Lakers vs Nuggets Free NBA Basketball Picks Feb 3rd 2012

Things always get interesting any time Kobe Bryant returns to Colorado, whether it’s for a basketball game or any other event. But when his (13-9) Los Angeles Lakers [+4] take on the much-improved (15-7) Denver Nuggets [-4] tonight, the Black Mamba’s mind will be focused on improving on his team’s atrocious 2-7 road record.

The Lakers and Nuggets renew their rivalry this evening at the Pepsi Center, the site for a great battle between two teams headed for the postseason. This Free NBA Basketball Picks game is scheduled for 10:30 PM ET and it’ll be broadcasted live on ESPN. According to NBA Odds makers, LA and Denver should combine and score an OVER/UNDER total of 196½ points.

For the Lakers, their up-and-down season doesn’t seem to end, but the Purple and Gold is looking to finally turn the corner and head in the right direction in the second half of the season. With a 5-5 record in their last 10 games played, Mike Brown has had a rough time implementing his new scheme on the offensive as well as the defensive end of the court.

“There are a handful of things we’ve got to do better on the road,” said Brown, whose team plays three games in four nights. “As of late, it’s been rebounding, but it also has to do with execution too.”

I get the feeling that this will be e very telling time for the Lakers and how long the current roster will stay together. With just two road wins this season, and with the next 6 games being played away from the Staples Center, an unsuccessful trip could bring over Dwight Howard for Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol after the All-Star break.

“I’m excited to get on the road and play,” Bryant said. “I’m extremely confident that we’ll play much better.” Sign up right now and get Free NBA Picks first and become a winner over night!

For the Nuggets, this team has surprised many people with their early success. Sitting in second place in the Northwest Division, George Karl is just 2½ games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder and looking to trim that lead. The Nuggets believe that the key to winning this game will be to keep the Lakers shooters from catching fire. As we’ve seen, LA has been the worst three-point shooting team in the league, but as we all know, all of that could change in a matter of no time.

“We got a lot of shooters on this team, with our second group especially,” said Lakers rookie guard, Andrew Goudelock. “They can stretch out the floor with Troy Murphy and (Jason) Kapono obviously, and we got Bynum down low, so they can’t really double team because if they do, they really have to pick their poison.”

I actually like Los Angeles in this matchup tonight. I believe that this will be a very close game in which the Lakers will exploit their height-advantage and make things very interesting on the road. With Gasol’s new and more aggressive approach, I look for the big Spaniard to have an impact on the outcome of this game. Because I believe the Nuggets will win this game by single digits, but at the same time I’m aware that Kobe can steal this one, I like the Lakers with a 4-point cushion tonight!