Bucks vs. Nuggets Odds, Preview, and Prediction
Bucks vs. Nuggets Odds
| Bucks Odds | -3.5 |
| Nuggets Odds | +3.5 |
| Over/Under | 214 |
| Date | Friday, Nov. 26 |
| Time | 9:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | NBA TV |
On Friday evening, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Denver Nuggets will battle at Ball Arena.
Milwaukee has won five consecutive games since the return of Khris Middleton to the lineup, though they have hardly faced difficult competition against the Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, and Detroit Pistons. Denver has lost each of their last three games without Nikola Jokic in the lineup, and five straight games overall. Still, oddsmakers anticipate a tightly-contested affair between these two teams this evening, pricing the Bucks as three-point road favorites on the spread.
Let’s take a closer look at Bucks vs. Nuggets odds and NBA betting tips for tonight’s matchup on NBA TV.
Milwaukee Bucks (-3)
Milwaukee flew into Denver early yesterday evening, giving their bodies and minds a full 24 hours to adjust to the uniqueness of playing in the Denver altitude. Per Cleaning the Glass, when Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Jrue Holiday are on the floor together this season, Milwaukee is scoring 118.6 points per 100 possessions, and allowing only 92.8 points per 100 possessions. Bettors may point to a weak recent schedule being the primary reason for these inflated numbers, but when Milwaukee’s big-three were on the floor together last season, they were similarly excellent—outscoring their opponents by 12.9 points per 100 possessions, which ranked in the 97th percentile. The Bucks are 8-3 with Middleton on the floor this season. Milwaukee is 9-4 when Holiday suits up. If Jokic ends up on the sidelines in this one, the current price on this game is the biggest bargain on the market.
Denver Nuggets (+3)
Playing in the altitude is always a tremendous advantage for professional sports teams in Denver. This season has been no exception for the Nuggets, having won seven of their first 10 home games. When playing at Ball Arena this year, Denver ranks seventh in the NBA in Net Rating, outscoring their opponents by 6.2 points per 100 possessions.
Nikola Jokic is undeniably one of the most valuable players in the league to his respective team. Jokic leads the Nuggets in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks per game this season. Per Cleaning the Glass, when Jokic is on the floor, Denver ranks in the 74th percentile in offensive efficiency and the 93rd percentile in defensive efficiency. When Jokic is off of the floor, the Nuggets rank in the 18th percentile in offensive efficiency and the 3rd percentile in defensive efficiency. As of this writing, Jokic remains questionable for tonight’s tilt, but there were reports ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers that suggested Jokic looked capable of playing. An additional two days of rest makes it seem likely that the star big-man will be back in the lineup for Denver this evening.
Bucks vs. Nuggets Picks
It is difficult to recommend a play on this contest without clarity on the status of Jokic. However, the Bucks are good enough to win this game regardless of whether or not Jokic is available. Milwaukee had a sluggish start to the new campaign due to an abundance of injury issues, but this team appears to be clicking on all cylinders, and should have enough firepower to win this game—even in the altitude. The Bucks were 73-42 on the road over the last three seasons, and have managed a 5-4 road record to begin this season, despite missing some key pieces for the majority of those games. Make it a small play, but take Milwaukee in this one.
PICK: Bucks -3.5 (-156)
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