Cavaliers vs. Nuggets Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for February 23 (Denver's Offense Steps Up in Cleveland)

Cavaliers vs. Nuggets Game Info

• Date: Thursday, February 23, 2023
• Time: 7:00 PM ET
• Venue: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse -- Cleveland, Ohio
• Coverage: BSOH and ALT

The 2022-23 NBA season continues on Thursday with nine more games, including a battle between the Denver Nuggets and Cleveland Cavaliers. The Nuggets rank first in the Western Conference with a 41-18 record, while the Cavaliers check in fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 38-23 record.

Denver enters as a victor in four of its last five games after taking down the Dallas Mavericks by a score of 118-109 on Feb. 15. Meanwhile, Cleveland saw its seven-game winning streak snapped with a 118-112 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Feb. 15. Which NBA contender will win on Thursday?

Cavaliers vs. Nuggets Odds & Spread

• All NBA betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: CLE: (-138) | DEN: (+118)
• Spread: CLE: -2.5 (-114) | DEN: +2.5 (-106)
• Total: 222.5 -- Over: (-112) | Under: (-108)

The Cavaliers enter this contest as slight home favorites on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 7 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 222.5 points, which ranks as the lowest of Thursday's projected totals.

Cavaliers vs Nuggets Betting Information

Favorite	Spread	Favorite Spread Odds	Underdog Spread Odds	Total	Over Total Odds	Under Total Odds	Favorite Moneyline	Underdog Moneyline
Cavaliers	-1.5	-	-	-	-	-	-124	106

Cavaliers vs. Nuggets Betting Trends

• The Cavaliers went 41-36-5 ATS last season.
• Against the spread, as underdogs of 1.5 points or greater, the Nuggets went 13-12-1 last season.
• Last season, 37 Cavaliers games went over the point total.
• There were 47 Nuggets games (out of 82) that went over the total last year.

Cavaliers vs. Nuggets Prediction & Pick

Both Denver and Cleveland entered the All-Star break with notable momentum, so it'll be interesting to see which team comes out with that same energy on Thursday. I find myself leaning toward the Nuggets here because of their ability to drain shots from beyond the arc. It gives them a clear edge.

The Cavaliers have been dominant on defense, but their one weakness comes in defending the long-range shot. They allow an opposing three-point shooting percentage of 36.6% (No. 20 in NBA) on the year. Denver shoots 39.2% from three-point range (No. 1 in NBA) and has shooters all over the court.

Denver has won 10 of its last 13 games against an Eastern Conference foe, so take the Nuggets here.

Final Score Prediction: Cavaliers: 111 | Nuggets: 114

Cavaliers vs. Nuggets Best Bet

There's a couple of factors that lead to backing the over on Denver's team total being the best bet here. The Nuggets enter this game rested after the All-Star break and have a clear advantage from long range. They also 117.1 points per game on the season, which is the sixth-best mark in the NBA.

Head coach Mike Malone's team has tallied at least 111 points in eight of its last 10 games overall and in four of its last five games against Cleveland. That includes a Jan. 6 game where the Nuggets picked apart Cleveland's defense in a 121-108 win. Nikola Jokic & company get the job done here.

Bet: Denver Nuggets Over 110.5 Points (-112)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.