Knicks vs. Nuggets Prediction and Odds for Wednesday, November 16 (Knicks Live to Upset Jokic-Less Nuggets)

The New York Knicks’ West Coast trip got off to a solid start on Tuesday night, as the team came back with a strong fourth quarter to beat the Utah Jazz and improve to 7-7 on the season. 

Now, the Knicks play the second leg of a back-to-back against the Denver Nuggets, who will be without Nikola Jokic due to health and safety protocols. 

This is a huge break for the Knicks, and the Nuggets have several players on the injury report due to illness. Bones Hyland (doubtful) and Aaron Gordon (questionable) are also up in the air for this game. 

That could be a lot of pressure on Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. to carry this Denver team. The Nuggets come into this game with the second best record in the Western Conference and the No. 9 net rating in the league.

Here are the latest odds for this matchup: 

Knicks vs. Nuggets Odds, Spread and Total

Knicks vs. Nuggets Prediction and Pick

The Knicks have been extremely lucky when it comes to injuries this season, as they faced the Philadelphia 76ers without James Harden and Joel Embiid, and now get a crack at Denver without the two-time reigning MVP in Jokic. 

New York’s defense has been a problem to open this season, ranking 21st in the NBA, but Tom Thibodeau’s group put together a much-improve performance on Tuesday night against Utah. 

Last season, Denver was just 2-6 when Jokic didn’t play, and even with Murray and MPJ expected to play in this game, I think New York has a slight advantage. In addition to this, Denver is -15.0 points per 100 possessions this season when Jokic is on the bench.  

The Nuggets (24th in defensive rating) have actually been worse than New York on the defensive side of the ball, and now they are without their top offensive player and potentially two key rotation players as well. 

Denver has dominated games in the first quarter, so if the Knicks can withstand an early run, I think they are live to pull off the upset.  

Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record here.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.