Down to just eight players thanks to more than half the roster in the NBA’s health and safety protocols, the short-handed Brooklyn Nets lost to the Orlando Magic on Saturday night and now have a quick turnaround against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday evening.
With most of the team’s star players still out, this back-to-back will be a grueling one. Cam Thomas, Kessler Edwards, David Duke Jr. and Patty Mills were among the Nets to log 36 minutes or more in the loss to the Magic, as the team’s three hardship additions in James Ennis, Langston Galloway and Shaquille Harrison didn’t contribute a whole lot.
It’ll likely be the same story on Sunday night, but the 15-14 Nuggets pose a much bigger issue. The presence of both Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon may very well be too overwhelming for the undersized Nets, and this one could get ugly.
It’s nice that the Nets’ young players are getting extensive exposure at the next level, but fans would much rather prefer a sense of normalcy as soon as possible. Because nobody’s used to a line being this lopsided in favor of Brooklyn’s opponent.
Brooklyn Nets vs. Denver Nuggets betting odds, spread, over/under
According to WynnBET, the Nets are big underdogs. They come in at +8.5 (-110, bet $110 to win $100) on the spread and +290 (bet $100 to win $290) on the moneyline. The Nuggets are -360 (bet $360 to win $100) on the moneyline. The over/under is set at 217.5.
Brooklyn Nets vs. Denver Nuggets prediction
Don’t think we need to get too in-depth here. The Nets have eight players available, most of whom were overworked on Saturday. Expect this one to get out of hand rather quickly as the Nuggets have been shooting the lights out over their recent 3-1 stretch.
We’re taking the Nuggets -8.5 and the under (217.5).
Brooklyn Nets vs. Denver Nuggets TV channel
The Nets vs Nuggets game won’t be on national TV, but you can find it on the YES Network if you’re in the New York area and Altitude Sports if you’re in Colorado. NBA TV will also be carrying it.
Brooklyn Nets schedule and upcoming games
Brooklyn will play one more game at the Barclays Center before heading to Oregon for a west coast road trip.
Dec. 21 vs. Washington
Dec. 23 at Portland
Dec. 25 at Los Angeles Lakers
Dec. 27 at Los Angeles Clippers
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