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The Los Angeles Lakers travel to Mile High to face the Denver Nuggets in a Western Conference battle at the Pepsi Center on Tuesday 11/27/18.
At 11-8, the Lakers currently occupy the 7th position in the mighty Western Conference while the Nuggets are 1.5 games ahead of them at number 3 in the West with a 13-7 record. Los Angeles is coming off its second defeat to the Orlando Magic this season while the Nuggets enter this game with three straight wins, the last of which was a victory over the OKC Thunder.
No Longer Underdogs
With LeBron James coming to town last summer, the Los Angeles Lakers are no longer underdogs this season. The purple and gold have been favored in 15 out of their first 19 games played and have a record of 9-6 as betting favorites. The Lakers have also gotten going as of late, winning seven out of their last 10 games played. That’s currently tied with Oklahoma City and Memphis for the second best Last 10 games record in the Western Conference, just behind the Clippers’ 8-2.
No question LeBron James has been the reason for the Lakers’ change of fortunes. The 33 year old James currently leads Los Angeles in four statistical categories, averaging 28.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game. That’s impressive because James is playing with a young cast around him while he is in his 16th NBA season already.
The last time out though, the Lakers suffered their second straight loss to the Orlando Magic 104-108. The Lakers failed to score in the final 2:24 of the game and they missed four three pointers in the final minute of the game which could have given them the lead. In the Lakers’ second to the last possession of the game, James kicked out to a wide open Kentavious Caldwell Pope with the Lakers down by two with 18.9 seconds to go. KCP missed and the Magic preserved the road win.
Los Angeles Lakers vs Denver Nuggets 11/27/18
Moneyline Odds: Lakers +150, Nuggets -170
Odds from gtbets.eu as of 11/27/18
Finding Their Way Back
After an impressive 9-1 start, the Denver Nuggets went on a funk, winning just one out of their next seven games. But after the early bump, the young and talented Nuggets have found their way back with three straight wins, including back to back road wins over the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Oklahoma City Thunder who are a combined 15-6 at home this season.
Second leading scorer Gary Harris remains day to day for the Nuggets and would be sorely missed if he doesn’t suit up against a high scoring team like the Lakers. Harris missed Saturday’s game against the Thunder with ankle problems. He is averaging 16.8 points per game for Denver this season.
Who Wins?
The Lakers are 3-1 SU in their last 4 games played and are 5-4 SU in 9 road games played this season. Meanwhile, the Nuggets are also 3-1 SU in their last 4 games played and are 8-3 SU in 11 home games played this season. Head to head, the Lakers are 3-2 SU in their last 5 games played but the Nuggets are 4-1 SU in their last five meetings in Denver.
The Lakers are slowly putting together the pieces. They have won seven out of their last nine games and have showed improved defense. The Nuggets meanwhile have recovered from their recent dry spell and have gotten their bearings back. The Lakers beat the Nuggets 121-114 in Los Angeles last October 26th but you bet the Nuggets want that one back. Playing at home this time around gives them an edge. The Nuggets are 8-3 at home this season.
The Lakers are coming off a disappointing loss to the Orlando Magic and obviously, they want to bounce back here. The Nuggets enter this game after an impressive win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. I think this is a close game and in such games, I like the home team and the one who has the momentum heading to the game. Denver gets the nod on both. The Lakers have been good this season but are also very inconsistent.
We’re picking the Denver Nuggets to beat the Los Angeles Lakers on 11/2718.
Other Bets To Make
The Lakers are only 7-12 ATS in 19 games played this season and are 4-5 ATS in 9 road games played so far. Meanwhile, the Nuggets are 11-9 ATS in 20 games played this season and are 7-4 ATS in 11 home games played so far. Head to head, the Nuggets are 6-4 ATS in their last 10 meetings against the Lakers but Los Angeles is 2-1 ATS in their last three games played. When playing in Denver, the Nuggets are 4-0 ATS in their last four meetings.
Los Angeles Lakers vs Denver Nuggets 11/27/18
Spread Odds: Lakers +4 (-109), Nuggets -4 (-109)
Odds from gtbets.eu as of 11/27/18
The average scoring difference in their last 10 head to head meetings is +4.1 in favor of the Nuggets so this has been a closely fought series with Denver winning 6 out of the last 10 games ATS. This has been a close series lately with their last three meetings decided by fewer than 10 points. This one should be no different but since Denver is at home and they have beaten the Lakers by at least nine points in their last four meetings at the Pepsi Center, I expect the home team to cover the spread.
Prediction: Nuggets -4
The under is 11-7-1 in the Lakers’ 19 games this season and the total has gone under in 5 out of their 9 road games played so far. The under is 13-6-1 in the Nuggets’ 20 games played so far this season and the total has also gone under in six out of their 11 home games this season. Head to head though, the over is 7-2-1 in their last 10 meetings and the total has gone over in 3 out of the last 4 meetings in Denver.
Los Angeles Lakers vs Denver Nuggets 11/27/18
Over/Under Odds: Over 215 -109, Under 215 -109
Odds from gtbets.eu as of 11/27/18
The Nuggets are one of the top defensive teams in the league and Los Angeles has picked up defensively since the arrival of Tyson Chandler. But these teams are known to have high scoring games against each other. The over is 19-5-2 in their last 26 meetings, has hit seven times in their last 10 meetings and the over is likewise an overwhelming 10-2 in their last dozen meetings at the Pepsi Center. In their first game this season, they combined for 235 points. These are two teams who love to score against each other. I don’t think it changes on Tuesday night.
Prediction: Over 215
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