Posted on
1/23/2008 7:56:01 PM
NBA Basketball Betting – Atlanta at Denver
By Charles Jay
The Denver Nuggets (24-16 SU, 18-20 ATS) could be missing some players on Wednesday night when they tackle the Atlanta Hawks (18-20 SU, 19-19 ATS) in NBA action tipping off at 9 PM ET from the Pepsi Center in Denver.
In the BetUS NBA basketball betting odds, the Nuggets are listed at -5.5, with the total posted at 201.5 points.
In the HEAD-to-HEAD NBA basketball betting trends:
* ATL has covered four of the last five meetings
* ATL has won 10 of the last 14 meetings SU
* Four of the last six meetings have gone UNDER the total
* ATL has covered six of the last seven meetings as the road team
* ATL has won four of the last six meetings SU as the road team
* Five of the last seven meetings in Denver have gone UNDER the total
Atlanta shoots 44.4% from the field. The Hawks rank dead last in the NBA in terms of scoring on the road, with an average of 87.3 points a game. And they are 29th in the league with 3.9 three-pointers per game. Also:
* ATL has covered two of its last six games
* ATL has won three of its last 11 games SU
* ATL has lost its last five road games SU
* ATL has covered one of its last five road games
* ATL has played 10 of its last 12 road games UNDER the total
Denver is averaging 107.1 points per game on 45.5% shooting. The Nuggets average nine steals a contest and have been especially proficient rebounding at home, ranking first in the league in that category with 47.4 a game. Also:
* DEN has covered one of its last five games
* DEN has covered four of its last five home games
* DEN has won its last five home games SU
Surely the Nuggets would like to extract a little revenge for the Hawks' 104-93 win on January 15 in Atlanta. But Denver's team is going to be a little thin for this game. Kenyon Martin, who was battling a staph infection, has returned, and had 16 points and 11 rebounds in the loss to the Lakers. But Carmelo Anthony will miss this one with an ankle sprain, and Allen Iverson may not play either, due to a wrist injury which forced him to sit out the team's last shootaround. Eduardo Najera' elbow injury may have him sidelined, and of course Nene, who found out his testicular tumor was malignant, is out for an indefinite period. This makes the Nuggets short-handed.
But they have Marcus Camby (14.4 rpg, 3.9 blocks per game) in the middle. And he is a monster who can take young Al Horford to school. We've got a hard time with the Hawks as a road proposition; they've covered just one of their last five, are 6-9 ATS as a road dog and score 7.5 points less than their season average away from home, where they rank last in offensive production in the NBA.
Even with Denver hurting, Atlanta is not a particularly attractive dog. And besides, we might expect that Iverson will pull himself together and play in Carmelo's absence. We'll lay the points with the Nuggets, the 5.5-point favorite in the BetUS NBA betting odds.
BetUS NBA betting odds: DENVER -5.5, Total 201.5
JAY'S PLAY: DENVER
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(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)