).
Nuggets at Wizards ATS Pick
NBA Tip: ATS Winner – Wizards, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
On the road, Denver is 6-7-2 ATS with 8 unders and 7 overs.
At home, Washington is 6-8 ATS with 8 overs, 5 unders and 1 push.
Denver is 10-1 when they hold opponents under 100 points, while Washington is 2-0.
The Nuggets are 22-6 when they score more than 100 points, while the Wizards are 9-24.
Denver ranks fifth in second chance points allowed per game (11.9) while Washington ranks 28th (14.8).
The Nuggets average 49.6 points in the paint per game, which ranks sixth in the NBA. The Wizards rank 28th in points allowed in the paint per game (51.4).
Denver ranks fourth in assists per game (26.5) while Washington ranks 26th in assists allowed per game (26.1).
The Wizards rank 13th in three pointers attempted per game (34.1) while the Nuggets rank 25th (30.1).
Denver ranks 17th in rebounds per game (45.1) while Washington ranks 29th (42.0).
The Nuggets rank 22nd in blocks per game (4.5) while the Wizards rank 27th (4.0).
Denver ranks third in points off turnovers allowed per game (14.5) while Washington ranks eighth (15.9).
The Wizards rank fifth in steals allowed per game (7.0) while the Nuggets rank seventh (7.2).
Over its last five games, Denver is 1-3-1 ATS with 4 overs and 1 under.
Washington is 2-3 ATS with 4 overs and 1 under over its last five games.
The Nuggets have been outscored by an average of 3.2 points in their last five games. For the season, Denver has defeated opponents by an average of 4.4 points.
During their last five games, the Wizards have scored an average of 105.8 points per game (10.0 below their season average) and allowed an average of 117.6 points per game (3.5 below their season average).
