Hawks vs. Nuggets Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for December 2 (Denver's Winning Streak Comes to a Halt)

Hawks vs. Nuggets Game Info

• Date: Friday, December 2, 2022
• Time: 7:30 PM ET
• Venue: State Farm Arena -- Atlanta, Georgia
• Coverage: BSSE and ALT

The 2022-23 NBA season continues on Friday with 11 more games, including a battle between the Denver Nuggets and Atlanta Hawks. The Nuggets extended their winning streak to four games with a 120-100 win over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. Jamal Murray tallied a team-high 26 points.

Meanwhile, the Hawks took care of business in a 123-108 win over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday. Atlanta shot 54.3% from the floor and forced Orlando to commit 18 turnovers. Dejounte Murray and Trae Young combined for 57 points, while Clint Capela posted a double-double (20 points & 12 rebounds).

Hawks vs. Nuggets Odds & Spread

• All NBA betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: ATL: (+124) | DEN: (-146)
• Spread: ATL: +2.5 (-110) | DEN: -2.5 (-110)
• Total: 233 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

The Nuggets enter this contest as slight road favorites on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 7:30 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 233 points, which is above average compared to the rest of Friday's projected totals.

Hawks vs. Nuggets Betting Trends

• The Hawks have put together an 8-11-0 record against the spread this season.
• The Nuggets have covered the spread twice this year when underdogs by 1.5 points or more (in four chances).
• This season, Hawks games have hit the over 11 times out of 21 chances.
• Nuggets games this season have hit the over on 10 of 21 set point totals (47.6%).
• At home, Atlanta owns a worse record against the spread (4-6-0) compared to its ATS record on the road (4-5-0).
• Against the spread, Denver has been better at home (5-3-0) than away (6-7-0).

Hawks vs. Nuggets Prediction & Pick

The Nuggets keep finding ways to emerge victorious despite struggling on defense. Denver ranks 25th in defensive efficiency this year and is allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 48.5% (No. 27 in NBA). Keep in mind it is also giving up a whopping 117.5 points per away game (No. 22 in NBA).

Denver has also posted an average scoring margin of -3.0 in away games despite an 8-5 straight up road record. That bodes well for Atlanta's chances of pulling off a small upset at home. The Hawks force 16.0 turnovers per home game (No. 9 in NBA) and know how to make their opponent frustrated.

Atlanta is 9-3 straight up in its last 12 games against a Western Conference opponent, so I'll side with the Hawks.

Final Score Prediction: Hawks: 114 | Nuggets: 110

Hawks vs. Nuggets Best Bet

It's important to highlight the battle within the battle here. Seeing Nikola Jokic and Trae Young go head-to-head is always interesting given their different approaches to the sport. Jokic is not afraid to drive to the rim, while Young would rather create space for a jump shot. Both strategies seem to work.

Young has out-dueled Jokic in the past, averaging 25.8 points and 9.0 assists per game against the Nuggets. Jokic averages 10.5 rebounds, but only 18.0 points and 5.9 assists per game against the Hawks. Overall, Atlanta is 6-2 against the spread (ATS) in its last eight home games against Denver.

Bet: Atlanta Hawks +2.5 (-110)

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.