LAKERS HOLD OFF NUGGETS FOR OPENING GAME WIN

The Los Angeles Lakers withstood a tough challenge from the Denver Nuggets in game one of their NBA Western Conference Final series before emerging with a 105-103 victory at the Staples Center on Tuesday night.   Kobe Bryant scored 40 points in the win and was crucial down the stretch as the Lakers mounted a fourth quarter charge for the come-from-behind victory.  Kobe’s performance outshined the Nuggets’ Carmelo Anthony who scored 38 points in the losing cause.

While the Lakers may have won the straight up victory, the Nuggets’ strong performance rewarded sports bettors with a game one underdog victory.  Denver’s two point loss allowed them to cover the +6’ point spread, and maintained their amazing postseason success against the number.  The Nuggets have covered every one of their playoff games to date, representing 11 straight ATS victories.  The 208 combined points went UNDER the 213’ total, representing the first time in their last five playoff contests that the Nuggets have failed to exceed the total.  The Lakers, meanwhile, have gone UNDER in five straight and 9 of their last eleven postseason games.

Kobe Bryant led all scorers with his dominant 40 point outing, including a 9 for 9 mark at the free throw line during the Lakers’ crucial fourth quarter run.  Pau Gasol contributed a ‘double/double’ of 13 points and 14 rebounds, while Derek Fisher also chipped in for 13 points.  Carmelo Anthony led Denver with 38 points, while Chauncey Billups (18 points), Kenyon Martin (15 points) and Nene(14 points) all scored in double digits for the Nuggets.

It was the eighth time that Kobe had scored 40+ points in the playoffs, and after the game he noted that once he saw his teammate’s lack of intensity he knew he had to take over:

"Once I sensed we didn't have the energy, I had to take it upon myself to lead by example. It's just part of my responsibilities to this team." 

Los Angeles coach Phil Jackson credited Kobe’s effort with giving his team the victory:

"He was the scoring opportunity for us. We had very little else going on. He muscled his way through."

Nuggets’ head coach George Karl dismissed suggestions that his team earned a ‘moral victory’ with the near miss loss:

"There's no moral victories in playoff basketball. The next 48 hours are going to be difficult. They have the best closer in the sport and we didn't do enough."

The Lakers are a 5’ point favorite for Thursday’s game two, with the total set at 210’.  Despite the game one loss to the number, the home team has dominated the pointspread series in recent years—the Lakers have won 8 of the last 9 games at home against the Nuggets straight up, going 7-2 against the spread.    Of course recent pointspread form greatly favors the Nuggets, and they’ll be trying to run their remarkable ATS cover streak to twelve straight games.