We'll begin our NBA odds and pick series with the first game of Sunday's steady slate of action. The Brooklyn Nets (38-29) will travel to face off against the Denver Nuggets (46-21) for a cross-conference matchup between playoff hopefuls. Check out our NBA odds series for our Nets-Nuggets prediction and pick.

The Brooklyn Nets are fifth in the Eastern Conference standings and will have to finish the season strong to hang on to a favorable seed for the playoffs. They've done so by winning four of their last five games, including an overtime win in their last game on the back of Mikal Bridges' 34 points. They'll look to continue winning against the West's best.

The Denver Nuggets remains atop the Western Conference in first place with the second-place Sacramento Kings sitting 5.5 games back of the lead. They've been able to go on a number of winning runs this year led by MVP-candidate Nikola Jokic and recently won four games in a row. They've dropped their last two, however, and will be eager to pick up another win here at home.

Here are the Nets-Nuggets NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel

NBA Odds: Nets-Nuggets Odds

Brooklyn Nets: +9.5 (-110)

Denver Nuggets -9.5 (-110)

Over: 230.5 (-110)

Under: 230.5 (-110)

How To Watch Nets vs. Nuggets

TV: Altitude Sports

Stream: NBA League Pass, fuboTV

Time: 3:30 p.m. ET/ 12:30 p.m. PT

*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Nets Could Cover The Spread

The Nets have surprising been playing well since the departure of superstar Kevin Durant. The addition of Mikal Bridges has given them a big boost both on offense with his 26 PPG and on defense with his ability to steal the ball. Spencer Dinwiddie has also been playing well in his Brooklyn reunion, coming up with the final defensive stop in their last OT win vs. the Timberwolves. The Nets will continue to lean on their new additions as they face a sound defensive team in the Nuggets.

Center Nic Claxton will have a huge task in trying to guard the 2-time MVP Nikola Jokic. Claxton is extremely long with a tremendous ability to block shots, so the Nets will lean on him to stand tall in the paint and force the Nuggets to kick the ball back out. If Brooklyn can create some turnovers for the Nuggets, they'll have the edge in transition. Look for the Nets to drive aggressively to the hoop and try to draw fouls on Jokic, where they can covert from the free-throw line for easy buckets. The Nets are 20-16 ATS as the away team this season.

Why The Nuggets Could Cover The Spread

The Denver Nuggets continue to play consistent basketball and are set on retaining the first-seed in the West by the time the regular season ends. Nikola Jokic is once again leading his team in most statistical categories (24.5 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 10 APG) and will have a good matchup in the Brooklyn Nets. The key for the Nuggets will be their ability to pass the ball and open up shots for their guards. Jamal Murray will once again look to have a big shooting night – if he and Jokic get hot, they can easily cover this spread and win by double-digits.

The Nuggets have been a good covering team at 36-30 ATS on the year. More impressively, they're one of the best home teams in the NBA with their 30-5 SU record and 22-12 ATS when playing in Ball Arena. They shoot much better on their home rims and with their last loss coming on the road, they'll be happy to be home for this one. If Denver can get out to a sizable lead in the first half, they should do enough to not look back and win this game convincingly.

Final Nets-Nuggets Prediction & Pick

The Nets are learning to play a new style of basketball with the departure of their two stars Durant and Irving, but the new look has been doing well for the Nets as they've gone 4-1 ATS in their last five. However, with Denver losing their last two games, not much indicates that they'll go out there and lose a third one. I predict the Nuggets will win this game down the stretch, but with such a large spread, let's go with the Nets to keep it close and cover the points.

Final Nets-Nuggets Prediction & Pick: Brooklyn Nets +9.5 (-110)