Thursday, May 17th, 2012
Carmelo Anthony and the Denver Nuggets will do battle with Kobe Bryant and the LA Lakers in an NBA pro basketball game on Sunday afternoon. Tip off time at Staples Center in Los Angeles is scheduled for 3:30PM Eastern Time with national television coverage by ABC.
The LVSC NBA odds makers set the opening point spread in this game and the LA Lakers were opened as 6 point betting favorites with the over under coming in at 211.
The early money from the NBA bettors have not moved this point spread, as the LA Lakers are currently a 6 point favorite. The total has seen movement downward, as the over under is currently lined at 208 ½ for the betting public to play into.
Money line gamblers on the side of the LA Lakers will find -260 odds.
Those looking to make a score on the Denver Nuggets on the money line will be dealt +220 odds for the road team to pull off the straight up win with no need for taking points.
This will be the third meeting of the regular season between these Eastern Conference heavyweights on Sunday. The Denver Nuggets have swept both games this season. It was the Denver Nuggets with the 105-79 home victory as a 4-½ point betting favorite on November 13th. The teams then met at Staples Center and it was the Denver Nuggets with the 126-113 upset road victory as an 8-point underdog on February 5th. The Nuggets were extremely hot from the field in their victory at Staples Center with 57% shooting from the field and 68% from beyond the arc.
The Lakers bounced back in the win column after their loss at Dallas with a 99-90 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night as 11-point home favorites. After losing the rebounding battle by margin over their past two games it was LA with the 58-49 advantage on the glass in victory. The Lakers hold the best record in the Western Conference at 44-15 just 4-½ games ahead of the Denver Nuggets. Kobe Bryant playing his third game back from injury contributed with 19 points on 7 of 16 shooting against the 76ers. Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum contributed with a combined 43 points and 24 boards.
The Denver Nuggets sit at 39-19 in the Western Conference and they are sitting in the second seed with 24 games remaining. They are only 1 ½ games ahead of the Dallas Mavericks and the Utah Jazz who are both tied for the third seeds in the west. The Nuggets have been good to their supporters this season in an underdog role as they are 8-2 ATS when getting points. The Nuggets enter this game winner of three straight. After pounding Golden St 127-112 on Thursday night they went back home a dealt the Detroit Pistons a 107-102 loss the following night in Denver. The game was close against the Pistons because the Nuggets had a bad night on the boards allowing the Pistons a 61-46 rebounding advantage. Playing the back end of a back-to-back Nuggets veteran forward Carmelo Anthony had an off night against the Pistons with 8 of 25 shooting from the field in victory.
Trend: LA Lakers are 0-5 ATS in their past 5 games
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