Sean Barnard details his preview and prediction for theDenver Nuggets vs. New York Knicks NBA matchup.

Tipping off at 7:00 p.m. ET across a seven-game NBA slate, the Denver Nuggets will face off with the New York Knicks. While the NBA Trade Deadline is dominating the news cycle, the action must continue on the floor.

This is the first of two meetings between these two cross-conference teams. Both of these teams sit firmly in the contending mix of their respective conferences and are back to playing some of their best basketball. Nikola Jokic has returned from injury for the Nuggets, and the Knicks look to have put their stretch of losing basketball behind them to return to form.

Looking at the odds for tonight, the Knicks enter as 6.5-point favorites and hold -225 odds on the Moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Nuggets hold +185 odds of winning outright with the game total set at 224.5 points.

This article will look at a preview and prediction for the Wednesday night matchup.

Nuggets vs. Knicks Preview

The Denver Nuggets sit in third place in the Western Conference with a 33-18 record on the season. They lost the first matchup of this three-game road trip to the Detroit Pistons 124-121, and also fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder 121-11 before this. On the season, Denver has gone 30-21 against the spread, and the game total has gone over in 32 of their 51 games played.

Nikola Jokic headlines the production for the Nuggets. The three-time MVP returned from his 16-game absence on Friday and is averaging 29.1 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 10.5 assists per game on the season overall. While he was sidelined, the rest of the Nuggets’ roster proved to be one of the deepest of the Jokic era. Jamal Murray earned his first All-Star appearance and is posting averages of 25.6 points, 7.5 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game. Peyton Watson has taken a massive step forward in his development, adding 15.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, and shooting 42.5% on three-point attempts. Christian Braun, Tim Hardaway Jr, Bruce Brown, Spencer Jones, and Jonas Valanciunas each play key roles in the rotation.

Aaron Gordon, Cam Johnson, and Tamar Bates each remain sidelined for last night’s matchup, and this will likely remain the case tonight. But keep an eye on the injury report closer to game-time with this being the second half of a back-to-back.

As a team, the Nuggets are scoring 120.0 points per game, which ranks second in the NBA. They also lead the league in offensive rating, rank second in field goal percentage, first in three-point percentage, and 26th in pace. Defensively, opponents are scoring 115.9 points per game against the Nuggets, which ranks 17th in the league. Denver also ranks 25th in defensive rating, 15th in opponents’ field goal percentage, and eighth in opponents’ three-point percentage.

The New York Knicks are tied with the Boston Celtics for second place in the Eastern Conference, holding a 32-18 record on the season. They enter this matchup on a seven-game winning streak, with six of these coming by 12+ points or greater. This comes after New York had dropped nine of their previous 11 games, in which they struggled greatly. On the season overall, the Knicks have gone 28-23 against the spread, and the game total has remained under in 26 of their 51 games.

Jalen Brunson leads the team with 27.1 points, 6.0 assists, and 3.2 rebounds per game. Karl-Anthony Towns leads the NBA with 11.9 rebounds per game, along with his 19.8 points and 2.9 assists. OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges have provided solid impacts at the wing positions, while Miles McBride, Jordan Clarkson, and Tyler Kolek have spearheaded some impressive bench minutes. Mitchell Robinson, Mohamed Diawara, and Miles McBride missed last night’s victory over the Wizards, while Josh Hart left the matchup early. At the time of writing, there is no injury report released and keep an eye out for this later in the day with it being the second half of a back-to-back.

The Knicks are scoring the seventh-most points per game at 117.9 on average. They also rank third in offensive rating, 13th in team field goal percentage, third in three-point percentage, and 24th in pace. Defensively, New York is holding teams to the sixth-fewest points per game at 111.6 per contest. They rank 12th in defensive rating, seventh in opponents’ field goal percentage, 20th in opponents’ three-point percentage, and 24th in pace.

Nuggets vs. Knicks Prediction, Best Bet

Both teams are playing on the second night of a back-to-back, so neither team has a rest advantage. It is also worth keeping an eye on the injury report leading up to the matchup to see how each team is going to treat this matchup. If any of the notable names are set to miss, it will likely shift the line one way or another. 

But regardless of this, I am backing the game total to go over the 224.5 number in this matchup. This feels far too low for my liking based on the context of these teams’ identities. Each of these teams can score at some of the best rates in the league and has some concerns defensively. They combine for an average of 237.9 points per game, each ranking in the top seven in the league. New York is holding teams to the sixth-fewest points per game at 111.6, but this is largely due to them playing at the 24th-ranked pace in the NBA. Denver ranks 26th in the league in pace and still ranks 17th in opponents’ points allowed at 115.9 per contest.

The game total has gone over in five consecutive Nuggets’ matchups leading into tonight, and the Knicks are coming off a 132-point scoring output last night. The game total has also gone over in four consecutive matchups between these two teams.

Even if the stars are to rest or see their workload limited, there is enough depth on each of these teams for them still to fill it up at a high rate. Expect some tired legs on the second night of a back-to-back, and with the looming All-Star break in mind. The Knicks will have some success attacking Denver’s pick-and-roll coverage, while the Nuggets will have no problem leaning on their top-ranked three-point percentage against New York’s bottom-10 three-point defense. Neither of these teams are defensive juggernauts under the best of circumstances, and that will be further magnified as they attempt to slow each other down tonight.

Count on offense to win the battle and for the game total to soar past the 224.5 game total as each side puts plenty of points on the board. These are two of the best offenses in the league, and expect them to be ready to put on a show under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden.

Best Bet: Game Total Over 224.5 (-110)