The Denver Nuggets are set to host the New Orleans Pelicans in a Western Conference showdown on Wednesday at Ball Arena. Denver is 31-19 overall and 15-8 at home, while New Orleans is 12-38 overall and 4-20 on the road. These teams also played on Monday, with Denver winning 125-113. NBA MVP candidate Nikola Jokic notched his 23rd triple-double of the season (27 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists) in the win. Aaron Gordon (calf) is listed as a game-time decision, while Russell Westbrook (hamstring) and Peyton Watson (knee) are out for Denver. Brandon Ingram (ankle) is out for the Pelicans. The Nuggets are 24-25-1 and the Pelicans are 20-29-1 against the spread this season. 

Tipoff in Denver is at 9 p.m. ET. The Nuggets are favored by 10.5 points in the latest Nuggets vs. Pelicans odds from SportsLine consensus, and the over/under is 240 points. Before locking in any Nuggets vs. Pelicans picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from the proven computer simulation model at SportsLine.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past six-plus seasons. The model enters Week 16 of the 2024-25 NBA season on a sizzling 144-102 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning well over $4,000. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.

The model has set its sights on New Orleans vs. Denver and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for the game:

• Nuggets vs. Pelicans spread: Nuggets -10.5
• Nuggets vs. Pelicans over/under: 240 points
• Nuggets vs. Pelicans money line: Nuggets: -532, Pelicans: +394
• Nuggets vs. Pelicans picks: See picks at SportsLine

Why the Nuggets can cover

Denver is playing well, and enters this matchup riding a three-game winning streak. The Nuggets currently sit in fourth place, nine games behind the first place Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference standings. Denver is 13-6 overall since the calendar shifted to 2025.

Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic continues to play at a historic level. The 29-year-old Serbian is once again in the thick of the MVP race, and is currently averaging a triple-double. Jokic enters Wednesday averaging 29.5 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 10.3 assists per game. On Monday against New Orleans he went for 27 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists, and two blocks. See which team to pick here. 

Why the Pelicans can cover

The Pelicans are headed into Wednesday’s matchup looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their sixth straight game on Monday. They fell 125-113 to the Nuggets. Trey Murphy III was outstanding in the loss, going 8 of 12 from beyond the arc en route to 41 points. CJ McCollum was another key player, scoring 30 points while also grabbing six rebounds and dishing out five assists.

New Orleans will be without forward Brandon Ingram (ankle) on Wednesday, but will still have three players in action who are averaging over 20 points per game this season. Murphy III (22.6) and McCollum (22.1) are joined by power forward Zion Williamson (22.9). Williamson is also averaging 8.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game this season. See which team to pick here.

How to make Nuggets vs. Pelicans picks

The model has simulated Nuggets vs. Pelicans 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Under on the point total, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that hits in almost 60% of computer simulations. You can only see the model’s pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Pelicans vs. Nuggets on Wednesday, and which side of the spread hits in almost 60% of computer simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Nuggets vs. Pelicans spread to back, all from the model that has returned well over $10,000 on top-rated NBA picks, and find out.