Washington Wizards (9-45) vs. Denver Nuggets (36-19)
February 22, 2024 9:00 pm EDT
The Line: Denver Nuggets -15.5; Over/Under: +229.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Washington Wizards pay a visit to the Denver Nuggets at the Ball Arena on Thursday night. Here’s a Wizards vs Nuggets Prediction.
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards have been in a major slump as they’ve lost 14 of their last 16 games overall and they will be hoping to arrest an eight-game slide after getting beaten by the Pelicans in a 133-126 road defeat in their last game before the All-Star break. Deni Avdija led the team with 43 points and 15 rebounds on 13 of 24 shooting, Corey Kispert added 20 points and six assists off the bench while Jordan Poole chipped in with 19 points and six assists. As a team, the Wizards shot 47 percent from the field and 21 of 45 from the 3-point line as they showed plenty of fight to claw their way back from a 20-point deficit, only to leak 34 points in the fourth quarter to allow the Pelicans off the hook in the end.
Denver Nuggets
Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets stumbled their way towards the All-Star break as they have dropped their last three games and they will be hoping for a fresh start after falling short to the Kings in a 102-98 loss. Aaron Gordon led the team with 25 points and 15 rebounds, Michael Porter Jr added 19 points while Nikola Jokic chipped in with 15 points and eight assists. As a team, the Nuggets shot just 39 percent from the field and nine of 26 from the 3-point line as they kept the Kings in check early to take a 16-point lead, but they just couldn’t maintain that pressure and fell apart in the second half to allow the Kings to run them down in a disappointing finish. No bench player scored more than eight points sand Jokic had a quiet game by his standards, scoring just 15 points on six of 17 shooting from the field.
Denver Nuggets Team Facts
- The Nuggets have won each of their last 12 games against Eastern Conference opponents that held a losing record.
- The Nuggets have covered the spread in each of their last six night games following a home loss.
- Each of the Nuggets’ last seven games against Eastern Conference opponents have gone UNDER the total points line.
Washington Wizards Team Facts
- The Wizards have lost each of their last 19 road games against teams that held a winning record.
- The Wizards have covered the spread in each of their last eight road games against Western Conference opponents that held a winning record.
- Seven of the Wizards’ last eight games against Northwest Division opponents have gone UNDER the total points line.
Wizards vs Nuggets Prediction
The Wizards could still be short handed with Kyle Kuzma and Isaiah Livers still on the injury report, while the Nuggets could be missing Julian Strawther for this one. You have to give some credit to the Wizards who were able to erase a 20-point deficit in their last defeat, but they were clearly one of the coldest teams headed into the break and I don’t see much changing now that we’re headed into the business end of the season. This is the point of the season where we see the elite teams build towards the playoffs and I think that run starts for the Nuggets with a big win over the Wizards here.
