Lakers vs Nuggets odds – why the Nuggets will be exposed as frauds

Nuggets vs Lakers odds feature one streaking, overachieving team and one talented, struggling squad. Online sports betting fans have watched the Denver Nuggets turn into an unstoppable force en route to the Western Conference Finals.

The Nuggets have yet to be tested, though, and they’re about to be exposed as a pretender in the best team in the Western Conference—the same Lakers that swept them in the 2008 playoffs.

Nuggets vs Lakers odds: Lakers -270 to win series

• Nuggets front court is inconsistent
• Lakers can outscore Denver
• L.A. won’t take Nuggets lightly after Rockets scare

Nuggets vs Lakers odds are tight according to the sportsbook. The Lakers, who at one point in the playoffs were a -500 favorite to win the Western Conference, are now just a -270 favorite in the Western Conference Finals series.

The Nuggets vs Lakers betting has been particularly one-sided as Denver has attracted a lot of attention. The Nuggets have won 22 of their last 28 games, scoring over 100 points in 25 of those contests.

Two big differences turned things around for the Nuggets: the back court now has a legitimate leader at point guard in Chauncey Billups, and the frontcourt has also become a threat.

That frontcourt of Nene, Kenyon Martin and Chris Andersen has had an easy time of things so far in the playoffs, shutting down David West in Round One and abusing Dirk Nowitzki and Erick Dampier offensively in Round Two. But that’s not likely to continue against the Lakers’ big men.

Nene was inconsistent in Round Two, averaging over 20 points per game at home while scoring just seven points per game on the road. That won’t cut for the Nuggets, who don’t have home court advantage in this series. Martin is averaging 9.9 points per outing in the playoffs and Denver needs more than 20 points its front court to pull off the upset.

Nuggets vs Lakers odds don’t exactly factor in Andrew Bynum, who has struggled throughout the playoffs. Bynum has come around in the last two games.

While he scored just 39 points in the first nine playoff games, Bynum has tallied 28 points in his last three contests. The Nuggets vs Lakers betting handicappers know that if Bynum and Pau Gasol are in rhythm, the Lakers will be unstoppable.

The Nuggets are a high-scoring team but, if the Rockets showed us anything in the previous round, beating the Lakers has to be done on the defensive end. The Lakers are 7-0 in the playoffs when they score 100 points or more and are 1-4 when they fail to hit the 100-point mark. Denver isn’t going to outscore a team that outranked it on offense during the regular season.

Nuggets vs Lakers odds makers listed the odds so low on the Lakers because they aren’t sure what kind of effort Los Angeles will produce. The Lakers took several games off in the Round Two and handicappers can’t be certain they won’t do the same in Round Three. But keep in mind that the Nuggets also have lots of quit in them. Just look back to last year, when the Lakers swept the Nuggets in four games.

Star forward Carmelo Anthony and head coach George Karl got into arguments, Martin turned into a whiner, Nene was deemed soft and J.R. Smith was tabbed undisciplined. While the Nuggets are confident right now, a good beating at the hands of the Lakers will resurface some of their confidence issues.

CRAIG’S PICK: Nuggets vs Lakers betting fans are aware of the Nuggets’ impressive run in the 2009 NBA Playoffs, but they haven’t been tested by good competition. Now that they face the best, the Nuggets will be sent home packing. Bet on the Lakers in five games.

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Craig Parsons is an avid sports fan, but his true love has always been basketball. Too short to realize his dream of playing in the NBA, he did the next best thing: sports betting and covering basketball for a living. Thoughts or questions? Email Comments@BetOnline.com.