Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers hold down a 2-1 lead in their playoff series with the Denver Nuggets, and they'll try to win as small road underdogs when the teams meet again on Sunday.
The Nuggets are 38-28 so far on the season, and 36-30 ATS vs. the number. The Lakers, meanwhile, are 41-25 and 27-39 ATS. OVER/UNDER bettors have seen Denver go 32-33-1 and the Lakers go 37-29 on the totals.
View LA Lakers vs Denver Odds and Stats.
Betting Line:
Denver opened as 2-point favorites at Sportsbook, while the NBA total was set at 201 at Sportsbook for those who prefer OVER/UNDER betting.
Power Rankings / Prediction:
The power rankings show a disparity between these teams, with the Nuggets rated this week at No. 18 and the Lakers sitting at No. 7. It may or may not play a role in Odds Shark score prediction models that turned out a 103-101 result in favor of the Nuggets today.
How They Match Up:
In rebounding, the battle of the boards features Denver's No. 8-rated squad against Los Angeles's No. 2-rated roster. When it comes to long-range shooting, Denver rates No. 16 in the league with 6.6 per game, while their foes tonight rank No. 23 with 5.5 per outing.
In comparing how the teams stack up statistically, the Lakers own the league's No. 18-rated mark, allowing 99 points per game when on the road. Denver, on the other hand, rates No. 3 in home scoring.
Last time out for Los Angeles, they were a 99-84 loser as they battled the Nuggets on the road. The Lakers failed to cover in the match as a 3.5-point underdog, while 183 combined points moved the game UNDER for totals bettors. Los Angeles got 22 points from Kobe Bryant but lost anyway 99-84 against the Nuggets on Friday at Pepsi Center.
Los Angeles Lakers Trends:
When playing on Sunday are 3-7
Before playing Denver are 8-2
After playing Denver are 5-5
After a loss are 8-2
Denver Nuggets Trends:
When playing on Sunday are 5-5
Before playing LA Lakers are 5-5
After playing LA Lakers are 5-5
After a win are 5-5
A few Lakers at Nuggets trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of the LA Lakers last 9 games when playing Denver
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of the LA Lakers last 7 games when playing on the road against Denver
LA Lakers are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing Denver
The total has gone OVER in 11 of the LA Lakers last 15 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Denver's last 9 games when playing LA Lakers
Denver is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Denver's last 7 games when playing at home against LA Lakers
Denver is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
Next up:
LA Lakers home to Denver, Tuesday, May 8
Denver at LA Lakers, Tuesday, May 8
