(2) Denver (2-0 SU and ATS) at (7) New Orleans (0-2 SU and ATS)
The freefalling Hornets return to New Orleans Arena for Game 3 in a must-win situation against the scorching-hot Nuggets.
For the second straight game Wednesday, Denver hammered New Orleans in posting a 108-93 victory as a 6½-point home favorite. Chauncey Billups, who had 36 points in the Game 1 blowout, was again the catalyst, scoring 31 points to pace five Nuggets in double figures, including Carmelo Anthony, who chipped in 22 points and nine assists. The Nuggets are on a 16-3 SU tear (12-7 ATS) since the regular season, breaking 100 points 18 times in that stretch, including the first two games of this series.
Chris Paul (14 points, 13 assists) and David West (21 points, 10 rebounds) both had double-doubles in Game 2, but it wasn’t nearly enough for New Orleans, which committed 17 turnovers and forced just six. The Hornets have dropped their last four games (1-3 ATS) and are now 2-8 SU and 3-7 ATS in their last 10 starts. However, the four-game skid has all come on the road against playoff teams, as they dropped the last two games of the regular season at Houston and at San Antonio.
Denver is 4-2 SU and ATS against New Orleans this season, winning and cashing in the last three meetings and covering in four of the last five. The favorite is on a 6-1 ATS roll in this rivalry, and the home team is 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings, though the Nuggets prevailed in their last trip to the Big Easy exactly one month ago, winning 101-88 as a four-point underdog.
New Orleans, which reached the second round last year before falling to the Spurs in seven games, went 28-13 SU (19-21-1 ATS) at home in the regular season. Denver, which hasn’t advanced past the first round of the playoffs since 1994 and is still just 6-23 in its last 29 playoff contests, went 21-20 SU and ATS on the road in the regular season.
The Nuggets are on positive ATS streaks of 10-4 overall, 10-3 against the West, 9-3 against winning teams and 4-0 against the Southwest Division, but they are also on ATS skids of 3-13 as a playoff underdog and 2-8 in their last 10 first-round playoff games.
The Hornets are on a bundle of pointspread purges, including 2-5 overall, 0-5 against the Northwest Division, 2-7 against the Western Conference, 2-6 laying points and 6-14 after a SU loss. However, New Orleans is on positive ATS runs of 8-2 as a playoff chalk, 8-1 laying less than five points in the postseason, 17-8 as a home favorite of less than five points and 49-23-3 in Saturday games.
The over for Denver is on rolls of 10-4 against winning teams, 7-3 in the West and 5-2 after a SU win, but the under is 5-1 in the Nuggets’ last six road games and 19-7 in their last 26 conference quarterfinal contests. The over for New Orleans is on runs of 10-4 against the Northwest Division and 4-0 after a SU loss, but otherwise the squad is on “under” stretches of 7-2 at home and 10-4 with the Hornets favored.
Finally, the first two games of this series barely hurdled the posted price, and the over is 5-2 in the last seven meetings between these teams.
ATS ADVANTAGE: NEW ORLEANS
The freefalling Hornets return to New Orleans Arena for Game 3 in a must-win situation against the scorching-hot Nuggets.
For the second straight game Wednesday, Denver hammered New Orleans in posting a 108-93 victory as a 6½-point home favorite. Chauncey Billups, who had 36 points in the Game 1 blowout, was again the catalyst, scoring 31 points to pace five Nuggets in double figures, including Carmelo Anthony, who chipped in 22 points and nine assists. The Nuggets are on a 16-3 SU tear (12-7 ATS) since the regular season, breaking 100 points 18 times in that stretch, including the first two games of this series.
Chris Paul (14 points, 13 assists) and David West (21 points, 10 rebounds) both had double-doubles in Game 2, but it wasn’t nearly enough for New Orleans, which committed 17 turnovers and forced just six. The Hornets have dropped their last four games (1-3 ATS) and are now 2-8 SU and 3-7 ATS in their last 10 starts. However, the four-game skid has all come on the road against playoff teams, as they dropped the last two games of the regular season at Houston and at San Antonio.
Denver is 4-2 SU and ATS against New Orleans this season, winning and cashing in the last three meetings and covering in four of the last five. The favorite is on a 6-1 ATS roll in this rivalry, and the home team is 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings, though the Nuggets prevailed in their last trip to the Big Easy exactly one month ago, winning 101-88 as a four-point underdog.
New Orleans, which reached the second round last year before falling to the Spurs in seven games, went 28-13 SU (19-21-1 ATS) at home in the regular season. Denver, which hasn’t advanced past the first round of the playoffs since 1994 and is still just 6-23 in its last 29 playoff contests, went 21-20 SU and ATS on the road in the regular season.
The Nuggets are on positive ATS streaks of 10-4 overall, 10-3 against the West, 9-3 against winning teams and 4-0 against the Southwest Division, but they are also on ATS skids of 3-13 as a playoff underdog and 2-8 in their last 10 first-round playoff games.
The Hornets are on a bundle of pointspread purges, including 2-5 overall, 0-5 against the Northwest Division, 2-7 against the Western Conference, 2-6 laying points and 6-14 after a SU loss. However, New Orleans is on positive ATS runs of 8-2 as a playoff chalk, 8-1 laying less than five points in the postseason, 17-8 as a home favorite of less than five points and 49-23-3 in Saturday games.
The over for Denver is on rolls of 10-4 against winning teams, 7-3 in the West and 5-2 after a SU win, but the under is 5-1 in the Nuggets’ last six road games and 19-7 in their last 26 conference quarterfinal contests. The over for New Orleans is on runs of 10-4 against the Northwest Division and 4-0 after a SU loss, but otherwise the squad is on “under” stretches of 7-2 at home and 10-4 with the Hornets favored.
Finally, the first two games of this series barely hurdled the posted price, and the over is 5-2 in the last seven meetings between these teams.
ATS ADVANTAGE: NEW ORLEANS
