The Denver Nuggets welcome the Los Angeles Lakers to the Pepsi Center. Action begins at 9:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Dec. 22 and can be seen on ALT, TWC and C+D.
The Nuggets are hoping for a better outcome after their 130-125 loss to the Pelicans on Sunday. Despite the loss, Will Barton earned his second double-double this season with 32 points and 10 rebounds. The Lakers, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their deflating 118-78 loss against the Thunder on Saturday. Lou Williams had a team-high 20 points.
Kobe Bryant has upped his play for the Lakers, averaging 18.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 0.8 steals, and 2.2 three-pointers over the past five games.
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Nuggets winning the first matchup 120-109. Kenneth Faried finished with 28 points and 15 rebounds.
The Nuggets come into this game 11-16 Straight Up (SU) and 12-13-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 8-13 SU and 10-10-1 ATS against the Western Conference.
Over on the other bench, the Lakers have 4-23 SU and 9-18 ATS records. Against the Western Conference, Los Angeles is 0-14 SU and 1-13 ATS.
Denver beat Los Angeles in their most recent meeting this season, bumping its SU record to 9-1 over the Lakers in their last 10 meetings. With an 8-2 record, the Nuggets also have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Den
Notes
Denver is 5-8-2 ATS in its last 15 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Denver’s last 5 games.
Denver is 5-11 SU in its last 16 games.
Denver is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games at home.
Denver is 2-5-1 ATS in its last 8 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Denver’s last 8 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Denver’s last 12 games when playing LA Lakers.
Denver is 10-1 SU in their last 11 games when playing LA Lakers.
Denver is 6-1 SU in their last 7 games when playing at home against LA Lakers.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Denver’s last 7 games when playing at home against LA Lakers.
LA Lakers are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games when playing on the road against Denver.
On average, Los Angeles scores 96.6 points per game (ranked 26th), while Denver allows 103.4 points per game (ranked 23rd).
Los Angeles and Denver are well matched, ranking 25th in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Los Angeles puts up an average of 95.0 points on the road, while Denver gives up 104.6 points at home on average.
When Denver allows fewer than 100 points, the team has a poor 3-8 record this season. Los Angeles also has an underachieving record when it scores fewer than 100 (1-17).
The Denver Nuggets are an even 8-8 when they allow their opponent to score 100 or more points. The Los Angeles Lakers have a subpar record of 3-6 this season when they reach the century mark.
The Lakers have a defensive rating of 109.4 (ranked 29th). The Nuggets rank 21st for their offensive rating of 101.3.
Denver averages fewer possessions per game than Los Angeles, with 97.4 compared to 99.2. However, the Nuggets score an average of 1.013 points per possession, more than the .974 that the Lakers score.
The Denver Nuggets average an effective field goal percentage of 48.1% this season. The Los Angeles Lakers have an abysmal record of 2-18 when opponents have an EFF% of 48.1% or greater.
On average, the Denver Nuggets make 22.0 assists per game and the Los Angeles Lakers make 18.4. Denver is ranked 12th, while Los Angeles is ranked 28th.
Denver makes an average of 4.8 blocks per game (ranked 16th), while Los Angeles makes 4.5 blocks per game (ranked 19th).
Denver is ranked fourth in offensive rebounding. Los Angeles ranks 22nd in defensive rebounds.
On average, Denver makes 7.5 steals per game. Los Angeles is a subpar 3-13 when it gives up at least 7 steals.
