The Denver Nuggets are listed as slight home favorites for Thursday night as they play Game 6 of their first-round NBA playoff series against Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Nuggets won and paid off on the NBA lines in Game 5 of the set on Tuesday night to continue their season for at least one more game; they trail the Lakers 3-2 in the best-of-seven series.
The Nuggets bring a 38-28 record (36-30 ATS) to the battle against the 41-25 Lakers, who are 27-39 ATS. OVER/UNDER bettors have seen Denver go 32-33-1 so far and the Lakers go 37-29.
View LA Lakers vs Denver Odds and Stats.
Betting Line:
The visitors opened as 1.5-point underdogs in this one at most sportsbooks such as Sportsbook while the total was hovering around 199.5 at Sportsbook.
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:
The game also pits Denver's No. 1-ranked offense, averaging 104.1 PPG, against a Lakers defense that ranks No. 15 at 95.9 PPG. The Nuggets field goal percentage has averaged 47.6% so far, more than the Lakers shooters have achieved on the year, 45.7% per game.
Defensively, the Lakers feature the league's No. 18-rated defense on the road, allowing 99 points per game. Denver, meanwhile, comes in at No. 3 in the league in scoring at home.
The Nuggets were a 102-99 Sportsbook in their most recent outing on the road against the Lakers. They covered the 6-point spread as underdogs, while the total score (201) made Sportsbooks of OVER bettors. Andre Miller scored 24 points leading the Nuggets to a 102-99 victory over Los Angeles at STAPLES Center on Tuesday.
Los Angeles Lakers Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 5-5
Before playing Denver are 8-2
After playing Denver are 5-5
After a loss are 8-2
Denver Nuggets Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 8-2
Before playing LA Lakers are 5-5
After playing LA Lakers are 6-4
After a win are 5-5
A few Lakers at Nuggets trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of the LA Lakers last 5 games when playing on the road against Denver
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of the LA Lakers last 11 games when playing Denver
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of the LA Lakers last 7 games on the road
LA Lakers are 5-2 SU in their last 7 games when playing Denver
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Denver's last 5 games when playing at home against LA Lakers
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Denver's last 11 games when playing LA Lakers
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Denver's last 5 games at home
Denver is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games at home
Next up:
LA Lakers home to Denver, Saturday, May 12
Denver at LA Lakers, Saturday, May 12
