The Denver Nuggets will face the Philadelphia 76ers in a thrilling contest on January 16 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This will be the first meeting between the two teams in the 2023–24 season. The Denver Nuggets are currently in third place in the Western Conference, behind the Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves. The Nuggets are on a 28-13 record and a two-game winning streak heading into this game. On the other hand, the Philadelphia 76ers are also in third place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 25-13. They are coming off back-to-back wins against the Sacramento Kings and Houston Rockets.
Preview
For the 76ers, Mo Bamba, Kenneth Lofton Jr. and Jaden Springer are all ruled out for the upcoming game. De’Anthony Melton is expected to return from his back injury by the end of January, while Ryan Covington is still recovering from a knee injury and it is not known when he will be able to return. The Nuggets have a large number of players on their injury list. Their entire starting lineup of Nikola Jokic, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Jamal Murray has been marked as questionable for this game. Meanwhile, Julian Strother and Vlacto Cancar are listed as “out.”
Starting lineup
Despite the Nuggets starting five being questionable for the upcoming contest, the team is expected to have Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. on the court. Joel Embiid is back from his injury and will once again secure the center position for the Sixers. Tobias Harris and Nic Batum join him in the starting lineup, along with Tyrese Maxey and Kelly Oubre Jr.
Betting tips & Prediction
Joel Embiid scored 41 points in his return game and his NBA prop rating is 32.5. He is expected to go over the mark. While the NBA prop for Nikola Jokic is 25.5 points heading into this matchup, he has surpassed that mark in the last two games. Because the Philadelphia 76ers have the home-court advantage, they are favorites to win this matchup. The total should end up being like four of the last five games. The spread should not be covered and the game is expected to be close.
Also Read: Oklahoma City vs LA Clippers: Prediction (Jan 16, 2024)
