Halftime Report
Only two more quarters stand between the Cavaliers and the win they were favored to collect coming into this evening. Sitting on a score of 66-62, they have looked like the better team, but there’s still two more quarters to play.
The Cavaliers came into the contest with some extra motivation after the defeat they were dealt the last time these two teams faced off. We’ll see if they’re able to flip the script or if it’ll just be more of the same.
Who’s Playing
Denver Nuggets @ Cleveland Cavaliers
Current Records: Denver 11-8, Cleveland 19-3
How To Watch
- When: Thursday, December 5, 2024 at 7 p.m. ET
- Where: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse — Cleveland, Ohio
- TV: NBATV
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $18.77
What to Know
The Nuggets and the Cavaliers are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2020, but not for long. The Denver Nuggets will face off against the Cleveland Cavaliers at 7:00 p.m. ET on Thursday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The Nuggets are expected to lose this one by four points, so we’ll see if that gives them a bit of motivation.
The Nuggets took a loss when they played away from home on Sunday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They managed a 119-115 victory over the Warriors. The win came about thanks to a strong surge starting at the 4:33 mark of the second quarter, when Denver was facing a 54-42 deficit.
It was another big night for Nikola Jokic, who dropped a double-double on 38 points and ten rebounds. The game was his third in a row with at least 30 points.
Even though they won, the Nuggets struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only four offensive rebounds. That’s the fewest offensive rebounds they’ve posted since back in May.
Meanwhile, you can’t lose the contest if you win every quarter, and that was precisely the Cavaliers’ strategy against the Wizards on Tuesday. The Cavaliers put the hurt on the Wizards with a sharp 118-87 victory. That looming 118-87 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for Cleveland yet this season.
Denver’s win bumped their record up to 11-8. As for Cleveland, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 19-3.
Thursday’s matchup is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: The Nuggets have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 39.3% of their threes per game. However, it’s not like the Cavaliers struggle in that department as they’ve nailed 40.2% of their threes this season. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything went the Nuggets’ way against the Cavaliers in their previous matchup back in March, as the Nuggets made off with a 130-101 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Nuggets since the squad won’t have the home-court advantage this time around. We’ll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Odds
Cleveland is a 4-point favorite against Denver, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 4-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is 237.5 points.
See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Cleveland and Denver both have 5 wins in their last 10 games.
- Mar 31, 2024 – Denver 130 vs. Cleveland 101
- Nov 19, 2023 – Cleveland 121 vs. Denver 109
- Feb 23, 2023 – Denver 115 vs. Cleveland 109
- Jan 06, 2023 – Denver 121 vs. Cleveland 108
- Mar 18, 2022 – Cleveland 119 vs. Denver 116
- Oct 25, 2021 – Cleveland 99 vs. Denver 87
- Feb 19, 2021 – Denver 120 vs. Cleveland 103
- Feb 10, 2021 – Denver 133 vs. Cleveland 95
- Mar 07, 2020 – Cleveland 104 vs. Denver 102
- Jan 11, 2020 – Cleveland 111 vs. Denver 103
