NBA Playoff Parlay – Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets

The L.A. Lakers travel to Denver for Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals with a chance to end the series and march into the NBA Finals.

L.A. was very good in Game 5 with key players Pau Gasol blocking 5 shots and Lamar Odom providing 19 points and 14 rebounds.

L.A. is going to need that type of production from Gasol and Odom again if they wish to end the series on Friday night.

Let’s take a look at tonight’s NBA Playoff Parlay.

Game-day: 5/29/2009

Tip-off: 9:00 pm est.

NBA Playoff Parlay: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets

Point Spread: Denver -5 ½

BetOnline Total: 208 ½

Analysis: It’s obvious that if the Lakers role players do their job that the Denver Nuggets just aren’t as good as L.A. That, of course, is if the Lakers’ role players do their job.

I don’t believe they will on Friday night. L.A. has a tendency to provide a fantastic game one night and then sit on their laurels and rest the next night. Denver will be fired up for this game. I expect that point guard Chauncey Billups for the Nuggets to be more aggressive on the offensive end of the court. Billups is always trying to get his teammates involved. That’s usually a good thing, but Denver’s backs are up against the wall in this series. Billups will put the pressure on himself to get the job done.

I see Denver covering the spread in this.

As far as the over/under is concerned, the under once again appears to be the wager. Only one game out of the five went over. I don’t believe it happens in this game because Denver should shut down the Lakers early and an L.A. team that knows it can win a Game 7 at home, that is still somewhat soft in the middle, and that most likely will forget to play after getting down early, won’t be able to put up the amount of points that it did in Game 5.

L.A. loses by quite a few points in this one and the game goes under 208 ½.

Pick: Denver Nuggets at -5 ½ to the under 208 ½.