There are six games on the NBA Thursday slate, including the Denver Nuggets visiting the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Nuggets will likely be an underdog, a role they’ve excelled in at 5-1 against the spread. Some other top ‘dogs are Minnesota (10-3 ATS), Dallas (5-2 ATS) and Cleveland (10-5 ATS).
Chicago Bulls at New York Knicks
8:00 p.m. (ET) on TNT
Chicago (18-5 straight up, 14-9 ATS) will be playing the second half of a back-to-back after visiting Philadelphia on Wednesday. That result between division leaders is still pending. The Bulls long 9-game trip started with a 97-93 loss at Miami and 98-88 win at Washington. Both were covers and they’re 5-1 ATS in their last six away.
Forward Luol Deng (wrist) was doubtful against Philly after missing five games. Richard Hamilton (groin) is also out indefinitely, with Kyle Korver now starting. That makes the bench very thin with the starters logging a lot of minutes. Having no rest on Thursday won’t help.
New York (8-13 SU, 6-15 ATS) may be the NBA's most underachieving team and coach Mike D’Antoni is feeling the pressure. There was some good news on Tuesday night, a 113-86 win as 9-point home favorites over lowly Detroit, the only team with a worse ATS record.
Carmelo Anthony came back rested after missing two games and scored 25 points. He also shot 9-of-14 from the field after a brutal 40-of-126 (31.7 percent) stretch. Anthony’s effort helped last game go ‘over’ the 183 points. The ‘under’ was 12-2 in New York’s previous 14, only breaking 100 points four times.
This is the first meeting between the teams this year. The ‘under’ is 7-1 in the last eight in the Big Apple.
Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Clippers
10:30 p.m. (ET) on TNT
These teams met last Sunday in Denver with Los Angeles getting a 109-105 win as 5½-point underdogs. The Clippers have now won three straight in the series and covered six in a row.
The Nuggets (14-7 SU and ATS) had their 6-game winning streak snapped against the Clips and then lost Tuesday night at Memphis, 100-97 in overtime. Their 91 points scored in regulation was their lowest in 11 games, although they’re leading the league in scoring overall (105.4 PPG).
Denver had seen the ‘over’ go 8-2 in its previous 10 games before Memphis. Balanced scoring is the ticket with six guys in double-digits.
The Clippers (12-6 SU, 11-7 ATS) are ranked fifth overall in scoring at 98.6 PPG. However, they seem to be really hitting their stride offensively with the 109 points at Denver and winning 112-100 at home against Oklahoma City on Monday.
Los Angeles will be the more tired team after traveling to Utah on Wednesday (result pending). However, this is a pretty young group with good guard depth now that Chris Paul (hamstring) is back healthy. The team is 4-1 SU and ATS on zero days rest this year.
Other Thursday news and notes
Memphis (11-10 SU, 10-11 ATS) is 0-3 SU and ATS away in its last three as it visits Atlanta (16-6 SU, 12-9-1 ATS). The ‘under’ is 10-1 in Memphis’ road games. Atlanta is playing hard for coach Larry Drew and is 9-2 SU (6-4-1 ATS) since Al Horford went out with a pectoral injury.
New Orleans (4-17 SU, 10-11 ATS) has played almost the whole year without guard Eric Gordon and the last four without backup center Chris Kaman, who is currently being shopped. Points are at a premium (87.4 PPG, ranked 28th), but the ‘over’ is 3-2 in the last five with some low totals. The Hornets visit San Antonio (13-9 SU, 11-11 ATS), with both teams playing back-to-backs.
Sacramento (6-15 SU, 8-13 ATS) is 4-4 SU at home versus 2-11 SU away. The team is playing without second-leading scorer Marcus Thornton (16.4 PPG) and Jimmer Fredette needs to consistently step up. Portland (12-9 SU, 11-9-1 ATS) is just 3-8 SU and ATS on the road and hosts Charlotte on Wednesday before flying to Sacramento.
Utah (12-7 SU, 10-9 ATS) visits Golden State (7-12 SU, 8-11 ATS) and could be without big man Al Jefferson (ankle). He was doubtful for Wednesday versus the Clippers. Golden State is finishing a disappointing 6-game homestand that has gone 3-2 SU and 1-4 ATS so far.