In what has been another remarkable NBA season, the teams are coming down the home stretch and looking to make that playoff push. On Monday night, four teams will square off in two showdowns in the NBA. In Charlotte, the Hornets tangle with Denver as both teams are firmly in the playoff hunt, especially the Nuggets who are in the 5-6 seed range. Whereas in Houston, the Spurs are trying to salvage what remains of their season against the last-place Rockets.
Below, SBS breaks down what to look for from each squad and who will win in these two matchups in the NBA regular season.
| NBA Monday Night Games | The Pick |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nuggets vs. Hornets | Hornets +3 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Spurs vs. Rockets | Spurs -4.5 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
What to look for from: The Denver Nuggets
At 44-31, the Nuggets are in the midst of another excellent season. Led by center Nikola Jokic, Denver offers one of the most imposing matchups in the Northwest division. Jokic is having an amazing season and leads the team in points per game (26.3), assists (7.9), and field goal percentage (57.7%). The Nuggets are also coming off an impressive win over the Western Conference-leading Suns, 110-98 on the road. In terms of prior matchups against Charlotte, Denver was unable to hold off the Hornets at home back in December, resulting in a 115-107 loss. Although Jokic had another fantastic game with 29 points and 21 rebounds.
What to look for from: The Charlotte Hornets
Buzz City has been on a strong pace as of late with a record of 7-3 in their last 10 games. The Hornets are also in a heated battle for playoff contention in the NBA Eastern Conference where they currently sit as the ninth seed in the standings, but are only five games back from the fifth-place Bulls. Small forward Mile Bridges paces the team with 20 points per game and point guard LaMelo Ball leads the team in assists at 7.3 per contest. NBA Rookie of the Year Ball in particular has been having an All-Star level season with 19.8 points per game as the centerpiece of the offense.
Prediction: A somewhat even-matchup, the Hornets have the slight upper hand here with the matchup occurring on their homecourt and with the team being a little healthier than Denver.
What to look for from: The San Antonio Spurs
In what could perhaps be head coach Gregg Popovich’s swan song season, the Spurs are having an uncharacteristically poor year. At 30-44, San Antonio is firmly in fourth place in their division and will most likely miss the playoffs this year. However, the team has been trending upward as of late with a record of 4-1 in their last five games. Without familiar faces like Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli, Tony Parker or even David Robinson, San Antonio has lacked a consistent identity on the court. However, the biggest bright spot this season has been the emergence of point guard Dejounte Murray who made his first NBA All-Star this year and is leading the team in both points (20.8) and assists (9.3).
What to look for from: The Houston Rockets
The least-inspiring team on this list, the Rockets are not in any kind of shape for the playoffs and sit squarely in last place in the Western Conference. At 20-55, the Rockets are already eliminated from the playoff contention and have their sights set on the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft along with a roundtrip to Cancun. Nonetheless, Houston still needs to finish out the season and a win against the rival Spurs could be a nice feather in the cap for some of the younger players on the squad. A bright spot for the team has been their center Christian Wood who has averaged a double-double this season in points (17.9) and rebounds (10.1).
Prediction: San Antonio (2-1 already against Houston) is the more complete squad in this matchup and who will win again for the third time this season against the Rockets.
Once you have made your final choice on who to pick for tonight’s matchups, make sure to also check out the best NBA betting sites available page from SBS. This should cover all your bases when it comes to finding the best basketball betting pages. Moreover, two other great resources are the best bonus betting pages and also the most ideal payment methods you can utilize. With all of these tools at your disposal, your betting quest will be off and running.
About the Author
As a devout aficionado of sports, Chris Boline has carved a career within the athletic realm. A skilled scribe, he boasts a decade-long portfolio that encompasses coverage of the NBA G League, the Los Angeles Chargers, football and basketball across the country. Beyond his professional pursuits, Chris is deeply invested in his community and dedicates his leisure hours to serving on boards, collaborating with community organizations, and cherishing the company of loved ones. CURRENTLY Business Development and freelance sports writing RESIDES IN Reno, NV EDUCATION University of Nevada BS and MBA EXPERTISE -Sports writing proficiency in: NFL, NBA, UFC, boxing, golf, and some motor sports -Topical news -Promotional and marketing ideas/updates -Business development Summary Chris Boline serves in a business development sales capacity as his day job. He has previously held sales/marketing positions with The Applied Companies (TAC), KTVN 2 News and the NBA G League’s Reno Bighorns, affiliate of the Sacramento Kings. He is a Reno native and is a member of various community boards including the Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, NCET and the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA). Chris graduated from the University of Nevada in 2015 with a bachelors in management and economics and also earned his MBA from Nevada in 2023. More about Chris: Past president of the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA) 2022-23 Two-time honoree for University of Nevada Alumni Chapter of the Year (Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, 2017 & COBAA, 2021) 2021 NCET award for Professional Services Organization of the Year with TAC Northern Nevada Human Resources Association 2020 Best Places to Work-Northern Nevada, Second Place with TAC 2016-17 Reno Bighorns MVP from the Sacramento Kings The Nevada Sagebrush editor-in-chief 2013-15 Associated Collegiate Press 2015 Four-year Non-daily Newspaper Pacemaker honoree University of Nevada, Reno College of Business Dean's List honoree (5x) from 2011-2015 Nevada Press Association award for Best Sports Column – Community in 2015 Education
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