Denver Nuggets Dallas Mavericks Game 2 Predictions
Written May 5, 2009 by Jason Lowry
It wasn’t exactly pretty for the Denver Nuggets in their game 1 win over the Dallas Mavericks, but the important thing is they won the game and keep home court advantage. The Nuggets won the game 109-95, but really came out flat in the first half, especially in the first quarter where they scored just 16 points and fell behind by 8 points. The Nuggets were led by an unusual name, as Nene led the way with 24 points. The Nuggets also got 23 points from Carmelo Anthony, who really shot the ball well, connecting on 7 of 10 shots and making all 7 of his free throw attempts. No other starter scored in double figures, including Chauncey Billups, who had just 6 points on 2 of 8 shooting. The bench for the Nuggets was outstanding, as JR Smith, Chris Anderson, and Anthony Carter all scored in double figures and combined for 39 points. For the Mavericks Dirk Nowitzki was really good scoring a game high 28 points and grabbing a game high 10 rebounds, but really didn’t get much help, as Josh Howard, Jason Kidd, and Jason Terry all had 15 points. The Mavericks actually shot the ball really well (49%), but really killed themselves with 20 turnovers that led to 25 Nugget points. Here is a look at what I think each team needs to do to win game 2, plus my prediction on who comes out on top against the spread.
What the Mavericks have to do to win: The Mavericks actually played much better than I thought they would in the first game, and I think that will give them a little more confidence going into game 2. They are going to need Nowitzki to have another big game, but they need someone else to pick up the scoring, as they aren’t going to win many games with only 4 guys scoring more than 6 points. I still believe Howard has to be a force in this game, and needs to score closer to 20 points if the Mavs are going to win. Jason Kidd had one of his worst playoff games, as he had 8 turnovers to just 4 assists, something that has to change not only for him, but the rest of this team. The bench players are also going to have to do a better job at not allowing Denver’s reserves to have such an easy time scoring the basketball. I think the key in game 2 will be if Jose Barea or Erick Dampier can be more of a threat on the offensive end, as the two combined for just 7 points in game 1. Bet the Dallas Mavericks +6.5 at Sportsbook.com.
What the Nuggets have to do to win: I know the Nuggets won game 1, but I don’t think they are going to have such an easy time if Billups doesn’t have a little better time scoring the basketball. I was very impressed with the performance Nene gave, but I don’t know if that can be counted on every night. The Nuggets could use some improvement on the boards, as they were -7 in that category. If the bench plays like it did in game 1, this team is going to be hard for any team to knock them out, even the Lakers. The Nuggets are really rolling, but they are suppose to win these two games at home, so even with the nice win in game 1, if they lose game 2 it gives all the momentum to the Mavericks heading to their home floor. Nowitzki poses a problem defensively for this team, but they have to keep making him hit jump shots and not allow him anything easy. The defense was pretty good in this game, as we already mentioned the 20 turnovers they forced, but they also had 11 blocked shots, including 6 from the “Birdman” Chris Anderson. As long as there is no let down from this team, they should win this game. Bet the Denver Nuggets -6.5 at Sportsbook.com.
My Prediction: Nuggets -6.5. As much as I like the Mavericks chances in this one, I don’t think they will come through on the road in this one. The Mavs have really struggled on the road lately, and Denver is no easy place to play. I look for Billups to have a much better game in this one, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this game doesn’t become a blowout if the Mavs have a slow start.
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