The Denver Nuggets will be on the back end of a back to back as they battle the rested LA Lakers in an NBA pro basketball game on Sunday night. Tip off time from Staples Center in LA is scheduled for 9:30PM Eastern Time with national television coverage provided by the NBA League Pass Channel.
The point spread from this NBA game will come out on Sunday afternoon as Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson is listed as probable with a foot injury.
The teams have met twice this season with each club winning and covering the spread on their home court. Each game went over the total. Trend: The over is 4-1 in their past five head to head meetings.
Denver is 8-14 on the road this season. They bounce back from an ugly home loss to Minnesota on Thursday by defeating the Utah Jazz last night by the score of 110-91 as a -10 point betting favorite. The game went under the total of 201 ½ points. That was the four games in five that the Nuggets have held an opponent under 100 points. There has been a vast improvement on the defensive end by Denver as they hold teams to just 43% shooting ranking third in the NBA in field goal defense.
The Lakers are 10-7 at home. They just can’t seem to get any traction to the season. There was promise when Steve Nash returned from injury but the team has suddenly lost two straight and three of four games. They come off the 107-102 road defeat on Friday night to the LA Clippers as a -4 ½ point betting favorite. The game landed over 207 points. In all three losses the Lakers surrendered over 100 points. They rank 25th in the NBA in scoring defense by allowing 100 points a game. With Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol down low there is no excuse for being the 17th ranked team in defensive field goal percentage but they are as they give up nearly 45% shooting. Pau Gasol has not adapted to the many coaching changes in LA. He is shooting just 41% from the floor and averaging 12 points a game. Gasol is now launching three point shots in this offense.
