The two best teams in the Western Conference meet on Friday in Los Angeles as the Lakers host the Denver Nuggets in an NBA wagering game that can be seen on ESPN at 10:35pm ET. Don’t expect to see the two teams at full strength though, as Carmelo Anthony is not expected to play for the Nuggets and while Kobe Bryant may play for the Lakers he is not at full strength due to an ankle injury. Lakers are 8.5 point sports wagering lines favorites at SBG Global with a total of 202.5.

Tonight at 9:05 PM EST on channel ESPN, the Denver Nuggets will be looking at a must-win situation as they host the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals. During game 3 the Nuggets were surprised at home as the Lakers won 103-97 to take a 2-1 series lead. This was their first loss at home in more than two months. SBG Global reports that the early NBA wagering action has the public taking the Nuggets at home as a 4.5 point favorite with a 208.5 total.

Besides shooting the ball poorly in Game 3, the Nuggets shot way too many 3-pointers. "We’d go up seven, eight points and trying to get the building to erupt," Denver’s Kenyon Martin said. "We’ve done that so much during the season and throughout the playoffs. So, we figured that’s the way it was going to be. And it’s not always going to be that way. You’ve got to grind it out sometimes, take the tough two or get to the line and score points that way." The Nuggets left the Lakers in the game and Kobe Bryant took over late to win the game for Los Angeles. "I think we got caught up in the emotion of the moment of a great crowd, a great challenge," Nuggets coach George Karl said. "I think we tried to hit too many home runs rather than just take a single here, a double here and win the game that way. We tried to hit too many bombs.”

The mistakes that the Nuggets made cost them home court advantage which they had gained by winning Game 2 in Los Angeles. Now they must win on Monday to have any kind of chance to win this series.

The Lakers realize they were fortunate to win on Saturday and know they must play better. "We’ve got to come out with more focus, more energy and really just execute a lot better in the defensive end of the floor," said Bryant.

Check out the NBA betting stats for tonight’s game. The Lakers are 21-7-2 ATS in their last 30 games as a road underdog. The Lakers are 5-2 ATS in the last 7 meetings in Denver. The Nuggets are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 home games. The Nuggets are 20-7 ATS in their last 27 games overall. The Under is 6-0 in the Lakers last 6 vs. the Northwest. The Under is 8-0 in the Lakers last 8 Conference Finals games. The Under is 5-1 in the Lakers last 6 road games. The Under is 6-0 in the last 6 meetings in Denver between the two teams.