NBA 2022/23, Friday, 31/03/2023
There are only two NBA games tonight – and while the parallel game is certainly more exciting, I’m putting more faith in my present Nuggets Pelicans tip!
Denver is currently unstoppable – and even if the Western Conference as a whole is not as strong as the Eastern Conference, Nikola Jokic and his colleagues have to be counted among the closer favourites for the overall victory.
But the travelling opponents from New Orleans will not easily admit defeat in the Ball Arena.
The Nuggets are getting everyone wet at the moment. The must-win victories over the Nets (108-102) and Wizards (118-104) were followed by two landmark victories over the Bucks (129-106) and 76ers (116-111) in the past few days, which have been quite something.
The league leaders will now not only enter the playoffs as the best franchise in the Western Conference, but are also well-equipped to take on the Pelicans tonight.
Jack White and Collin Gillespie, in fact, are the Nuggets’ only two rather insignificant absentees. While the Australian has never been above the role of a supplementary player, the latter has not been on the floor for a single minute.
The Pelicans are also very interested in a win. Because shortly before the end of the regular season, everything is still possible for them from a direct to an indirect to even no playoff starting spot.
It is all the more astonishing that the franchise from the state of Louisiana, without their injury-prone superstar Zion Williamson, continues to fight quite successfully for a place among the top eight in the Western Conference.
The latest results are quite respectable: Five wins – one of them even against the Los Angeles Clippers – which was followed by a 109-120 loss to the Warriors last night, but which can still be ironed out.
Generally, New Orleans is on the rise and needs a win more than the Nuggets tonight. But the NOP have to play their remaining six regular-season games against teams with an over-500 record.
While the Pels have lost 16 of their last 18 games against just these types of teams with a positive record, their success over the Clippers a few days ago shows that the desperate need for “wins” can unleash unexpected forces.
Furthermore, the Pelicans possess a first-class defence, but they have also done many things right going forward. After all, the performances of Brandon Ingram and Trey Murphy III certainly won’t be to blame if they miss the playoffs.
The odds offered by the sports bookmakers were the main factor in my Nuggets Pelicans betting. Meanwhile, in a world without bookmakers, I’d see the Nuggets ahead 60 percent considering all the circumstances.
But the Pelicans, as currently constituted, are too strong even for an over-500 team to deserve to be covered by betting odds of around 3.40, as is currently the case at Bet365 Sportsbook.
Furthermore, I don’t know if Denver won’t intentionally take a step back after their energy-sapping performances with a strong playoff flavour against Bucks and 76ers – margin for defeat would have the Nuggets at least.
Furthermore, the Pels are anything but an NBA juggernaut, but an opponent that has proven it can keep up in three previous season duels against Denver.
Apart from the fact that the first comparison was won 121-106, only a single point separated the two sides at the end of January, which decided the game in favour of the Nuggets (99-98).
Just under two months ago, the league leader’s 122-113 victory was a little clearer, but the current starting position makes me confident that the Pelicans will once again try everything with their hearts in their hands.
Far from it, you don’t have to look for the really big risk and trust the guests to win. After all, the generous Nuggets Pelicans odds allow you to make a good compromise between risk and payout thanks to a HC bet.
Personally, I will use the wide range of bets on this match, which can be accessed via the convenient Bwin app, to give the visitors from New Orleans an imaginary points lead that should help them to victory.
Conclusion: Denver just defeated two top teams – even if Joel Embiid was missing for the clash against the Sixers on the other side.
Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean that Denver will play the visitors from Louisiana tonight.
The Pels are playing good basketball even without Zion Williamson and recently proved against the Clippers that, given the circumstances, they can now perform better against over-500 teams than they have done for much of the season.
Moreover, the combined three duels between the two sides this season have been anything but one-sided.
My Nuggets Pelicans tip: NOP wins at HC +7.5.
