Nuggets Now Given -550 Odds to Advance to Second Round After Taking 3-2 Series Lead Over Spurs

• The Denver Nuggets lead the San Antonio Spurs 3-2 in the first-round of the NBA Playoffs
• Jamal Murray is averaging 23.5 points per game in Denver’s last two wins
• Denver had the best home record in the NBA this season and would play Game 7 at the Pepsi Center, if needed
  

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The Denver Nuggets we have been waiting for finally showed up in Game 5 against the San Antonio Spurs.

After the 108-90 win to take a 3-2 series lead, the Nuggets are now listed as considerable favorites to advance to the second-round.

Denver Nuggets vs San Antonio Spurs Playoff Series Odds

Odds taken 04/24/19

The odds were much different before Game 5 and the drastic change was expected. That said, there is still big time value in betting on the Nuggets to advance.  There’s no doubting -550 is a steep price but it’s worth paying.

https://twitter.com/nuggets/status/1120897712193282048?s=20

Two Chances More Than Enough for Nuggets

Should this series get to a seventh game, the Denver Nuggets would be massive favorites on their home floor. This season they had the best home record in all of basketball finishing with a 34-7 mark. That stat is especially daunting when coupled with the fact the Spurs owned a 16-25 road record, which was worst of any Western Conference playoff team.

San Antonio bound! ✈️#MileHighBasketball pic.twitter.com/xxJt2VDerf

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) April 24, 2019

Denver also won Game 4 in San Antonio, so it may not even need a seventh game at the Pepsi Center, but if it’s required they would have a great chance of advancing.

Dynamic Duo Causing Spurs Problems

Nikola Jokic was always going to be a problem for the Spurs, that isn’t a shock. The emergence of Jamal Murray, however, has been a surprise and he’s been a big factor in the last two Nuggets wins. With Denver now having a second significant threat on the floor, San Antonio could be in trouble in Game 6 and, if needed, Game 7.

https://twitter.com/nuggets/status/1121141761018093569?s=20

To put into perspective how good Murray has been, his 23.5 points per game over the last two are more than Spurs star DeMar DeRozan is averaging for the series. The fact that Murray is the second best option on the Nuggets gives them too much firepower to expect the Spurs to win two straight games and advance.

Playoff Failure Haunts DeRozan

Speaking of DeRozan, him being in a Spurs jersey is one other reason to like Denver’s chances. There may not be another star in the league with more of a decorated regular season resume, followed by a long list of playoff disappointments. After years of underachieving with the Toronto Raptors, DeRozan has brought his act to San Antonio.  As this series has worn on, he’s gotten worse with every performance.

DeMar DeRozan threw the ball at a ref, and not surprisingly since it’s the playoffs, completely missed pic.twitter.com/qJ9GnAkHOR

— NOTSportsCenter (@NOTSportsCenter) April 20, 2019

After scoring 31 in Game 2, he followed that with totals of 25, 19, and 17. Expecting him to rebound and put up a key performance in a must-win game would be expecting him to do something he hasn’t proven capable of at any point in his NBA career.

Bet the Nuggets No Matter the Price

It takes an investment, but there’s a reason for that. Denver is winning this series and will make it all eight favorites moving to the second-round in the 2019 NBA Playoffs.

Pick: Denver Nuggets (-550)