Denver Nuggets vs. Atlanta Hawks 12/8/18: Starting Lineups, Matchup Breakdown, Odds, Daily Fantasy, Betting

Denver Nuggets vs. Atlanta Hawks Preview

The Denver Nuggets (17-8) end their five-game road trip in Atlanta tonight as they take on a struggling Hawks (5-20) team who would love to play spoiler at home.

For the Nuggets, it’ll be their second game of a back-to-back after a surprising loss ended their seven-game winning streak last night.

This will be the second and final game of the season series between the Nuggets and Hawks.

TV Schedule

Date: 12/8/18
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Arena: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA
Channel: ALT2/FSSE-ATL

Denver Nuggets Starting Lineup

PositionStarter
PGTrae Young
SGKent Bazemore
SFKevin Huerter
PFJohn Collins
CDewayne Dedmon

Nuggets Analysis

Denver NuggetsThe Nuggets appeared to be poised to extend their winning streak to eight straight against a floundering Hornets team last night, but Denver finally had one of those games and the Hornets had enough balanced offense to come up with the upset win.

I wouldn’t put too much stock into one setback in eight games. Aside from that, the Nuggets have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA all season and are still perched atop a crowded, competitive Western Conference.

The Nuggets, who have rolled right along despite several injuries are likely without Gary Harris again, and Paul Millsap was injured last night and likely won’t play, which opens the door for Trey Lyles.

The Nuggets, regardless of their sky-high, injury report, should have the pieces to end this road trip on a positive note. It likely won’t be a 45-point win like the first time around however.

Nuggets Quick Links: Nuggets Starting Lineup, Nuggets Roster, Nuggets Depth Chart, Nuggets Injuries, Nuggets News, Nuggets Schedule

Atlanta Hawks Starting Lineup

PositionStarter
PGJamal Murray
SGGary Harris
SFWill Barton
PFPaul Millsap
CNikola Jokic

Hawks Analysis

Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks should be the definition of struggle in the dictionary. They’ve managed a measly five wins this season as Trae Young has been thrown into the proverbial fire and has had his ups and downs as he looks for consistency.

The Hawks are entering tonight’s game on a four-game losing streak, and it doesn’t get any easier with tonight’s matchup, especially considering the loss of Taurean Prince.

The one thing that has been working well for the Hawks has been the play of power forward John Collins since his return from injury. With Millsap out, the Hawks should look to get Collins going early and often. He’s fresh off a 26 point, 14 rebound night and they’ll need to rely on him in hopes of picking up win no. 6.

Hawks Quick Links: Grizzlies Starting LineupGrizzlies Roster, Grizzlies Depth Chart, Grizzlies InjuriesGrizzlies NewsGrizzlies Schedule

Nuggets vs Hawks Betting Odds

The Nuggets opened as big -7.5 favorites, but after last night’s loss, that’s down to -6.

The over/under is 223 points and there’s been quite a bit of line movement as Denver opened at -310 and is currently -250.

The Nuggets are 82-45 as the favorite and have a win percentage of 64.6 percent. The Hawks are 73-69 at home and have a win percentage of 51.4 percent.

Odds & Line Movement Links: Denver Nuggets vs Atlanta Hawks, Vegas Odds (All NBA Games Today)

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DraftKings & FanDuel Fantasy Picks

The Joker is the easy stud pick for the Nuggets. Jokic has been a consistent points and rebounds guy, but he’s also one of the better passing big men in the league. Jokic is $9,800 on FanDuel and $9,200 on DraftKings. The big man is projected for 48.61 points on FanDuel and 49.31 on DraftKings.

The Hawks have a bit of a stud/value combo in Trae Young. The rookie point guard is at $6,700 on FanDuel and $6,000 on Draft Kings. He’s projected for 32.02 on Fan Duel and 32.76 on DraftKings.

The Nuggets have a few choices for value picks. Juancho Hernangomez gave Atlanta fits and had one of his best games all season in their first matchup, but with Paul Millsap possibly out, I’m going with Trey Lyles, who would likely step up in his place. Lyles is available for $3,600 on FanDuel and $3,500 on DraftKings. That’s an extreme value considering his projections (32.95 on FanDuel and 33.47 on DraftKings).

Find all of our Fanduel and Draftkings projections here: https://www.lineups.com/nba/nba-fantasy-basketball-projections

 

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Michael is Chief Editor at Lineups.com. He has decades of combined experience in traditional print journalism and online media and is the publisher of the Project Spurs Network, which includes 13 team-specific sports media sites and the flagship ProjectSpurs.com. He is also the creator of the first Spurs podcast and the longest-running sports podcast on the internet, the Spurscast, and was formerly the host of the News 4 San Antonio Sports Roundtable.

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