Nuggets vs. Nets Prediction, Odds and Key Players to Watch for Tuesday, Oct. 29 (Back Denver?)

Betting odds, pick and prediction for the Denver Nuggets-Brooklyn Nets matchup on Tuesday night.

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Denver Nuggets won their first game of the season on Monday night, but they needed overtime to get it done against the Toronto Raptors.

Now, Denver plays the Brooklyn Nets on the second night of a back-to-back on Tuesday – once again as a road favorite.

Brooklyn upset the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday – winning by double digits at home – and it could pull off another upset against a thin Denver team that has some serious questions after Nikola Jokic in the rotation. 

Denver has yet to cover the spread in a game this season, but should we trust it against the team projected to finish dead last in the league?

Here’s a breakdown of the latest odds, players to watch and my pick for Tuesday’s contest. 

Nuggets vs. Nets Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

• Nuggets -4.5 (-112)
• Nets +4.5 (-108)

Moneyline

• Nuggets: -198
• Nets: +164

Total

• 218 (Over -112/Under -108)

Nuggets vs. Nets How to Watch

• Date: Tuesday, Oct. 29
• Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
• Venue: Barclays Center
• How to Watch (TV): YES Network, Altitude
• Nuggets record: 1-2
• Nets record: -12

Nuggets vs. Nets Injury Reports

Nuggets Injury Report

• Not submitted yet

Nets Injury Report

• Bojan Bodanovic – out
• Day’Ron Sharpe – out
• Trendon Watford – out
• Ben Simmons – out
• Dariq Whitehead – questionable
• Jaylen Martin – questionable
• Tyrese Martin – questionable
• Cui Yongxi – questionable

Nuggets vs. Nets Key Players to Watch 

Denver Nuggets

Nikola Jokic: The Nuggets have gotten back-to-back 40-point games from Jokic, yet they only have one win on the season. The three-time league MVP is averaging 32.3 points per game while shooting an insane 57.6 percent from the field and 55.0 percent from 3. 

Brooklyn Nets 

Cam Thomas: The Nets offense runs through Thomas, who has scored 36, 24, 32 points while shooting 46.2 percent from beyond the arc. Denver will need to slow down Thomas and Dennis Schroder, who combined for 61 points in the win over Milwaukee on Sunday. 

Nuggets vs. Nets Prediction and Pick

I think this is the right spot to buy low on Denver after it finally got a win on Monday night.

The Nuggets have not been good (24th in net rating, 28th in effective field goal percentage) this season, but they are a much, much more talented team than the Nets.

Brooklyn entered the season with a win total projection of 19.5, and it is sitting a few rotation players in Sharpe, Simmons and Watford on Tuesday night. 

The Nuggets – if they play everyone on the second night of a back-to-back – should be able to ride Jokic and Jamal Murray to a win. Brooklyn’s win over Milwaukee was impressive, but I think Denver would’ve been favored by 8.5 points or more – what it was favored by last night – had it gone 2-1 and not 1-2 in its first three games. 

Lay the points in this matchup. 

Pick: Nuggets -4.5 (-112)

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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.