The Denver Nuggets (40-28) travel to the City of Brotherly Love for a 7:30 p.m. ET game with the Philadelphia 76ers (41-25) at the Wells Fargo Center (ESPN). Below, we look at the Nuggets vs. 76ers odds and lines, and make our expert NBA picks, predictions and bets.

Denver has lost its past two games, both at home, to the Toronto Raptors Saturday (127-115) and the Golden State Warriors Friday (113-102). Over the last two weeks, the Nuggets are 4-3 straight up (SU) and 2-5 against the spread (ATS).

Philly has alternated between winning and losing over the past five games (3-2 SU and 1-4 ATS) with the latest being a 116-114 overtime victory against the Magic Sunday in Orlando, failing to cover as 11-point road favorites.

A Joel Embiid-less Sixers squad upset the Nuggets 103-89 in Denver Nov. 18 as 7.5-point road underdogs. The last time Embiid and Nuggets reigning MVP Nikola Jokic met was in December 2019. Embiid’s Sixers are 4-1 SU  all-time versus Jokic and the Nuggets.

• Money line (ML): Nuggets +102 (bet $100 to win $102) | 76ers -125 (bet $125 to win $100)
• Against the spread: Nuggets +1.5 (-110) | 76ers -1.5 (-110)
• Over/Under (O/U): 221.5 (O: -115 | U: -107)

Nuggets at 76ers key injuries

Nuggets

• SF Aaron Gordon (foot) questionable
• PG Jamal Murray (knee) out
• PF Michael Porter Jr. (back) out

76ers

• None

Nuggets at 76ers odds, lines, picks and predictions

Prediction

Nuggets 116, 76ers 111

Money line

LEAN to the NUGGETS (+102) only because their spread is a much sharper player and Denver was +125 on the look-ahead so we’d be getting the worst of the number.

However, the Nuggets have a better winning percentage (18-13 SU) and net rating (plus-7.7) in “clutch” scenarios than the Sixers (20-15 SU with a plus-3.0 net rating). “Clutch” is defined by games within a 5-point margin inside of five minutes to play.

Also, Philly is still crafting its identity after acquiring James Harden a few weeks ago. On the other hand, there’s no question who’s the captain of Denver’s ship and I think the reigning MVP (Jokic) takes this season’s MVP favorite (Embiid) to school.

But since I prefer Denver’s spread, I only LEAN NUGGETS (+102).