The Lakers bring their sparkling 22-5 road record to the Pepsi Center, where Denver has won 18 of its last 22. The road team has won the last three meetings between these rivals, but LA is just 1-5 ATS in its last six visits to the Mile High City.
- Date/Time: February 12, 10 p.m.
- Arena: Pepsi Center
- TV Coverage: ESPN, Altitude Sports, Spectrum SportsNet, Sportsnet One
- Sportsbook Odds: Lakers -1 / O/U 219.5
- Lakers vs Nuggets Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
You won’t often see the Nuggets as underdogs on their home court, and Denver has thrived in that role under head coach Michael Malone. The Nuggets are 8-4 SU and ATS in their last 12 when catching points at the Pepsi Center.
Los Angeles News & Notes
After challenging his team to finish the first half of the season strong, Lakers coach Frank Vogel got what he wanted on Monday. LA routed the visiting Suns 125-100, holding Phoenix to 42 percent from the field and dominating the glass to the tune of 59-29 — including a 16-3 advantage in offensive rebounds.
The dominant performance also allowed Vogel to spread out the minutes as nine different players saw at least 15 minutes of court time and no one played more than Anthony Davis’ 31 minutes. Six Lakers scored at least 12 points, including a season-high 23 from Rajon Rondo on 9-of-13 shooting.
Avery Bradley continued his torrid shooting from behind the arc as well, knocking down three of four attempts to improve to 11-for-15 in his last three games and 18-for-29 in his last five. LA’s balanced attack has helped the Lakers score 125 points or more in four of their last five games.
LeBron and company also tend to take the Lake Show on the road, where they’ve won 22 of their last 26 and scored 125-plus points in six of their last 10. The OVER has cashed in eight of LA’s last 10 road games and in 11 of the Lakers’ last 15 overall.
Denver News & Notes
The Nuggets are off to their best 54-game start in franchise history after Monday’s improbable 127-120 win over San Antonio, when Denver overcame a 23-point deficit in the second half. Point guard Jamal Murray sparked the comeback, overcoming an ankle injury that nearly forced him out of the game and scoring 14 points in the final frame.
“I pride myself on playing through pain,” said Murray, who reinjured the left ankle that cost him 10 games in the middle of January. During Denver’s four-game win streak, the 22-year-old is averaging 28.3 points on 58.9 percent shooting from the floor and a 48.4 percent success rate from downtown.
Denver has now won 18 of its last 22 games at the Pepsi Center, although one of those losses came to the Lakers — a 105-96 defeat in early December. LA outrebounded the Nuggets 56-35 in that contest, an issue Denver cleaned up in a rematch three weeks later in LA. The Lakers had just one more rebound than the Nuggets (45-44) as Denver romped 128-104.
Betting Pick: Lakers -1
Look for the Lakers to be motivated to avenge their 24-point loss to Denver in their most recent meeting.
- The OVER is 11-4 in the Lakers’ last 15 games.
- The Nuggets are 16-7 ATS in their last 23 at home vs teams with winning road records.
- The Lakers are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 road games vs the Nuggets.
