Nuggets vs. Bucks Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Thursday, Feb. 27

The Nuggets are slight favorites on the road on Thursday against the Bucks.

The Nuggets are slight favorites on the road on Thursday against the Bucks. / Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets hit the road on Thursday night to play the Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo on national television. 

The Bucks are making a push for a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference, as they’ve been jockeying for position with the Indiana Pacers, who the Nuggets beat on Monday night.

Denver’s nine-game winning streak was snapped earlier this month by the Los Angeles Lakers, but the Nuggets are still in third place in the Western Conference and on the rise entering Thursday’s contest.

Both of these teams have MVP candidates and NBA Finals expectations, but which one should we bet on in this game?

First, let’s take a look at the latest odds before diving into some player props and my best bet for this Thursday night showdown. 

Nuggets vs. Bucks Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

• Nuggets -3 (-108)
• Bucks +3 (-112)

Moneyline

• Nuggets: -148
• Bucks: +124

Total

• 240 (Over -110/Under -110)

Nuggets vs. Bucks How to Watch

• Date: Thursday, Feb. 27
• Time: 8:00 p.m. EST
• Venue: Fiserv Forum
• How to Watch (TV): TNT/truTV/Max
• Nuggets record: 38-20
• Bucks record: 32-25

Nuggets vs. Bucks Injury Reports

Nuggets Injury Report

• Trey Alexander – out
• Vlatko Cancar – out
• Jamal Murray – probable
• Aaron Gordon – probable
• DaRon Holmes II – out
• PJ Hall – out 
• Peyton Watson – out

Bucks Injury Report

• Giannis Antetokounmpo – probable
• Pat Connaughton – out
• Bobby Portis – out

Nuggets vs. Bucks Best NBA Prop Bets

Denver Nuggets Best NBA Prop Bet 

• Jamal Murray OVER 21.5 Points (-110)

No team in the NBA has allowed more points per game to the point guard position than the Bucks (26.0 points per game), putting Jamal Murray in a great spot for Denver on Thursday night.

Murray is coming off a pair of down scoring games (19 and 16 points in his last two appearances), but he’s still averaging 21.1 points per game for the season. It’s also worth noting that the Nuggets star has shot the lights out from 3 recently, hitting four or more shots from beyond the arc in four straight games while shooting 60.0 percent from deep over that stretch.

He should take advantage of a weak Milwaukee defense against the guard position, especially since the Bucks rank 21st in opponent 3-pointers made per game this season. 

Milwaukee Bucks Best NBA Prop Bet

• Gary Trent Jr. OVER 1.5 3-Pointers Made (-154)

I’m buying Gary Trent Jr. on Thursday night against a Denver defense that is 25th in the NBA in opponent 3-pointers made per game this season.

The Bucks sharpshooter has seen his minutes fluctuate at times in the 2024-25 campaign, but he’s still averaging over two 3-pointers made per game while shooting 41.9 percent from deep.

Over his last 10 games, Trent Jr. has cleared this prop five times while shooting 41.4 percent from 3 on 5.8 attempts per night. If he’s going to take close to six 3-pointers, I love the Bucks wing to clear this number on Thursday. 

Nuggets vs. Bucks Prediction and Pick

Both the Nuggets and Bucks had winning streaks snapped in the last week, but I’m having a hard time buying Milwaukee as a home underdog on Thursday night.

Despite winning six of their last 10 games, the Bucks are just 25th in the NBA in offensive rating and 17th in net rating over that stretch. The way to beat Denver is on the offensive end, as the Nuggets rank in the bottom half in the NBA in defensive rating this season.

In fact, Denver is one of just two teams in the league that are in the top eight in net rating yet have a defensive rating out of the top 10 in the NBA.

On the other side of the ball, Denver is elite. It has one of the three-best offenses in the league this season, and the Nuggets are No. 2 in the NBA in offensive rating over their last 10 games.

While Denver’s offense floundered over the weekend against the Lakers, it bounced back in a big way for a road win (and cover) on Monday against the Indiana Pacers. 

Don’t be shocked if the Nuggets win this game against a Bucks team that is just 2-2 against the spread when set as a home underdog in the 2024-25 season. 

Pick: Nuggets Moneyline (-148 at DraftKings)

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.

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