NBA Playoffs Basketball Matchup: Nuggets vs Lakers
Trailing 3-1 in the series, the Denver Nuggets bounced back with two straight wins to tie their first round playoff series with the Los Angeles Lakers, setting up a pivotal Game 7 on Saturday night at the Staples Center.
Date/Time: 10:30 PM ET, Saturday, May 12, 2012
Venue: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Broadcast: TNT, Fox Sports West
Spread: Lakers -5
Over/Under: 196.5
The Nuggets can advance for the for the first time franchise history after being down 3-1 in a playoffs series, as they have lost all 10 of their previous attempts.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles is on the brink of losing in the opening round for the first time since 2006, and failing to make or advance to the conference semifinals for just the fourth time in 16 years.
Speaking of 16, Denver has lost in 16 of its first round appearances, including eight of its last nine.
Head coach George Karl surely remembers his last opening round thumping at the hands of the Lakers in 2007, when LA swept the series 4-0.
So for Karl to exact a little revenge in last night’s easy 113-96 Game 6 victory over the Lakers in Denver was expected, especially after being embarrassed in Games 1 and 3.
The momentum has now swung in the Nuggets favor, as they look to become just the 22nd team to win a seventh game on the opponent’s home court. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Keep in mind the Lakers have some recent experience in blowing 3-1 series leads, having done so against the Phoenix Suns in 2006.
Denver point guard Ty Lawson Lawson, was the difference in Game 6, and finished as the game’s leading scorer with 32 points, also adding six assists and five rebounds.
He was the antithesis to the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant who shook off the flu Thursday and scored 31 after getting 43 on Tuesday.
Nevertheless, the rest of the Lakers squad were non-existent once again.
In particular the two big men — Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol, who combined for 14 points on 5-of-21 shooting. Not to mention their bench which was outplayed and outscored 40-27.
Defensively, Gasol had a plus-minus of minus-29, worst in the game, while Bynum wasn’t much more effective with a minus-22.
Something that must change if the Lakers want to win on Saturday.
Despite all the bad news from LA’s camp, there is some good.
Metta World Peace will be back for series finale. Thursday night was the seventh and final game of his suspension for elbowing Oklahoma City’s James Harden in the head last month.
If anything he may be just the boost the Lakers need to be more aggressive and a lot more inspired.
Free Pick : Los Angeles- The Nuggets are 1-1 in team history in Game 7’s. The Lakers have a little more experience, playing in 23 Game 7’s and going 15-8. Combine that with World Peace’s return, and I expect the Lakers to pull off a close one here.
