Denver Nuggets at L.A. Lakers Betting Odds


Opening Line: Nuggets +6 / Lakers -6 O/U 208.5

Time: 3:30 PM EST Sunday February 28, 2010 on ABC

This afternoon in La La Land the defending champion L.A. Lakers host the Denver Nuggets. The Lakers are in 1st place in the Western Conference and they lead the 2nd place Nuggets by 4.5 games. The Nuggets lost to the Lakers in last season's Western Conference finals and there is good chance these 2 teams will meet in the conference finals this season. Denver has won 3 straight games and are 6-4 in their last 10 and the Lakers are coming off a win and are 7-3 in their last 10 games.

This season the Lakers are 27-5 at home and 25-33-1 ATS and the Nuggets are 14-14 on the road and 27-29-2 ATS.

In their last games both teams won on Friday, as the Nuggets beat the Detroit Pistons 107-102 and the Lakers beat the Philadelphia 76ers 99-90.

The Nuggets are 2-0 against the Lakers this season including beating them in L.A. earlier this month.

Chauncey Billups (20.3 ppg) has been on fire in Denver's 3 game winning streak averaging 29.3 ppg on 63.4% shooting.

Carmelo Anthony (29 ppg) ranks 3rd in the league in scoring, but he missed the last game against L.A. and in his last 6 games against the Lakers he is only averaging only 16 ppg.

The Nuggets may be shorthanded today, as Kenyon Martin (12.1 ppg 9.5 rpg) is questionable with a knee contusion. That is not good facing the Lakers and their 7-foot duo of Pau Gasol (17.3 ppg 11 rpg) and Andrew Bynum (15.1 ppg 8.3 rpg).

The Nuggets are 2-4 without Kenyon Martin in the lineup this season.

The Lakers have a much better frontcourt so if they can slow down the up-tempo Nuggets they should have no problem winning this game.

Kobe Bryant (27.7 ppg) will get his points tonight, but the Nuggets can't allow Bynum, Gasol, or any other Lakers' player to have a big scoring game.

There is a great chance this is a preview of the Western Conference finals for a 2nd year in a row and the Lakers need to win to assert their dominance in the West.

Denver is 4-1-1 ATS in their last 6 road games, 5-0-1 ATS in their last 6 games as a road underdog of 5.0-10.5, and has an Over record of 4-1 in their last 5 road games.

L.A. is 1-5-1 ATS in their last 7 home games, 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games, and has an Under record of 4-0 in their last 4 home games.

In the last 7 games between these 2 teams in L.A. the total has gone Under 5 times.

Our Selection : The Nuggets are 2-0 against the Lakers this season including beating them in L.A. earlier this month. Denver is 4-1-1 ATS in their last 6 road games, 5-0-1 ATS in their last 6 games as a road underdog of 5.0-10.5 points L.A. is 1-5-1 ATS in their last 7 home games, 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games. Take Denver +6


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