The L.A. Lakers were firing on all cylinders during Game 1 of the Western Conference Quarter Finals against the Denver Nuggets. The Lakers won 128-114 at home in spectacular fashion and you know the Nuggets will be changing their game plan for tonight’s Game 2. Oddsmakers at SBGglobal.com have the Lakers as 8-point favs over the Nuggets with the over/under listed at 229. Get your NBA Playoff Prediction in now at SBGglobal.com
The Lakers Pau Gasol had a huge night for his team in Game 1 as he contributed 36pts and pulled down 16 rebounds in 44 minutes of play. He had seven dunks and five layups; he was by far the main man on offense. Kobe Bryant had 32pts and made only 9 of 26 from the field. The Nuggets main focus was on Kobe, which left the door wide open for Gasol. "I guess they will try to allow us to shoot more from the outside, pack the lane a little more," Gasol said after practice Tuesday. "I'm going to make reads, just like I always try to do, and take advantage of what they give us. They load up on Kobe (Bryant) a lot. That allowed us to find open guys on the weak side." The Lakers bench chipped in with 32pts with Luke Walton the main bread winner with 16pts. As a team they shot 50% from the field, 45% from the 3-point line and they made 84% of their free throws. They outplayed Denver in every possible way. The Lakers are 8-0 SU at home and 3-0 ATS in their last three games.
The Nuggets need to revamp their defense if they want to get past the Lakers. They’ll try to pack the lane more, forcing the Lakers to make more perimeter shots. They’ve decided to swap guard Anthony Carter with Linas Kleiza, Carter had a low 4pts on the night making 2 of 4 shots compared to Kleiza who had 23pts off the bench. Kleiza will add more defense, as well as offense, as the Nuggets start one of their better running lineups. Kleiza’s main job will be to stop Gasol. "I have to take his layups away," Kleiza said. "It's not going to be easy. But he never really did beat anybody 1-on-1. They did a great job of finding him under the basket. We tried to fix that yesterday and today. That's what we are trying to do. It wasn't like he was unstoppable. He just had a bunch of good looks." The Nuggets are 0-4 SU against the Lakers this season.
Recent Trends to Consider
- Nuggets are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 playoff games as an underdog of 5.0-10.5.
- Nuggets are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 playoff games as an underdog.
- Nuggets are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 Conference Quarterfinals games.
- Lakers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
- Lakers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a favorite.
- Lakers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
- Lakers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 vs. Western Conference.
GAME: Denver Nuggets (50-33) at L.A. Lakers Lakers (58-25)
DATE/TIME: Wednesday, April 23 – 10:30 PM EST
LINE: SBGglobal.com TOTAL: 229
PICK: Lakers -8
The Bottom Line: The Lakers have deadly offense and good defense while Denver struggles on defense. The Lakers put up the most points in the fourth quarter than any other team. Get your NBA Playoff Prediction in now at SBGglobal.com and receive a 10% sign-up bonus on your initial deposit.
