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Nuggets vs. Cavaliers prediction and odds for Thursday, February 23 (Trust Cavs at home)

By Peter Dewey

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) and Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) and Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Cleveland Cavaliers have a huge matchup in their first game out of the All-Star break, taking on the Denver Nuggets, who are the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.

The injury reports will be something to watch in this game, as Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon sat out games ahead of the break due to injury.

Cleveland has been one of the best home teams in the NBA, going 25-6 straight up. Denver, on the other hand, has struggled a bit on defense on the road, leading to a 14-14 record.

Nikola Jokic may be the leading candidate for the league’s MVP, but the Cavs have two great big men in Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley to possibly slow down Jokic.

Let’s dive into the odds and a pick for this matchup:

Nuggets vs. Cavaliers odds, spread and total

Nuggets vs. Cavaliers prediction and pick

Denver’s been terrific this season, but I think this is the Cavs game to win.

Cleveland went into the break winning eight of its last 10 games, and it remains dominant at home, especially when favored.

The Cavs are 19-10-1 against the spread as home favorites, winning those games by an average margin of 9.1 points per game.

Denver is just 6-5 against the spread as road dog this season, and the Nuggets may have trouble against Cleveland’s No. 1 defense if Murray or Gordon can’t go.

Jokic is a hard player to bet against, but the Cavs are extremely underrated this season, sitting in the No. 2 spot in the league in net rating.

I’ll ride with the Cavs on the moneyline on Thursday night.

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.