NBA Basketball - New Orleans Hornets at Denver Nuggets (-5, 208) 9:00 PM EST
Last season New Orleans was positioned to make the playoffs in the West, when they were run off the road for poor play. Once again the Hornets are fighting for the post-season, off a triumphant February that saw them accomplish a 9-4 record (8-5 ATS). As March has begun, those ghastly losses have returned and now a tumultuous three game road swing begins against three potential Western playoff teams.
In 2006, New Orleans was 3-11 in the calendar's third month, as coach Byron Scott searches for answers. One area to look is how the defense is playing, with opposing teams making 51.3 percent the last five games in which the Hornets have covered the spread once.
 Denver is in the seventh spot in the West, having stalled out this season with injuries, suspensions and erratic play. Nearly all pre-season goals have been kicked to the curbside while George Karl is just trying to keep this jalopy on the playoff road.
Center Marcus Camby is the latest Nugget to be bothered with health issues and is expected to give it a go tonight. That is important contest since Denver with a loss tonight would lose a tie-breaker with New Orleans since the Hornets have won the two previous tilts.
Denver is having its worst home season in years with 15-16 straight up and against the spread record. Nevertheless they are a 5-point favorite at sportsbook.com with a total of 207.5.
Playing the underdog Hornets in Denver has been a prudent decision for bettors, as New Orleans is 6-1 ATS, including hitting four in a row. Point guard Chris Paul and the rest of his mates are 21-9 ATS after playing two consecutive games as an underdog this season.
This season if the Nuggets fail to break the century mark, they are a mind-boggling 0-19 with 2-16-1 ATS record. Performing a little simple navigation through there record means in all other games Denver scores 100 or more points they are 28-10 and 27-11 against the spread. In the Hornets last 13 games; they have been stung for 102.7 points per game.
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