Free NBA Picks and Odds: San Antonio Spurs at Denver Nuggets on ESPN Expert Predictions – NBA Betting Preview 3/23/11: Shooting guard Manu Ginobili will lead the San Antonio Spurs on the road to the Pepsi Center to take on small forward Wilson Chandler and the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday evening at 10:30 PM ET on ESPN. The Spurs have won 3 straight and own the NBA’s best record at 57-13 – 1st in the Southwest – and overall while the Nuggets have won 1 and sit at a nice 42-29 – 2nd in the Northwest and 5th overall in the Western Conference.
The Spurs will be without Tim Duncan who remained behind in San Antonio to have treatment on his sprained left ankle. “It’s really hard to tell,” said Manu Ginobili, who scored 28 points Monday. “You never know. I’m guessing that (coach Gregg Popovich) is going to be extra cautious … but we need him in the court.” Duncan’s replacement rookie center Tiago Splitter stepped up and had a double-double as backup. “Tiago is going to give you that every night,” Popovich said. “He’s going to bust his butt to rebound and play defense. He’s going to give you that grunt that every team needs and every coach loves.” The odds makers at BetUS have the Denver Nuggets a -4 point favorite at home against the San Antonio Spurs.
The Spurs are coming off a victory 111-96 at home over the Golden State Warriors to move to a sweet 39-29-2 ATS for the season. Ginobili’s 28 points led the way and he also pulled down 3 boards and dished 3 dimes while Tony Parker chipped in 17 points and handed out 15 assists for the win. San Antonio is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Denver. Vegas odds makers have the San Antonio Spurs +335 to win the 2010-2011 NBA Championship.
The Nuggets are coming off a victory 123-90 at home routing the Toronto Raptors to move to a tidy 37-31-3 ATS for the season. Point guard Ty Lawson scored 23 points with 4 boards and 8 assists while center Nene Hilario added 18 points and 7 rebounds. The total has gone UNDER in 6 of last 7 games when playing San Antonio. Vegas odds makers have the over/under for the total score at 210 1/2 points combined of the Denver Nuggets and San Antonio Spurs.
I predict the Nuggets win and cover at home!
GAME: San Antonio (57-13) at Denver (42-29)
TIME: 10:35 PM EST
TV: ESPN
NBA Odds and Lines: Favorite: Denver -5 Total: Over/Under 211.5
* Odds from Las Vegas Hilton Sportsbook
FREE PICK: Denver -5