The Denver Nuggets and San Antonio Spurs have had an intense battle so far in the first five games of their first-round series. Denver was able to use their home court advantage in game five to take a 3-2 series lead heading into game six. The San Antonio Spurs are hoping to take game six and force a decisive game seven against the Nuggets.
Denver is the second seed in the Western Conference, but they weren’t dealt any favors by drawing the Spurs in the first round. The Nuggets are trying to establish themselves as a steady NBA franchise, while the Spurs have been the class of the league in this century. Denver has just one victory in San Antonio since 2012, but that victory came in game four of this series. The San Antonio Spurs are -2.5 point favorites over the Nuggets in this game.
Nuggets Look Sharp in Game 5
The Denver Nuggets started to figure things out in game four of this series, but they put it all together in their victory in game five. Denver was up by almost 30 points at one point in the second half and looked sharp on both offense and defense. The Nuggets allowed just 106.7 points per game during the regular season, and that was on display in game five. Denver might not have one of the most talented rosters in the league, but they win games as a team.
Center Nikola Jokic was an All-Star this season in the Western Conference, and he has looked like it in this series. “The Joker” leads the team with 19.6 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 9.0 assists per game in this series. Point guard Jamal Murray struggled at times during this series but is still averaging 19 points per game. The Nuggets need both of these players to be great to close out the Spurs in game six.
Spurs Need More Offense
The San Antonio Spurs have never been a very explosive offensive team, but this year’s team really struggles to score. San Antonio averaged 111.7 points per game during the regular season, but their offense has been much worse so far in the playoffs. The Spurs are making just six three-point shots per game, and they need to get their points in the paint. San Antonio will need to regroup before game six.
DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge have been the stars for the Spurs so far in this series, but they have both struggled in the last two games. DeRozan is leading the team with 22.0 points per game, and Aldridge is averaging 19.6 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. The Spurs have some other players that need to perform in this game, but these two players must lead them.
San Antonio Keeps Series, Season Alive
Even though the Spurs are on the brink of elimination, there is a ton of pressure on the Nuggets in this game. Denver has a ton of momentum heading into game six, and they don’t want to give the Spurs a chance at a game seven. The Spurs aren’t going to make this easy on the Nuggets, and they will bounce back with a victory in game six. Bet the San Antonio Spurs -2.5 over the Denver Nuggets.
