If the Denver Nuggets have any hope of upsetting the top-seeded Lakers, then they need to win Wednesday night's game in L.A., although the Lakers are 8-point betting favorites (over/under: 229) on WagerWeb.com.
In NBA history, teams having taken a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven series are 191-13. That's a staggering winning percentage of .936. In addition, Lakers coach Phil Jackson is 17-0 after his team leads 2-0 in a best-of-seven series.
A big problem facing Denver is that the Lakers have won eight straight at Staples Center and have a 16-2 record against the Nuggets there since the facility opened before the 1999-2000 season.
Denver is making one move to beef up its size: 6-foot-8 Linas Kleiza will replace 6-2 Anthony Carter in Denver's starting lineup. Kleiza scored a career playoff-high 23 points in the opener, shooting 9-for-13, including 3-for-5 from 3-point range.
"It's more of a matchup thing," Nuggets coach George Karl said. "They are a very big starting lineup. I thought their postups and the way they played early gave them confidence. I think our matchup will change that and also we'll put one of our better running teams on the court."
Sunday's biggest mismatch was Lakers center Pau Gasol breaking loose for 36 points. With Karl planning to stick with power forward Kenyon Martin on Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, he's looking for Kleiza, who scored 23 points Sunday, to provide defense inside as well as more early offense.
It's not the first time Martin has guarded Bryant despite the seeming mismatch. He did it when he was a rookie with the New Jersey Nets in the 2002 NBA Finals against the Lakers."He's a freak of nature," Bryant said. "He's 6-8, 6-9. He's quick, he's long, and he’s a great defensive player. It's fun for me."
Despite scoring 32 points, Bryant didn't play particularly well in Game 1, making nine of 26 shots with one assist and three rebounds in 37 minutes. He had one assist only once in 82 regular-season games.
Denver needs center Marcus Camby to step up his man-to-man defense against counterpart Gasol, plus grab at least 10 rebounds to have a chance. Denver is 0-5 all-time in playoff games when center Camby has fewer than 10 boards, including in Game 1 when he had only seven.
The Nuggets have lost 14 straight Game 2s in the postseason. The last time Denver won the second game of a playoff series was against the Lakers on May 4, 1985. in the Western Conference finals. L.A., meanwhile, has won two of its last Game 2s in the playoffs.
The Lakers are 4-0 against the Nuggets this year, winning by an average of 15 points per game.
Betting trends: Under is 6-2 in Lakers' last 8 Wednesday games. ... Lakers are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 home games. ... Home team is 13-5 ATS in the last 18 meetings.
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