Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers scored 31 points in the fourth quarter to come back and defeat the Nuggets 105-103 in Game 1 on Tuesday.
The Lakers failed to cover the 7-point spread in that contest, and the 208 points fell UNDER the posted total of 214.
Kobe Bryant poured in a game-high 40 points to lead the Lakers, and grabbed six rebounds in the win.
Carmelo Anthony dropped 39 points to go with six rebounds and four assists in the loss.
Team records:
Denver: 54-28 SU, 45-36-1 ATS
Los Angeles: 65-17 SU, 42-39-1 ATS
Denver most recently:
When playing on Thursday are 5-5
Before playing LA Lakers are 7-3
After playing LA Lakers are 5-5
After a loss are 7-3
Los Angeles most recently:
When playing on Thursday are 8-2
Before playing Denver are 9-1
After playing Denver are 7-3
After a win are 6-4
A few trends to consider:
Denver is 10-0-1 ATS in its last 11 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Denver's last 8 games when playing LA Lakers
Denver is 4-0-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Denver's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of the LA Lakers last 5 games
LA Lakers are 5-0 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against Denver
LA Lakers are 13-1 SU in their last 14 games at home
LA Lakers are 11-1 SU in their last 12 games when playing Denver
Next up:
LA Lakers at Denver, Saturday, May 23
DENVER vs. LA LAKERS
Denver is 10-0-1 ATS in its last 11 games
Denver is 17-5 SU in its last 22 games
LA Lakers are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games when playing at home against Denver
LA Lakers are 5-0 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against Denver
Western Conference Finals
Denver at LA Lakers
Denver:
30-12 ATS after scoring 100+ pts BB Games
19-5 ATS if road underdog last game
LA Lakers:
13-4 Under when leading in a playoff series
23-11 Under off win by 6pts or less
NBA Playoffs
Denver bench was 4-15 in tough Game 1 loss; Lakers were +7 without Bryant, -5 when he was on floor. Lakers won four of five vs Denver this year, winning by 14-14-2 at Staples, but Nuggets are 8-3 in playoffs this spring, 2-3 on road, with all three losses by a hoop. Gasol had six boards on offensive end- Lakers had 19 as a team. Nuggets need more help from the bench-- Anthony can't do everything by himself.
Tips and Trends
Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Lakers
Nuggets: The Nuggets have now lost 11 consecutive playoff games to the Lakers after losing Game 1. "We played 46 1/2 solid minutes, just the last minute or so got away from us. But we can take a lot of things from it that we did well," Kenyon Martin said. "We just need to eliminate some of the little mistakes and go from there." A day later, the Nuggets were feeling they outplayed the Lakers most of the way but had nothing to show for it. "Our heads are still high. We're still standing tall, we're still confident," Carmelo Anthony said. "We did everything but win the game. We can take that as a good sign. We're going to respond, I guarantee you we respond."
The Nuggets are 4-13 ATS in the last 17 meetings in Los Angeles.
The Under is 18-5 in the Nuggets' last 23 playoff games as an underdog.
Key Injuries - G J.R. Smith (knee) is QUESTIONABLE.
PROJECTED SCORE: 105
Lakers (-5.5, O/U 210.5): "Just on defense alone we can be more productive," Lamar Odom said. "We know we can play a lot better than we did." Denver's front line outmuscled Gasol, Bynum and Odom. In Game 2, coach Phil Jackson expects Bynum's focus to be in the low post, while letting Gasol and Odom play away from the basket. "He's got to be a power player in there and he's got to be a big guy that makes them feel small and uses his size against them," the coach said. "Pau and Lamar can be active enough to do things out on the floor to change the game up. They can pass the ball and dribble the ball. They have to be really mobile and have that attack idea."
The Lakers are 10-3 ATS in the last 13 meetings.
The Lakers are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games following a SU win.
Key Injuries - NONE
PROJECTED SCORE: 110 (OVER - Total Play of the Day)
DENVER (62 - 31) at LA LAKERS (74 - 21)
Top Trends for this game.
LA LAKERS are 105-90 ATS (+6.0 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
LA LAKERS are 55-38 ATS (+13.2 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
LA LAKERS are 38-19 ATS (+17.1 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
DENVER is 56-36 ATS (+16.4 Units) in all games this season.
DENVER is 21-10 ATS (+10.0 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent this season.
DENVER is 24-13 ATS (+9.7 Units) after allowing 105 points or more this season.
DENVER is 31-19 ATS (+10.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
DENVER is 22-6 ATS (+15.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season this season.
LA LAKERS are 13-22 ATS (-11.2 Units) when the total is greater than or equal to 210 this season.
Head-to-Head Series History
LA LAKERS is 11-5 against the spread versus DENVER over the last 3 seasons
LA LAKERS is 12-4 straight up against DENVER over the last 3 seasons
11 of 16 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons