The late game on TNT on Friday night in NBA betting should be a good one as the Los Angeles Lakers visit the Denver Nuggets.
The Lakers are coming off a loss at Dallas on Wednesday while the Nuggets beat Oklahoma City. Gamblers making an NBA bet at SBG will probably take the Lakers even though Denver is playing better having won four of their last five games.
Defense a Problem
The Nuggets and Lakers are not playing much defense lately so this could be a high scoring game. The Lakers have dropped to 11th in the league in points allowed per game and they played very little defense on Wednesday as they gave up 109 points to Dallas. It was so bad that the Lakers actually gave up 21 points to Jason Kidd who has done virtually nothing this season. The Lakers allowed Dallas to shoot 55% from the field. Denver is even worse on defense as they are 24th in the league in points allowed. The Nuggets have won four of their last five but it is not because of their defense.
Carmelo Anthony Saga
The Nuggets have played better lately even though the saga regarding a Carmelo Anthony trade is still hanging over their head. The Nets pulled out of the running for Carmelo but now it appears that the Knicks and Bulls may be back in the running. Denver has ignored the distractions better in the last week but it may all start anew with the Nets pulling out. Denver is a good team with Carmelo scoring and playing well. When he is distracted and not playing well the Nuggets have virtually no chance to win.
Game Trends
The Lakers are 1-4 in NBA betting in their last 5 Friday games. The Lakers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall. The Lakers are 0-3-1 ATS in their last 4 road games. The Nuggets are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 home games. The Nuggets are 5-17 ATS in their last 22 Friday games. In this series, the home team is 3-1-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings. The Lakers are 1-4 ATS in the last 5 meetings in Denver. This should be a high scoring game but as you make an NBA bet you should remember that the Under is 4-1 in the Lakers last 5 vs. the Northwest. The Under is 24-9 in the Lakers last 33 overall. In this series, the Under is 8-3 in the last 11 meetings in Denver.