Denver Nuggets vs New York Knicks Prediction: The Nuggets to play without Jokic

The NBA Regular Season has lived up to the hype and all that wait has been worth it. There has been the rise of some great squads that were expected to do much worse, the Portland Trail Blazers being one of the major examples, which turned around things using their much-improved defense. However, some squads are still hunting for rhythm and one of those squads the New York Knicks will take on the Denver Nuggets.

Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets come into this affair nabbing a big 126:103 against the Chicago Bulls as Michael Porter Jr. scooped up 31 points. The Nuggets have been wonderful this season as they have won nine out of 13 games. They have won five out of six games and their campaign has begun as expected. This is a change from last season when Nikola Jokic had to be the scoring leader every game and even though he remains the scoring leaders, the production has been much more balanced.

And that is due to the return of Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. Murray is getting to his old groove whereas Michael has been working hard on both ends, as a scorer, rebounder, and defender. Aaron Gordon has been doing his job too whereas Bruce Brown’s addition has helped matters quite a bit. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has bolstered the offensive end whereas the bench is strong with the aforementioned Bruce Brown combining with sharpshooter Bones Hyland has gotten it done whereas Jeff Green provides further Forward depth.

New York Knicks

The Knicks come into this game after defeating the Utah Jazz 118:111 as Jalen Brunson clasped 25 points. The Knicks went to seven wins and seven losses in a season that has been inconsistent. They have won four out of the last seven and have not done a great job of fending off losses that keep coming when the team is generating some form of rhythm. The three games including this one are tough for the Knicks, which means that they have a lot of heavy lifting to do.

Jalen Brunson’s signing has brought mixed results, while he has been amazing at scoring through mid-range shooting and some lovely in-between game. Julius Randle despite his falling production has had solid scoring and rebounding games. More is expected out of athletic off-guard RJ Barrett who hasn’t quite taken the leap this season but hey, there are a lot of games remaining and some players discover their rhythm later in the season. Obi Toppin has given some decent minutes but the bench will need to do much better with Derrick Rose and Immanuel Quickley.

Injuries

• Nuggets: OUT: Nikola Jokic, Collin Gillespie. DOUBTFUL: Bones Hyland, Ish Smith. QUESTIONABLE: Aaron Gordon;
• Knicks: OUT: Mitchell Robinson.

Player Props

• Expected Leading Scorers: Julius Randle(20+ Points), Jamal Murray(20-25 Points), Michael Porter Jr.(19-25 Points), Jalen Brunson(20-25 Points);
• Expected Leading Rebounders: Julius Randle(9-13 Rebounds), Michael Porter Jr.(9-13 Rebounds);
• Expected Leading Playmakers: Jalen Brunson(7-9 Assists), Bruce Brown(6-8 Assists), Jamal Murray(5-8 Assists).

Expert Betting Tips

The Nuggets have been hit with absentees and of course, their leader Nikola Jokic’s absence will hit them hard. Still, Murray, Porter Jr, Bruce Brown, and Caldwell-Pope make for a strong two-way unit, however, the availability of Gordon Jr. is essential to get a better balance. The Knicks come with a win here but they will be exhausted playing a back-to-back, which means that fatigue can play a part here.

This battle can go two ways: the Knicks start strong and lose their way late, or the Nuggets don’t led the fatigued Knicks even build a lead. But this is the NBA and when you lose your leader, the tables can turn quickly. I see a close game here with the Nuggets coming in top. I believe the total points range will be 223-233.