The Lakers will hit the floor against the visiting Denver Nuggets on Friday, possibly without Kobe Bryant again, in a key Western Conference battle.
Bryant has missed four games with a sore shin, but even if he plays, he has performed poorly against the Nuggets this year, shooting less than 28% from the field.
Surprisingly, given that Denver is the league's highest-scoring team, the past five meetings with LA have gone UNDER the total.
Watch for the Sportsbook point spread and total this morning at shops such as Sportsbook after Bryant's status becomes clear.
The Lakers are 37-22 so far on the season, and 23-36 ATS vs. the number. The Nuggets, meanwhile, are 32-26 and 30-28 ATS. OVER/UNDER bettors have seen Los Angeles go 32-27 and the Nuggets go 29-29 on the totals.
View Denver vs LA Lakers Odds and Stats.
Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Power Rankings at Odds Shark have the No. 19-rated Nuggets taking on the No. 5-rated Lakers in this contest. Computer models indicate a possible 103-101 win for the Lakers on Friday.
How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Los Angeles's No. 17-ranked offense (96.8 PPG) against a Nuggets defense that ranks No. 29 at 101.8 PPG. The Lakers have averaged 45.7% from the field per game, less than the Nuggets have managed so far this season (47.1% on average).
Defensively, the Nuggets feature the league's No. 29-rated defense on the road, allowing 103.3 points per game. Los Angeles, meanwhile, comes in at No. 17 in the league in scoring at home.
Last time out for Denver, they were a 113-107 Sportsbook as they battled the Timberwolves at home. The Nuggets failed to cover in the match as an 8-point favorite, while 220 combined points moved the game OVER for totals bettors. Denver earned a 113-107 victory over Minnesota on Wednesday, getting 24 points from Ty Lawson at Pepsi Center.
Los Angeles was a 98-84 Sportsbook in its last match on the road against the Spurs. They covered the 10-point spread as underdogs, while the total score of 182 sent UNDER bettors to the payout window. Metta World Peace scored 26 points for Los Angeles on Wednesday, leading the Lakers to a 98-84 victory over San Antonio at AT&T Center.
Denver Nuggets Trends:
When playing on Friday are 7-3
Before playing Houston are 6-4
After playing Minnesota are 7-3
After a win are 2-8
Los Angeles Lakers Trends:
When playing on Friday are 7-3
Before playing Dallas are 4-6
After playing San Antonio are 7-3
After a win are 6-4
A few Nuggets at Lakers trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Denver's last 5 games when playing LA Lakers
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Denver's last 7 games when playing on the road against LA Lakers
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Denver's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Denver's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of the LA Lakers last 5 games when playing Denver
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of the LA Lakers last 7 games when playing at home against Denver
LA Lakers are 18-4 SU in their last 22 games when playing at home against Denver
LA Lakers are 20-5 SU in their last 25 games at home
Next up:
Denver home to Houston, Sunday, April 15
LA Lakers home to Dallas, Sunday, April 15
