Denver Nuggets Winning Streak Ends, Though Team is Still Looking Good

All streaks have to end sometime (except for the Miami Heat’s), and the Denver Nuggets impressive 15-game winning stretch ended last night in New Orleans. The surging Nuggets lost by a surprising margin, dropping the game 110-86. Their offense never really got in rhythm; the team shot just 37.9 percent from the field, and the Hornets made 14 three-point attempts. Denver were seven-point favorites in this game, but, as always, betting on the NBA can be difficult. The Hornets do have a bevy of talented shooters and rebounders, after all; Ryan Anderson poured in five three-pointers alone.

The game was never close for Denver, but that can’t take away from their incredible stretch of play as the season winds down. Here were some betting trends for both teams heading into last night’s match, courtesy of OddsShark.com:

Denver Nuggets Trends:
When playing on Monday are 7-3
Before playing San Antonio are 8-2
After playing Sacramento are 8-2
After a win are 10-0

New Orleans Hornets Trends:
When playing on Monday are 6-4
Before playing LA Clippers are 3-7
After playing Memphis are 5-5
After a win are 3-7

A few Nuggets at Hornets trends to consider:
Denver is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Denver is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Denver’s last 10 games when playing on the road against New Orleans
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Denver’s last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of New Orleans’s last 10 games when playing at home against Denver
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New Orleans’s last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New Orleans’s last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of New Orleans’s last 16 games when playing Denver

However, the Nuggets put together an impressive win earlier this week against the lowly Sacramento Kings, winning 101-95. However, coach George Karl was not impressed with his team’s effort and performance, a possible harbinger of their massive letdown in New Orleans last night.

“What I’ve been telling the team, telling them for three days, the next (11) games I don’t want to hear about rest. I don’t want to hear we’re tired. I want our attitude to be the best basketball we’ve played all year,” he said after the Kings game. “And if you don’t want to do that, then I’ll play somebody else. I don’t want to hear about my body hurts. I’m sore. Everybody plays the same amount of games, and resting’s not going to get us ready for the opportunities. If we had a bunch of 30-year-olds, I might have a different opinion but we have a bunch of 25-year-olds.”

The Nuggets were massive 15 point favorites in this game, and obviously didn’t come close to covering. As always, beware of huge spreads; they’re almost always impossible to cover. Here were some other gambling trends for both teams heading into their match on March 23, per OddsShark.com:

Sacramento Kings Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 3-7
Before playing Philadelphia are 3-7
After playing Minnesota are 3-7
After a win are 2-8

Denver Nuggets Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 5-5
Before playing New Orleans are 7-3
After playing Philadelphia are 5-5
After a win are 10-0

A few Kings at Nuggets trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Sacramento’s last 5 games when playing Denver
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Sacramento’s last 9 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 14 of Sacramento’s last 19 games
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Sacramento’s last 16 games when playing on the road against Denver
Denver is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Denver is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Denver is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Sacramento
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Denver’s last 5 games when playing Sacramento