NBA Pacific: Warriors Aim to Grab Upper Hand vs. Nuggets
After squeaking out a win in game one, the Nuggets gave up 131 points in the game two loss and will travel to Oakland today for game three against the Warriors, where they will try to reclaim control of the series. Meanwhile, the Lakers will hope to avoid falling behind 3-0 against the Spurs as they play their first playoff game at Staples Center this season. Check out our picks for each game!
Denver Nuggets -1 at Golden State Warriors +1
It’s rare that a team scores 117 points and loses by double digits, but that’s exactly what happened to the Denver Nuggets in game two on Tuesday against Golden State. Today, the Nuggets will have to go on the road, which will definitely make things even tougher as they try to get back on the plus-side of the series.
Of course, Golden State will be without All-Star David Lee, who was injured in game one, but his absence didn’t seem to be a problem for the Warriors in game two. Still, as the series wears on, his toughness will surely be missed, especially against a Nuggets team that loves to pound the ball inside.
Not that Golden State’s game two win was a fluke, but it would be hard for the Warriors to shoot as well as they did on Tuesday again in this series. Meanwhile, we can expect the Nuggets will continue to find success in the paint with Lee on the sidelines. Though, Golden State plays better on its home floor, I don’t think it will score more than 120 again against the Nuggets. Take Denver to win this one in a another triple-digit shootout.
San Antonio Spurs -5.5 at Los Angeles Lakers +5.5
The banged-up Lakers became even more so after game two as Steve Blake pulled a hamstring and will be ruled out for game three at home against the Spurs. Steve Nash and Jodie Meeks may also be out, which means the Lakers will have to rely on Darius Morris, Chris Duhon and possibly even D-League MVP Andrew Goudelock in the backcourt.
Of course, the Lakers are already without Kobe Bryant and haven’t been able to cover spreads in the first two games against the Spurs without him, so with even more injuries piling up, how can we expect them to compete in game three?
Look for the Spurs to continue to dominate the series even on the road and earn the game three win today.
