Denver Nuggets: Over/Under on their 48.5 this season?
By Alex Murray
Denver Nuggets win prediction Jan-Feb: 15-12
January, along with November and March, sees the Nuggets and the reigning MVP play five times on national television, two of which are on NBATV, so thank god for the resolution of that pesky TV deal.
The Nuggets should start out 2022 with a win in Houston on New Year’s Day, but I think they drop their next two at Dallas and vs. Utah after that. They should grab a couple of wins after that before heading back to see the Clippers, who I think the Nuggets beat again.
Riding a three-gamer into a six-game homestand at Ball Arena is a pretty good position to be midway through January. The first four games are no picnic, however, with the Blazers, Los Angeles Lakers, Jazz, and Clippers (all of which are on national TV except the Utah game) all paying them a visit in the span of a week.
If the Nuggets can get a split there and then hold the fort against the Grizzlies and Pistons to finish the stand 4-2, that would be a lovely result, but I believe they could drop one to Memphis. The Nuggets should be able to scrape together a 9-6 January record with wins at Detroit and New Orleans before falling to the defending champs to cap off the month.
Denver will start February 3-0 as they finally get the best of the Jazz, but they could lose their next four straight after that vs. Nets, vs. New York, at Boston, and at Toronto. In fact, they could very well fall to the Magic in a trap game after that before a loss to the Klay-infused Warriors.
Heading into the All-Star break on a six-game skid should push management to seek reinforcements, and the progress of Murray’s recovery will be key to what moves are made as well. They should be able to sweep the Kings in a home-and-away following the break, and I think they’ll win in Portland to finish the month 6-6.