Denver Nuggets at LA Lakers: NBA Odds & Predictions
Written April 9, 2009 by Steve Janus
The current #1 and #2 teams in the Western Conference meet tonight as the Los Angeles Lakers host the Denver Nuggets at the Staples Center. The Lakers have locked up the #1 spot in the West already, but they are still fighting the Cleveland Cavs for the coveted overall #1 spot in the NBA, a race that Cleveland is currently winning by just one game. The good news for the Lakers is that, if they are able to catch the Cavs, they own the tiebreaker between the two and will grab the always important homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs. A quick look at the NBA lines for tonight’s match up show the Lakers as 9 point favorites and the Total set at 209.
The word is that the Lakers will finally get Andrew Bynum back from his knee injury, and while the Lakers certainly haven’t needed his presence to dominate the West, his 14 points and 8 rebounds per game can’t hurt LA’s chances for the last few games of the regular season, as well as the playoffs, that is, as long as Bynum is playing at 100%.
The Lakers make it look easy on most nights, and that was the case in their most recent match up with the lowly Sacramento Kings. Pau Gasol led the Lakers on Tuesday with 26 points and 12 rebounds, while Kobe Bryant posted 22 points, and Lamar Odom chipped in with 15 points and 11 boards. LA cruised to a 122-104 victory, their fourth win in a row.
Denver also has plenty of motivation for tonight’s game as they are trying to hold onto that #2 seed. They have Portland, Houston, and San Antonio, all at 2 1/2 games behind with 4 games left to play, while the Nuggets have just 3 regular season games remaining.
The Nuggets played the Oklahoma City Thunder last night, and ended up with a 122-112 victory, but the game wasn’t nearly as close as the 10 point win might indicate. Carmelo Anthony was superb with 31 points and Chauncey Billups continued to have a great impact on this team, scroing 18 points and dishing out 9 assists.
The Lakers are extremely tough to beat at home, earning a 33-5 record at the Staples Center so far this year. The Nuggets, however, are on an 8 game winning streak and are a solid 21-18 on the road this season. Against the spread, Denver is also hot, having covered the number in 7 of their last 9 overall. The Lakers have owned the Nuggets against the spread in head-to-head meetings, taking home the green in 9 of the last 11 meetings.
Both teams have plenty of motivation to come out and play a great game. The Lakers get the edge to win straight up because they are playing at home off of a day of rest, while the Nuggets are on the road playing with no rest. With that being said, the line is still too high for me to warrant a play on the Lakers against the Nuggets, I don’t think either side is a particularly strong play, but I would lean slightly in favor of Denver +9 tonight.
Predicted Score: Los Angeles Lakers 114, Denver Nuggets 109
Play on: Denver Nuggets +9 & Nuggets/Lakers OVER 209
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