Posted on
2/8/2008 4:24:13 PM
NBA Basketball Betting – Washington at Denver
By Charles Jay
WHO: Washington Wizards (24-24 SU, 27-20-1 ATS) at Denver Nuggets (29-19 SU, 24-22 ATS)
WHERE: Pepsi Center in Denver
WHEN: Friday, February 8 at 10:30 PM ET
BetUS NBA basketball betting odds: DENVER -10.5, Total 209
In the HEAD-to-HEAD NBA betting trends:
* DEN has won and covered eight of the last ten meetings
* Eight of the last nine meetings have gone OVER the total
* DEN has won and covered four of the last five meetings as the home team
* Four of the last five meetings in Denver have gone OVER the total
* DEN has had the shooting edge in eight of the last ten meetings
* WASH has had he rebounding edge in three of the last four meetings
Washington has averaged 12.3 offensive rebounds, which is about the same as Denver. The Wizards, however, have an edge in the free throw shooting department, as they hit 79.6% to just 75.7% for the Nuggets. Also:
* WASH is 0-5 SU & ATS in its last five games
* WASH is 0-5 SU & ATS in its last five road games
* WASH has played its last five road games OVER the total
Denver is ranked #27 in the NBA with 104.2 points per game allowed. Their figure of 47.2 rebounds per home game, however, is tops in the league. Also:
* DEN has covered six of its last eight games
* DEN has played four of its last five games OVER the total
* DEN has covered seven of its last nine home games
* DEN has won eight of its last nine home games SU
* DEN has played five of its last six home games OVER the total
This is revenge time for the Wizards, who were emasculated by Denver to the tune of 118-92 in their own building as they got off to an 0-5 start to the season. But this team is not in the best of shape to accomplish that.
Washington is going through one of its worst stretches of the campaign, having gone winless, both straight-up and against the number, in the last five games. The team has gone 1-4 without Caron Butler, the All-Star forward who will travel to Denver for this game, but will most likely not play (it will be a game-time decision, it appears). Butler's replacement, Andray Blatche, had 16 points and 15 rebounds against San Antonio on Wednesday, which is an encouraging sign. "Now, it's character time," says guard Antonio Daniels.
But in a league where some players rest up in regular season games JUST SO they can play in an All-Star game, character is a conditional thing. Let's go with some hard data, which indicates that Washington has a scoring average of just under 87 points a game during the current five-game losing streak, with less than 40% shooting in three of those five. Without Butler, they're not going to be able to bump and grind their way within the number. Carmelo Anthony seems to be back to high-octane for Denver, as his 29 points last time out against Utah would suggest.
We'll lay the points with Denver, the 10.5-point favorite in the BetUS NBA basketball betting odds.
JAY'S PLAY: DENVER
You’ll find the latest 2007-2008 NBA odds and lines in the best online sportsbook, BetUS.com. Betting on NBA player and game props makes every aspect of the game exciting. Join BetUS.com today to bet on the NBA and make online sports betting work for you!
(Charles Jay of TotalActionExtra.com is a freelance writer and handicapper who not only can make his shots from the top of the key, but also contributes with gusto to the BetUS Locker Room)