NBA Playoff Odds: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets Game 3
The Denver Nuggets were able to even the score with a 106-103 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 to steal away the home court advantage. Now the series shifts to the Mile High City with Denver trying to hold serve. You can catch Game 3 Saturday, May 23rd at 8:30 pm EST on ABC. NBA odds makers expect Denver to take a 2-1 series lead, listing the Nuggets as 3.5-point favorites with the total set at 211.
Recent history suggests the Lakers have had the Nuggets’ number, winning 12 of 17 meetings over the last three seasons, but Denver has proved through the first two games of this series that it is prepared to give the defending Western Conference champs more than they bargained for. Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups were big for the Nuggets once again in Game 2, scoring 34 and 27 points respectively. Heading into the series, it appeared the Nuggets would have an advantage with their bench. That hasn’t been the case as J.R. Smith, who has been Denver’s third scoring option in the postseason, has really struggled. He scored only three points in Game 2. But the Nuggets did get a spark off the pine from Linas Kleiza, who scored 16 points in just over 21 minutes of play. With Denver’s Game 2 victory, the Nuggets improved to 12-0 against the spread in the playoffs (according to closing lines). If you think Denver can improve to 13-0 against the spread by winning Game 3 by four or more points, bet the Nuggets at -3.5 at BetUS and receive up to 145 percent in sign up bonuses.
The Lakers got 32 points in another superb effort from Kobe Bryant, but it wasn’t enough to take a commanding 2-0 series lead. The Lakers are certainly capable of stealing home court right back with a Game 3 win, just as they did in the Western Conference Semis against the Rockets. The Lakers are 31-15 on the road this season. For the Lakers to win, they are going to need to get more production from the point guard position. Derek Fisher, Jordan Farmar, and Shannon Brown combined for only 13 points with starting point guard Derek Fisher scoring only three points. They only combined for seven assists also. Chauncey Billups is dominating the point guard battle and the Laker guards are going to have to put pressure on him with their offense to make him work more on the defensive end. Otherwise, he will continue to play big minutes and get big points. Defense is usually not in the vocabulary of these two high powered offensive teams, but the team that plays the best defense is going to win this series. The Lakers were able to step up on the defensive end to beat the Rockets at their own game to win the Western Conference Semis. Now they must step up on the defensive end again or they could face a 2-1 deficit. If you like Los Angeles to bounce back in Game 3, bet the Lakers at +3.5 at BetUS.
Bet on the NBA Playoffs Saturday night with Jimmy Boyd’s NBA expert picks!
