With Steph Curry out due to an ankle injury, will the Warriors struggle to top the Pelicans tonight? Will the Jazz’s injury and performance woes sink them in a matchup with the Kings? Can the Nets hang with a struggling Nuggets squad? Check out our Tuesday NBA Predictions & Best Bets.
Tuesday NBA Prediction: Brooklyn Nets +4.5, 7:30 p.m. ET
The Nuggets have yet to cash a ticket yet for bettors. They’re 1-2 straight up and 0-3 against the spread. Granted, the Nets will be down some players tonight. The never reliable Ben Simmons has been ruled out due to a lower-back injury and Bojan Bogdanovic is recovering from an injury to his foot. Trendon Watford is also dealing with a hamstring strain and won’t play, while Day’Ron Sharpe is out with a hamstring injury of his own. Their rotation is thin, but they’ll try to build off their impressive win over the Bucks.
The Nuggets, meanwhile, are coming off their first win of the season Monday night in Toronto. They lost their first two games at home and trailed Toronto by 10 with 2:12 remaining in regulation. They rallied to send the game to overtime, then survived a Davion Mitchell 3-pointer that could have sent Denver to a 0-3 record. Regardless, I’ll take the points tonight with Brooklyn.
Tuesday NBA Prediction: Sacramento Kings -6, 9:00 p.m. ET
The Jazz are winless and will play the second game of a back-to-back tonight. Second-year forward Taylor Hendricks suffered a nasty leg injury, one that is being reported as a fractured right fibula and dislocated ankle. The Jazz’s 0-3 start is the organization’s worst since the 2013-14 season in which that team lost its first eight games.
As for Sacramento, the Kings have owned the Jazz over the past two seasons. They’ve won four straight against Utah, covering in three of those four meetings. They swept the three-game series last season.
Tuesday NBA Prediction: New Orleans Pelicans -1.5, 10:00 p.m. ET
The Warriors will be without Stephen Curry, who is dealing with an ankle injury. Curry torched the Pelicans last season for 42 points in a Warriors victory in New Orleans, but Zion Williamson got the best of Golden State twice last year on the road. The former Duke star finished with 19 and 26 points in those road victories. Without Curry, I’ll lay the 1.5.