A very bad performance by Oakland and that means an even worse job by me in tabbing the Grizzlies as the Monday free play. It’s my job to try and zero in on teams that will at least provide a chance to get the money, and I whiffed on this one about as badly as possible. Let’s try to do better tonight with an NBA opinion.
NUGGETS at LAKERS
Take: LAKERS -1.5
The Lakers have now lost four in a row, so I can certainly understand reluctance to back this team, particularly as even a very small home favorite.
But I liked what I saw from the Lakers, even though they came up a bit short on Sunday against the Pistons. This was a game in which their starters were not good at all. But head coach Luke Walton had to be pleased with the bench contributions. Off three straight lopsided losses, I though this performance offered some encouragement.
The Lakers should at least enjoy a scheduling advantage tonight. Denver played very well in handling the Magic on Monday. But now the Nuggets have to hit the road with no rest and this has been a problem all season. Denver has just one win in seven tries on the second of back to backs, and they’re also just 1-6 hitting the road off a home win.
In spite of winning handily on Monday, the Nuggets had to use five players for 30+ minutes and they will also likely be without Gary Harris for this game. He injured an ankle early against Orlando and is currently not expected to play on Tuesday night.
Given the Nuggets poor tendencies in this type of scheduling spot and my not giving their bench high marks, I believe it sets up nicely for the Lakers to end their skid with the win and cover.
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I have two CBB Best Bets for Tuesday here.
Good luck today guys.