Nuggets @ Lakers Betting Odds – Lakers Will Extend Conference Lead over Nuggets

Earlier this week while everyone was looking to win on the Super Bowl line, Phil Jackson was busy becoming the winningest coach in Los Angeles Lakers history. His 534th victory with the team came just two days after Kobe Bryant became the all-time franchise scoring leader. When the Lakers host the Denver Nuggets on Friday night, they will need the experience of both against a team that has been beating top teams all season long.

The Storyline – Nuggets @ Lakers betting odds breakdown 
The Lakers and the Nuggets have been the best two teams in the Western Conference by far. Denver has won eight of their last 10 games and with games against Dallas, San Antonio and Utah before the All Star break, they are looking to widen the two-game cushion they hold over the Mavericks. Even with the injury to Carmelo Anthony, the Nuggets are 4-2 and have beaten Houston and San Antonio in his absence.  The Lakers are leading the Western Conference by 4.5 games and with just three losses in their last 12 games; they do not look like they are slowing down.

Offensive Matchups – Nuggets @ Lakers betting odds breakdown 
Boasting the third best scoring offence at over 106 points a game, the Nuggets will score points.  Before doing your online betting, it would be good to note that since the injury to Anthony their scoring has dropped to under 100 a game and coming off a loss to the defensively inept Phoenix Suns in which they were held to 97, Denver hopes he will be back in the line-up. Chauncey Billups is averaging a career best 19.2 points a game this season and has boosted it to 21 to make up for the loss of Anthony’s points.

Los Angeles has a dynamic offence that while centered around Kobe, is not entirely dependent on him to be successful. Case in point the last game against Charlotte, they put up 99 points even though Bryant only scored five. He is still leading the team with 27.9 points a game but Kobe is receiving more help than in the past with three other starters averaging in double figures and Lamar Odom still putting up 9.7 a game.

Betting Edge: Lakers

Defensive Matchups – Nuggets @ Lakers betting odds breakdown 
Denver is a strong defensive team however they do give a lot of trips to the charity stripe. On average they are giving away around 26 a game on route to allowing 101.6 points per game. They have a solid interior defence with a combination of Nene Hilario, Kenyon Martin and Chris Anderson always looking to swat the ball away and average 23.4 rebounds and over 4 blocks a game.

The Lakers meanwhile are allowing a miniscule 96 points a game and holding teams to just 43 percent shooting from the floor. They are also disciplined in giving away the second lowest number of free throws, just 22, and will need it against a Nuggets team that shoots a league high 31.9 a game. Against an offensive minded Denver team with a hobbled superstar, they should be able to dominate this game.

Betting Edge: Lakers

Notable Injuries – Nuggets @ Lakers betting odds breakdown 
 Anthony has missed six straight games with a sprained ankle that just does not want to go away. Leading the team in multiple stat categories and having led the Nuggets to victory in the last meeting between the team, they hope to have him back for the game.

The Lakers are healthy with the exception of Kobe’s broken index finger on his shooting hand.  While he has had experience playing through hand injuries before, it still has an effect on his shot but do not expect him to miss any time because of it.

Betting Edge: Lakers

Betting Prediction – Nuggets @ Lakers betting odds breakdown
 
 In their last meeting back in November, the Nuggets walked away with a massive 105-79 win over the Pau Gasol-less Lakers. With the injury bug having hit their club this time around experts setting the sportsbook know that another win of that magnitude is unlikely. Since the Lakers have won eight straight and are 24-3 on the year at Staples Center, they should be able to pull this one out with Anthony playing at les then 100 percent or not at all.

Pick: Lakers