LA Lakers at Denver Nuggets (-2) Betting Odds

Los Angeles (55-22, 32-43-2 ATS) has won just twice in its last six outings. The Lakers gave a pitiful effort at home last Sunday, losing 100-81 to the San Antonio Spurs. Victories have been just as rare at the sportsbook-the team has covered just four of its last 10 games on NBA odds. Taking to the road won't make things any easier for Los Angeles; the Lakers are just 1-3 against the spread in their past four games away from home.

The Lakers aren't in any danger of losing first-place in the Western Conference, but they picked an odd time to slump with the playoffs so close. Los Angeles could certainly used improved play from Kobe Bryant. The All-Star is averaging 23.5 points per game over his last two outings, but he went just 13-47 from the field (27.6 percent). Quite frankly, that's awful. Pau Gasol has tried carrying the load in the meantime; the big center is averaging 23.6 points and 12.8 rebounds over his last five games, both improvements over his season averages of 17.8 PPG and 11.2 PPG.

Denver (51-27, 33-39-6 ATS) has ended a recent slump with a three-game winning streak. The Nuggets earned a big road victory Wednesday night by beating Oklahoma City 98-94. The victory gives Denver two wins against the spread in its last three games but, over the past few weeks, the team has been a disaster on NBA odds. The Nuggets are 2-7-1 against the spread in their last 10 games. Playing at the Pepsi Center doesn't make much of a difference, either-Denver is 1-4 against the spread in its last five home games.

Chauncey Billups exploded against the Thunder last night, racking up a team-high 31 points in the win. Billups had suffered a scoring-outage during the Nuggets' recent slump, but he's bounced back to average 22.0 points during the winning streak. Carmelo Anthony, on the other hand, has seen his average dip. He leads Denver with 28.4 points per game but that number is a much more modest 21.8 over Anthony's last five starts.

The Nuggets and Lakers have shared a very close series over the past few seasons. Los Angeles leads the way with six wins in their past 10 meetings, though Denver has a 5-4-1 edge against the spread in that span. They've split their past six games both over and under the total, with the last one going under. BetED.com has the total at 204.

Game Pick - Prediction
Take the Lakers