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NBA Playoff Odds: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets Game 6

Written by Jimmy Boyd

lakers-nugs-gm-6-52809 The Lakers took care of business at home Wednesday night with a 103-94 victory to pull ahead 3-2 in this best of seven series and to cash the tickets of backers. Now the series shifts back to Denver Friday for Game 6 with the Lakers having a shot to close out the series. You can catch the action at 9:00 pm EST on ESPN. NBA odds makers feel this one is going the distance, listing the Denver Nuggets as 5-point favorites with the total set at 209.

The Lakers and the Nuggets played each other to a standstill through the first three quarters with the score tied at the end of each of the first three periods, but in the end the Lakers prevailed with a 9-point home victory to take control of the series. While Kobe Bryant still led the Lakers in scoring with 22 points, he was not the one catching all the headlines after LA’s Game 5 win. Instead, it was Lamar Odom, who came off the bench to score 19 points, pull down 14 rebounds, and swat 4 shots. Head coach Phil Jackson referred to Odom as the X-factor. Odom been bothered by a back injury sustained during the course of the playoffs, and it appears to have been affecting his play, but perhaps Wednesday night’s effort is a sign that he is ready to bust out of his shell. One thing is for sure, when the Lakers get that kind of production from Odom, they are tough to beat. The Lakers also have to be pleased with their defense, holding the Nuggets to just 94 points – 11.1 points below their season average. Defense seems to be the recipe for success as LA was also able to hold Denver under the century mark in its Game 3 win in Denver. If you think Los Angeles can close out the series Friday night, bet the Lakers at +5 at BetUS and receive up to 145 percent in sign up bonuses.

Denver had a golden opportunity to take control of the series, leading twice by seven points in the third quarter, but it was not able to hold off the determined Lakers. Denver head coach George Karl expressed his distaste for the officiating in the kindest words possible in his post game press conference. “I thought they got the benefit of the whistle,” Karl said. “Every player in my locker room is frustrated, from guards to big guys. Gasol goes after at least 20 jump shots, 20 shots to the rim and gets one foul; our big guys have 16. Nene has six fouls, three or four of them don’t exist.” If the Nuggets want to win Game 6 and this series, they’ll have to put Game 5 behind them and they’ll have to defy the odds as the Lakers haven’t lost a best-of-7 series that was tied 2-2 after winning Game 5 since the 1969 NBA finals against Boston. Denver will be happy to see its home floor again where it is 40-9 on the season and 7-1 in these playoffs. Plus, the Nuggets are a perfect 4-0 straight up and against the spread following a defeat in the 2009 NBA Playoffs. If you like this trend to continue, bet the Nuggets at -5 at BetUS.

Bet on the NBA Playoffs with the help of Jimmy Boyd’s red hot NBA picks Friday night!

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