Bettors studying money line on Nuggets for Game 2

If you played the Nuggets in the opener of the Western Conference playoffs, you have to be feeling mighty good taking home a relatively comfortable winner. Denver led throughout the game, taking the action to the Lakers, out-hustling them throughout many points of the contest. It was clear from the opening tip what team was coming off seven game series and what team was rested. In the end, Kobe Bryant proved comments made by former Los Angeles Hall-of Famer and previous architect Jerry West, suggesting LeBron James might be the best player in the game, could be premature at least for another month or so.

Bryant in the fourth quarter surveyed his teammate’s body language and later said, "Once I sensed we didn't have the energy," said Bryant. "I had to take it upon myself." And did he ever, scoring 18 points, despite grappling with Carmelo Anthony, showing elusive moves that WWE promoter Vince McMahon would be proud of, as the Lakers escaped 105-103 as 6.5-point favorites.

Most NBA teams would be kicking themselves for not taking advantage of opportunity like Denver missed. While statistical analysis is often hard to make concrete judgments from for one game, no such issue here. Denver shoot a much greater percentage than the Lakers (48.6 vs 41.1), were more effective, especially in the first half in getting to the free throw line (35 vs 24 attempts) and scored five more points off of turnovers (17 vs 12) than L.A. did.

But these Nuggets were not panicked or crestfallen, they believe they are the Lakers equal and know the 12 missed free throws were the difference.

“Win or lose, good or bad, you've got to have a short memory," Chauncey Billups insisted. “Game 1 is always a feel-out game, see what teams are doing, what is going on. You make your adjustments for Game 2."

Denver is now 11-0 ATS in the postseason and as Billups said, “I'm disappointed, but I'm not mad,"

The Nuggets have to make adjustments and be like top notch salesmen, always be closing. They are 19-5 ATS after playing a game as a road underdog this season and even received a compliment, though backhanded from Lakers coach Phil Jackson. "I think they outplayed us and we won the game."-said the Zen Master, playing his usual mental games.

DiamondSportsbook.com has lowered the number for Game 2 to the Lakers favored by 5.5-points, with total also shrinking to 210.5. Denver is a +200 money line play to win the game outright and we asked Mr. East of Playbook.com about what he thinks about next game and wagering opportunities.

“I think Denver played about the way they have played for the past two months, solid effort, came up short. They didn't get outplayed by the Lakers, they lost the game by missing 12 free throws, uncharacteristic, especially watching Billups, who misses once in a solar eclipse, miss three straight.” said Mr. East.

He went add key points and opinions, “They are every bit as good a team as the Lakers, and game two will be equally close. One wise man told me, the team in need is the team indeed, so I look for even a more intense effort from Denver in game 2. Home teams winning game 1 in the conference finals are a horrid 11-20-3 ATS in game 2 since 1991. When they get a win and no cover, they are 1-4-2 ATS, so when the visitor shows they can play, they have come back to go 11-4-2 ATS in game 2 off an ATS or outright loss.

Looking for Denver to get the cover, and 50-50 for the outright win.”

The Nuggets are 40-21 ATS when the total is greater than or equal to 200 and 21-10 ATS revenging a loss vs opponent this season. Denver is 14-6 UNDER as an underdog of 3.5 to 9.5 points this NBA campaign.

Watch the total, as the Lakers continue to be poor wager when the number is 210 or higher with 13-22 ATS mark. The team in gold uniforms is 27-14 UNDER as a favorite of 3.5 to 9.5 points and 13-4 UNDER when leading in a playoff series over the last two years.

The action will again commence at the Staples Center at 9:05 Eastern on ESPN, with bettors pondering the points and money line on the Nuggets, who are 17-3 against the ML after allowing 100 points or more three straight games.

Denver Earning Respect

Coach George Karl has been around basketball his entire life, playing at North Carolina, a solid ABA and NBA player and later a coach. His reputation as NBA head coach is somewhere between above average to never rated in top five. This is his fifth stop on the professional coaching trail. Though he’s won over 900 games as NBA coach, he’s probably known more for his team’s failures than success. As coach of Seattle (1992–1998), Karl's 1994 squad won 63 games, yet flamed out when Sonics were upset in the first round by the Denver Nuggets, making them the first number one seed in NBA history to fall to an eight seed.

After departing Seattle, Karl was lured by lucrative contract to Milwaukee and immediately helped turn around a moribund franchise, which culminated in a losing in seven games in the 2001 Eastern Finals to Philadelphia, led by Allen Iverson.

Karl had been reunited with Iverson, this time as his coach in Denver, however it was obvious to veteran NBA followers, Iverson was not a facilitator and they traded him to Detroit for Chauncey Billups. The former Piston embraced returning home to Colorado and his new teammates appreciated the pass-first mentality.

Denver looked headed down another nice season only to be dismissed in the first round of the playoffs, especially after losing a third straight game in early March, the last at home, to a tougher-minded Houston team.

Whatever happened at that point, only the players and coaches know, but the Nuggets as a team scrapped the “soft” label and finished the year 14-3 (10-7 ATS), winning the Northwest Division with franchise-tying 54 victories and securing number two seed in the Western Conference.

The next test was beating New Orleans in opening round of playoffs. Yes, the Hornets were banged up, but that wasn’t Denver’s problem, they had enough playoff failures to write an e-book. The Nuggets completely neutralized the Hornets the first two games on home court to take 2-0. Denver had upper hand early against New Orleans in Game 3, but the Hornets fought their way back to victory 95-93.

This placed onus on a better Denver team to standup and prove they deserved second seed and did they ever. A 36-15 first quarter blitz left New Orleans with no gear to find to comeback and the Nuggets seared them 121-63. Denver's 58-point win matched the most lopsided victory in NBA playoff history, since the Minneapolis Lakers 133-75 blowout of the St. Louis Hawks in 1956. Without digging into the research, taking a stab at saying the 59.5-point cover is the largest in postseason history.

Coach Karl considered Game 4 the most complete and efficient game in his coaching career and now wants his club to go for the kill and polish off New Orleans. Denver is 16-5 ATS after playing as road underdog and is on the verge of winning first playoff series in 15 years and first best of seven in 24 years.

Denver understands the professional pride aspect of the Hornets losing in such a manner and they have to be prepared for New Orleans best shot. "I don't think we're overconfident," Anthony Carter said. "We weren't overconfident on the bus ride from the area. It was quiet like we just lost. We weren't playing loud music, celebrating or none of that." The Nuggets are 10-4 ATS after scoring 100 or more points.

Oddsmakers, like those at BetJamaica.com believe in coach Karl’s team after four covers in four games and have installed them as 10-point favorites, the highest figure of the series. Denver is 8-3 ATS after covering the number. The total has gone back up heading back to the Mile High city to 197 and Carmelo Anthony and friends are 9-3 OVER as favorites.

It’s a tall mountain for New Orleans to climb, as Chris Paul looked thoroughly spent in having one of the worst games of his career after playing 46 minutes in Game 3 and they are 7-20 as road underdogs and 14-2 UNDER after trailing in their previous game by 20 or more points at the half.

Denver goes for knockout on TNT at 10:35 Eastern, with Hornets 5-15 ATS as a road underdog of 6.5 to 12 points, losing by average of 11.2 points a game.