NHL Best Bets for Thursday (1/9)
Kenneth Le
Welcome to Hoops with Noops. The weekend is upon us, and we start it with a seven-game slate of NBA action. The marquee game of the night will be played in Madison Square Garden as the New York Knicks host the Oklahoma City Thunder. OKC beat New York a week ago at home, so expect the Knicks to play their best in a revenge spot. It might not be as good as the Thunder’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but it’s still appointment viewing.
Although that game will have my full attention, I won’t be betting on either side or the total. Instead, there’s another game that I all but certainly not be watching but am excited to bet. Here’s my breakdown of the final game of the night and my best bet.
NBA Best Bets for Friday
Brooklyn Nets at Denver Nuggets
Current Line – Nuggets -14.5, 219.5
My Projection – Nuggets 117, Nets 99
Key Injuries – D’Angelo Russell, Cam Thomas and Cameron Johnson are out. Aaron Gordon is doubtful. Nikola Jokić is questionable.
The Nuggets struggled to start the season but are now rounding into form. Dealing with injuries and adjustments to their starting lineup, the Nuggets had the No. 15 net rating in the NBA at +0.5 per 100 possessions for their first 21 games. Since then, Denver has the fourth-best net rating at +7.9 per 100 possessions over 15 games. Jamal Murray is starting to play good basketball. Michael Porter Jr. is reminding us of why he could have been a No. 1 draft pick before injuring his back. Christian Braun looks like he could be the solid starter the front office hoped he could. Even Russell Westbrook is contributing to winning basketball. Nikola Jokić is dealing with an illness, which has caused him to miss a few games. I think he plays Friday, which is why I make the Nuggets such large favorites, but I’m not going to lay the points with Denver. I think there is a better way to fade the Nets.
The Nets are finally on track to be one of the worst teams in the league and meet their preseason expectations. Cam Thomas, D’Angelo Russell and Cameron Johnson are out. That leaves players like Ben Simmons, Reece Beekman and Keon Johnson to play lead guard. Ben Simmons is a gifted passer, but teams know he has no interest in shooting and leave him open, which takes space away from other Nets. Beekman and Johnson would struggle to get minutes on any other team and are ill equipped to lead an NBA offense. The Nets have failed to score more than 99 points, since they lost their best guards to injury. Their offensive efficiency has been pitiful and I have them scoring just 99 points despite the potential for a blowout which can lead to a lot of fourth-quarter points. Since we don’t know if Jokić is playing we can’t bet the Nuggets, but we can and will be betting a Nets team total under.
Bet
Brooklyn Nets Team Total Under 102.5 (-110, FanDuel Sportsbook)
If you have any questions about other games, drop them in the #nba-betting channel of the FTN Discord and tag me @noopschristenson. I’ll be sure to get back to you ASAP.
