by Chuck Sommers
Wednesday, Feb 22, 2023
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Venue: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, OH
Where to watch: BSOH, ALT
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Cavs -2.5; CLE -145, DEN +125; O/U 223
FanDuel: Cavs -2.5; CLE -142, DEN +118; O/U 223
BetMGM: Cavs -2.5; CLE -135, DEN +110; O/U 222.5
Caesars: Cavs -2.5; CLE -135, DEN +115; O/U 222.5
Season record
Nuggets: 41-18
Cavs: 38-23
The All-Star break is over in the NBA and it's time to get on the horse and finish up the final home stretch of the season. Big trades, uncertainty, and absolute hilarity across the board all gearing up for the final home stretch of this season. You know who is also gearing up for the home stretch? Our champion handicappers at bigal.com who are ready to win their way all the way to the playoffs. There's a lot going on that we can't wait for in these final 23-25 games and you're going to need every bit of hardcore analysis you can get from this group. Just in the last 30 days we've had some big winners. Doc's Sports has posted a 16-6-0 record in the last month (+$9,200). AAA Sports has killed it at 17-8-0, and then Al McMordie with a dominant 20-11-1 mark over the last 30 days. Everything you need to know and more about what's going on this league and sports in general will be a fun finish to the end. All you have to do is go to bigal.com and find our Best Bets page and put forth something that only you think is good. Here's a hint: Go to the bigal.com website and happy betting!
Nuggets - Cavaliers preview, prediction and analysis
Recent form
Nuggets: won 118-109 vs. Mavs
Cavs: lost 118-112 at 76ers
Remember the days when this matchup was all LeBron vs. Carmelo? What a simpler time that was. But now we have Joker vs. Spida/Darius and others. What a time this will be when the Denver Nuggets visit the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday as the NBA returns from an eventful All-Star break.
The Nuggets, currently the top team in the Western Conference, is entering the post-break on a three-game winning streak and is coming off a 118-109 win over the Dallas Mavericks at home in their final game before everything took a break.
It was a balanced effort for the Nuggets, who didn't have Jamal Murray in the lineup. Two-time MVP Nikola Jokic had a triple-double (shocker) of 14 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, and Jeff Green led the way with 24 points in 26 minutes off the bench. Michael Porter Jr. also chipped in with 22 points on 8 of 16 shooting.
“For us to continue to find ways to win and have different guys step up every night, I think it speaks to our chemistry, our depth," Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. "We’ve got a really good team in there.”
The Nuggets continue to impress even with Murray out of the lineup, and it's all surrounding the greatness that is Jokic. He continues to make everyone around him better no matter if it's assists or bringing the ball up the floor. It's quite amazing to see what's transpired. They grabbed Thomas Bryant to be a solid backup center behind Jokic, and now they have more depth in the frontcourt to take the pressure off.
“He makes it look like a walk in the park,” Bryant said of Jokic's ease with triple-doubles. “It’s not easy at all.”
It should be a fun matchup against Cleveland, who had a seven-game winning streak end before the break in a 118-112 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Donovan Mitchell led the way with 33 points, but it wasn't enough to contain Joel Embiid and the 76ers despite both teams shooting 50 percent from the floor. Darius Garland had 27 point, and Evan Mobley was one rebound away from a double-double with 23 points.
“We allowed them to put a little bit of doubt in our minds early, but we figured it out,” Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said.
I'm curious to see what the Cavs look like out of the break. They didn't need to make a move at the deadline because Mitchell was their deadline pickup before the season. Now, they have a good chance to go on a run with this core.
“They did a great job of physically out of our stuff,” Bickerstaff said. “They were aggressive on both ends of the floor and it took us too long to recover from that first punch. We showed what we are capable of in the second half with 17 assists and just one turnover.”
Prediction
The Nuggets have covered in four of their last five while the Cavs have covered in four straight after an outright loss. Not having Murray and Gordon will hurt at some point. Cleveland should be able to take advantage of that. Cavs 114, Nuggets 110
Remember the days when this matchup was all LeBron vs. Carmelo? What a simpler time that was. But now we have Joker vs. Spida/Darius and others. What a time this will be when the Denver Nuggets visit the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday as the NBA returns from an eventful All-Star break.
The Nuggets, currently the top team in the Western Conference, is entering the post-break on a three-game winning streak and is coming off a 118-109 win over the Dallas Mavericks at home in their final game before everything took a break.
It was a balanced effort for the Nuggets, who didn't have Jamal Murray in the lineup. Two-time MVP Nikola Jokic had a triple-double (shocker) of 14 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, and Jeff Green led the way with 24 points in 26 minutes off the bench. Michael Porter Jr. also chipped in with 22 points on 8 of 16 shooting.
“For us to continue to find ways to win and have different guys step up every night, I think it speaks to our chemistry, our depth," Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. "We’ve got a really good team in there.”
The Nuggets continue to impress even with Murray out of the lineup, and it's all surrounding the greatness that is Jokic. He continues to make everyone around him better no matter if it's assists or bringing the ball up the floor. It's quite amazing to see what's transpired. They grabbed Thomas Bryant to be a solid backup center behind Jokic, and now they have more depth in the frontcourt to take the pressure off.
“He makes it look like a walk in the park,” Bryant said of Jokic's ease with triple-doubles. “It’s not easy at all.”
It should be a fun matchup against Cleveland, who had a seven-game winning streak end before the break in a 118-112 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Donovan Mitchell led the way with 33 points, but it wasn't enough to contain Joel Embiid and the 76ers despite both teams shooting 50 percent from the floor. Darius Garland had 27 point, and Evan Mobley was one rebound away from a double-double with 23 points.
“We allowed them to put a little bit of doubt in our minds early, but we figured it out,” Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said.
I'm curious to see what the Cavs look like out of the break. They didn't need to make a move at the deadline because Mitchell was their deadline pickup before the season. Now, they have a good chance to go on a run with this core.
“They did a great job of physically out of our stuff,” Bickerstaff said. “They were aggressive on both ends of the floor and it took us too long to recover from that first punch. We showed what we are capable of in the second half with 17 assists and just one turnover.”
Prediction
The Nuggets have covered in four of their last five while the Cavs have covered in four straight after an outright loss. Not having Murray and Gordon will hurt at some point. Cleveland should be able to take advantage of that. Cavs 114, Nuggets 110
Betting trends
Nuggets are 28-34 ATS as an underdog the last 3 seasons.
Nuggets are 14-11 ATS off a home win this season.
Cavs are 58-48 ATS at home the last 3 seasons.
Cavs are 10-4 ATS off a road loss this season.
Projected starting lineup
Nuggets:
PG: Reggie Jackson
SG: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
SF: Michael Porter Jr.
PF: Jeff Green
C: Nikola Jokic
Cavs:
PG: Darius Garland
SG: Donovan Mitchell
SF: Isaac Okoro
PF: Evan Mobley
C: Jarrett Allen
Injury report
Nuggets: Jamal Murray (out), Aaron Gordon (ribs, out)
Cavs: Ricky Rubio (knee, out)
Statistical leaders
Cavs:
Points: Donovan Mitchell -- 27.3
Rebounds: Jarrett Allen -- 9.9
Assists: Darius Garland -- 8.0
Nuggets:
Points: Nikola Jokic -- 24.7
Rebounds: Nikola Jokic -- 11.5
Assists: Nikola Jokic -- 10.1
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert basketball picks today. And if you enjoyed this Denver Nuggets - Cleveland Cavaliers prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NBA projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
