NBA Betting Preview
Los Angeles Lakers at Denver Nuggets (Lakers lead 3-0)
Monday, 10:35 pm Eastern – TNT

SBG Global Opening Line: Lakers  - 3 , Total 228

The Los Angeles Lakers have dominated the Denver Nuggets in each of their first three games in their best of seven series and will try and close out the Nuggets on Monday.  Saturday’s 102-84 defeat for Denver was just about as bad as things could get as Carmelo Anthony called the entire team out for quitting.  Most of the starters for Denver didn’t play in the fourth quarter and they were not happy about it. “I have to coach the game,” Denver head coach George Karl said. “There’s no personal thing there. I wanted to try a different look. If the game would had gotten back in hand, I would have put him (Iverson) back in the game. In some ways I’m happy he’s angry because he wants to play and that’s fantastic.” SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Lakers on the Road.

The Lakers have completely controlled the Nuggets this season going a perfect 6-0 against them.  Denver needs to find a way to at least get some respect back on Monday. “Right now, we’ve just got to play with pride and forget about Xs and Os,” Denver’s Eduardo Najera said. “Forget about the triangle. Forget about guarding Kobe. Forget about everything.”  The Lakers expect to see a focused Denver team on Monday. “Close-out games are always very, very tough,” Kobe Bryant said. “They play loose and they tend to fight a lot more. It’s going to be tough.”

SBG Global Current Line: Lakers  -4.5 , Total 225.5

Here are the NBA betting stats for Monday’s game. The Lakers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 Conference Quarterfinals games. The Lakers are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games overall. The Lakers are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 Monday games.
The Lakers are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games as a road favorite. The Lakers are 20-7-1 ATS in their last 28 road games. The Lakers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 vs. the Northwest. The Lakers are 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings in Denver.

The Nuggets are 17-8 ATS in their last 25 home games. The Nuggets are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games as a home underdog. The Nuggets are 4-10 ATS in their last 14 vs. the Pacific. The Nuggets are 3-14 ATS in their last 17 Conference Quarterfinals games.

The Under is 5-2 in the Lakers last 7 road games. The Under is 12-5 in the Lakers last 17 Monday games.

The Under is 9-1 in the Nuggets last 10 games as a home underdog. The Under is 14-3 in the Nuggets last 17 playoff games as an underdog. The Under is 18-4 in the Nuggets last 22 Conference Quarterfinals games. The
Over is 15-7 in the Nuggets last 22 home games. The Under is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings between the two teams.

Take the Lakers, Nuggets have given up! 5units top play

NBA Playoff Betting Preview
Los Angeles Lakers at Denver Nuggets (Lakers lead 2-0)
Saturday, 5:35 pm Eastern – TNT

SBG Global Opening Line: Nuggets  -1 , Total 229.5

The Denver Nuggets haven’t been able to slow down Kobe Bryant and the Lakers so far but they hope their home court will provide them with enough of an advantage to get back in the series on Saturday.  The Nuggets were a sparkling 33-8 at home this season. “It’s our turn to hold serve,” Nuggets coach George Karl said, “It’s a great challenge, a lot of fun. The home court’s been kind of our biggest ally all year long.”  SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Lakers on the Road.

Denver hasn’t played any defense so far in this series, giving up an average of 125 points per game to the Lakers.  Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol have ripped them apart but the Nuggets believe things will turn around on Saturday. “My sense is all year long when this team had its true back to the wall, they’ve responded great and the home court’s been a big part of that,” Karl said. “I think there’s an energy out there. Statistically there’s all sorts of positives that come our way here. We play better defense here.”  They sure couldn’t play defense much worse than they did in Los Angeles.  The problem for the Nuggets is that they were next to last in the NBA this season allowing 107 points per game. Perhaps the home court advantage will be enough for Denver to make this a series. “I don’t think you’re going to see wholesale changes. They believe in their style of play,” the Lakers Derek Fisher said. “Defensively, I think they’ll play even more zone than we saw last night. I don’t expect them to do too many things differently than they’ve done so far. I just expect them to do them better on their home court.”

SBG Global Current Line: Nuggets  -1.5 , Total 230

The Lakers are only 4-6 in their last 10 road games in Denver.  Here are more NBA betting stats for Saturday’s game.  The Lakers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games overall. The Lakers are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games as a road underdog. The Lakers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 Conference Quarterfinals games. The Lakers are 19-7-1 ATS in their last 27 road games. The Lakers are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings in Denver.

The Nuggets are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games as a home favorite. The Nuggets are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 vs. the Pacific. The Nuggets are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall. The Nuggets are 3-13 ATS in their last 16 Conference Quarterfinals games. The favorite is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings between the two teams and the home team is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.

The Over is 8-2 in the Lakers last 10 Saturday games. The Over is 5-2 in the Lakers last 7 playoff games as an underdog. The Over is 7-3 in the Lakers last 10 Conference Quarterfinals games.

The Under is 17-4 in the Nuggets last 21 Conference Quarterfinals games. The Over is 15-6 in the Nuggets last 21 games as a home favorite.

All the numbers say Nuggets 4units!

NBA Betting Preview
Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Lakers (Lakers lead 1-0)
Wednesday, 10:35 pm Eastern – TNT

SBG Global Opening Line: Lakers  -7.5, Total 229

The Los Angeles Lakers will look to avoid a letdown in Game #2 on Wednesday as they host the Denver Nuggets.  The Lakers had little trouble in game one and are wary of the Nuggets coming out hard in game two. “The pressure’s still on us. We still have the pressure to win on our home court, play as hard as we did before.” Lakers’ head coach Phil Jackson said, “It’s very difficult for a team to come back with the same intensity.” SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Lakers at Home.

The Lakers were led in game one by Pau Gasol who had 36 points and 16 rebounds.  Gasol does not expect things to be as easy in game #2. “When Marcus left me, most of the time they didn’t cut off that second man. That second man helper didn’t get there on those rotations to me. I guess they will try to allow us to shoot more from the outside and not get in the lane as easy as we did. You’d rather give up open long shots than layups and dunks.”  The total on game #2 is almost five points higher than in game number one since the teams combined to score 242 points on Sunday.

SBG Global Current Line: Lakers  -8, Total 229

Here are the NBA betting stats for Wednesday’s game.  The Nuggets are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 Wednesday games. The Nuggets are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 playoff games as an underdog. The Nuggets are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 Conference Quarterfinals games. The Nuggets are 1-8 ATS in the last 9 meetings in Los Angeles.

The Lakers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a favorite. The Lakers are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games as a home favorite. The Lakers are 2-6-1 ATS in their last 9 playoff games as a favorite. The home team is 13-5 ATS in the last 18 meetings between the two teams.

The Under is 5-1 in the Nuggets last 6 overall. The Under is 13-3 in the Nuggets last 16 playoff games as an underdog. The Under is 16-5 in the Nuggets last 21 Conference Quarterfinals games.

The Over is 4-1 in the Lakers last 5 games as a home favorite. The Under is 6-2 in the Lakers last 8 Wednesday games. The Under is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings in Los Angeles between the two teams.

Nuggets will keep this one close. Nuggets +7.5 3units

NBA Playoff Betting Preview
Denver Nuggets (50-32) at Los Angeles Lakers (57-25) (Game 1)
Sunday, 3:05 pm Eastern – ABC

The top seeded Los Angeles Lakers open up the Western Conference playoffs at home against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.  The Lakers were 3-0 against the Nuggets during the regular season. This is the fourth time the teams have met in playoff history and the Lakers have won each of the previous three series.  Los Angeles is led by MVP candidate Kobe Bryant who led the team in scoring with 28.3 points per game.  The key to the Lakers getting the number one seed in the West was the trade with Memphis in which they got Pau Gasol.  Since that time the Lakers have thrived.  Gasol averaged 18.8 points and 7.8 rebounds in 27 games for the Lakers. The Lakers won their three games against Denver this season by an average of 16 points per game.

Check out the current line for this game at SBG Global.

The Nuggets are in the playoffs for the fifth straight season.  They have lost each of the last four years in the first round and are expected to lose to the Lakers in this series.  Allen Iverson led the Nuggets in scoring this season at 26.4 points per game while Carmelo Anthony was a close second at 25.7 points per game.

Here are the NBA betting stats for Sunday’s game.  The Nuggets are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 Sunday games. The Nuggets are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 playoff games as an underdog. The Nuggets are 1-7 ATS in the last 8 meetings in Los Angeles.

The Lakers are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 Sunday games. The Lakers are 2-7 ATS in their last 9 games as a home favorite. The Lakers are 1-6-1 ATS in their last 8 playoff games as a favorite. The home team is 12-5 ATS in the last 17 meetings between the two teams.

The Under is 5-0 in the Nuggets last 5 overall. The Under is 15-2 in the Nuggets last 17 Conference Quarterfinals games. The Under is 14-3 in the Nuggets last 17 playoff games as an underdog. The Under is 7-2 in the Nuggets last 9 Sunday games. The Under is 5-2 in the Nuggets last 7 road games.

The Over is 6-2 in the Lakers last 8 Conference Quarterfinals games. The Over is 5-2 in the Lakers last 7 games as a home favorite. The Under is 7-2 in the last 9 meetings in Los Angeles between the two teams.

Pick the Nuggets in the suprise winner of game 1. 3units

NBA Betting Preview
Los Angeles Lakers (53-25) at Los Angeles Clippers (23-55)
Thursday, 10:35 pm Eastern – TNT

SBG Global Opening Line: Lakers - 15.5, Total 208.5

The Los Angeles Lakers will look to complete a season sweep of the Clippers on Thursday. The Clippers have had a horrible season and are 13-27 in the arena they share with the Lakers. The Clippers have lost three straight and 11 of their last 13 at home. The Lakers are almost the exact opposite at Staples Center, going 27-11 in the arena. The Lakers will play their final three games of the season after Thursday night at home. The Lakers are still in the hunt for the top spot in the Western Conference. They hurt themselves on Tuesday though, losing 112-103 at Portland.
SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Lakers on the Road.

The Lakers are 3-0 against the Clippers this season but all of those wins were against a Clippers’ team that did not have forward Elton Brand. He is back in the lineup and that at least gives the Clippers a chance to pull off an upset in one of their remaining four games. “We just want to win some games,” Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said. “Against the teams that we are playing, obviously a victory will be of some consequence.” The problem for the Clippers is that they are missing other starters with injuries. Chris Kaman (sprained right ankle) and Corey Maggette (strained right hamstring) did not play on Tuesday against Denver and are questionable for Thursday. “Once we get healthy, it won’t be like this again,” said Brand, “We have the talent; we just have to get it on the court.”

SBG Global Current Line: Lakers - 15.5, Total 208.5

Here are the NBA betting stats for Thursday’s game. The Lakers are 16-5 ATS in their last 21 vs. the Pacific. The Lakers are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games as a road favorite. The Lakers are 23-9-1 ATS in their last 33 road games. The Lakers are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games as a favorite. The favorite is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings between the two teams and the Lakers are 6-2 ATS in the last 8 meetings.

The Clippers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 vs. the Pacific. The Clippers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall. The Clippers are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 home games.

The Under is 6-0 in the Lakers last 6 Thursday games. The Under is 8-2 in the Clippers last 10 games as a home underdog. The Under is 4-1 in the Clippers last 5 overall. The Under is 20-7 in the Clippers last 27 vs. the Pacific. The Under is 12-5 in the Clippers last 17 home games.

Pick Clippers +15.5 4units. Lakers dont need this game and it will be a close one.

Dallas Mavericks (47-28) at Los Angeles Lakers (51-24)
Friday, 10:35 pm Eastern – ESPN

SBG Global Opening Line: Lakers - 6, Total 208

The Mavericks and Lakers are very happy to see two of their top players return to the lineup. Dirk Nowitzki of the Mavericks and Pau Gasol of the Lakers both returned on Wednesday and the Mavericks and Lakers both got wins. The Lakers went 5-5 without Gasol and even though he only scored 10 points on Wednesday in the win against Portland, the Lakers are happy he is back. “I think he looked great,” said Kobe Bryant, “He looked good yesterday in practice and he played extremely well tonight.” Kobe has been excellent against the Mavericks in his career. He scored 40 points against them in January and 52 points against them on March 2^nd. SBG Global reports that early NBA betting has the public taking Lakers at Home.

The Mavericks getting Nowitzki is more important than the Lakers getting Gasol back. Dallas is still in danger of missing the playoffs and they badly need a healthy Nowitzki. The Mavericks routed the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday as Nowitzki returned and scored 18 points. “His presence is big on this team and we came out and played hard for him,” said Josh Howard, “He showed a lot of energy when he was on the court and that carried over to everyone.” Nowitzki had 35 points the last time the Lakers and Mavericks played when the Lakers won 102-100 on March 18^th.

SBG Global Current Line: Lakers - 5, Total 208

Here are the NBA betting stats for Friday’s game. The Mavericks are 5-2-2 ATS in their last 9 Friday games. The Mavericks are 8-17-3 ATS in their last 28 vs. the Pacific. The Mavericks are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games as a road underdog. The Mavericks are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games overall. The Mavericks are 2-7 ATS in their last 9 vs. the Western Conference. The Mavericks are 3-7 ATS in the last 10 meetings in Los Angeles but the

Underdog is 9-3-1 ATS in the last 13 meetings between the two teams.

The Lakers are 8-3-1 ATS in their last 12 Friday games. The Lakers are 1-6-1 ATS in their last 8 vs. the Southwest. The Lakers are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games as a favorite. The Lakers are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games as a home favorite.

The Over is 8-0 in the Mavericks last 8 games as a road underdog. The Under is 7-2-1 in the Mavericks last 10 Friday games. The Over is 9-3 in the Mavericks last 12 vs. the Pacific. The Over is 5-2 in the Mavericks last 7 road games. The Over is 9-2 in the Lakers last 11 Friday games.

Pick: Take the Mavericks +6 4units, for more NBA Betting Discussion visit the NBA Betting Forum