Banner -<a href='http://sports.bodoglife.com/welcome/71576/'>Online Sports Betting</a>at Bodog Sportsbook

Easy Deposits and Great Customer Service at Bodog!

NBA Playoff Odds: Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Lakers Game 5

Written by Jimmy Boyd

Nuggets Lakers gm 5 52609 All knotted up at two games a piece, following Denver’s 120-101 Game 4 victory, the series shifts back to Los Angeles for Game 5 on Wednesday, May 27th with the action airing on ESPN. NBA odds makers expect the Los Angeles to take care of business at home, listing the Lakers as 6-point favorites with the total set at 209.5.

George Karl was confident his team would answer the call and his intuition was correct as the Nuggets evened the series with a wire to wire win and an impressive 14.5-point cover. And the Nuggets were able to get the job done without a big game from Carmelo Anthony, who scored just 15 points on 3 of 16 shooting. Denver’s bench has been a big asset all season long and it finally broke out of its shell in this series on Monday night, outscoring the Laker bench 42 to 24. J.R. Smith was brilliant with 24 points and 4 assists. Early on, he took the ball to the basket for his own scoring opportunities and also to set up his teammates. That penetration set up wide open three-point opportunities later in the game. Chris “The Bird Man” Andersen came off the bench with a 14-rebound performance as well. It’s going to take another strong effort from the Denver bench, and Carmelo is going to have to show up in Game 5 for the Nuggets to have a chance. Denver figures to continue to dominate the point guard position with Chauncey Billups. Billups is averaging 22 points per game in the postseason and is coming off a 24-point night in Game 4. Lakers point guards Derek Fisher, Jordan Farmar, and Shannon Brown combined have not been able to match Billups’ output. If you think Denver can cover the spread in Game 5, bet the Nuggets at +6 at Bookmaker and get a 20 percent cash sign up bonus.

Mission accomplished for the Lakers. They were able to steal a game in Denver to regain home court. Now all they have to do is hold serve. Kobe Bryant has been sensational in this series, averaging 36.8 points per game, but he hasn’t received enough help from the supporting cast. Kobe has gone for 40-plus in both of LA’s wins in the Western Conference Finals and it may take another such effort to put LA back ahead in this series. The point guard position has been a weak spot, as I mentioned above, and the bench was a weak spot in Game 4. The Lakers got only 5 points from Lamar Odom last game, and that’s just not going to get the job done. Odom has only been in double figures once in the last six games. LA should also benefit from getting Pau Gasol more touches. He was 8 of 11 from the floor for 21 points in Game 4. He has shown the ability to score the ball and set up his teammates when catching it on the block. If you like Los Angeles to bounce back with a win and cover in Game 5, bet the Lakers at -6 at Bookmaker.

Cash in with your NBA betting by playing Jimmy Boyd’s NBA expert picks this postseason.

If you liked this article, you may also be interested in: