Nuggets Favored to Close Out Lakers at Home
Lakers vs Nuggets Preview, Predictions and More
In this Lakers vs Nuggets Preview, we have the game lines, Denver -7, a total of 217.
The Lakers prolonged their playoff lives on Saturday night, beating the Nuggets for the first time in twelve games, 119-108.
The Lakers were led by a dominant Anthony Davis performance, putting up 25 points and 23 rebounds, and a classic elimination game LeBron James game, where he scored 30 points. The Nuggets put up a solid fight but were never really able to gain the edge on the desperate Lakers.
Nikola Jokic had a 33-point, 14 rebounds, and 14 assists game, but the Nugget’s third and fourth options were outplayed by the Laker’s third and fourth. D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reves each chipped in 21 points to push the Lakers past the Nuggets.
The Lakers will now need to head back to altitude and fight once again to keep their season alive in Monday’s win-or-go-home game five.
The Nuggets are heavy favorites to close out the series, and we expect Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets to show their championship pedigree in game five and send the Lakers packing.
Our Lakers vs Nuggets preview will look at tonight’s NBA games, and NBA playoffs today and look at past trends to make some NBA predictions today.
Los Angeles Lakers vs Denver Nuggets 
Day/Time:
Location: Ball Arena, Denver, CO
Streaming: TNT, ALT, SportsNet LA & truTV
No More Joking for Joker
Nikola Jokic can’t let the Lakers get a grip in this series. He did his best with a monster triple-double in game four to put the Lakers away, but they were able to survive his incredible game. Jokic’s costar, Jamal Murray, was not a huge help, and the series has been shooting quite poorly.
Murray scored 22 points on Saturday, which is about the same amount he’s scored all series. Murray is getting decent numbers but has been inefficient in most of his games getting there. In game four, he shot poorly from three (0-of-4) and only shot 39.1% from the field. This has been a trend for Murray all series, he’s averaging 23 shot attempts each game this series and hasn’t even made ten of them once.
Whatever is wrong with Murray should be mildly concerning to Nuggets fans, and we would advise taking his under-on-field goals made in game five.
Luckily, Nikola Jokic is currently the best basketball player on the planet, and he will assert his dominance in game five. Jokic has only shot 20 or more times twice this series, once in game one and last game. Especially with Murray struggling, Jokic is expected to shoulder an extra offensive burden in this elimination game. Check out his points prop for a possible over-bet Monday.
Davis Wrist the Laker’s Achilles?
Anthony Davis has another potential injury. Davis was bothered by a wrist injury in game four and is currently listed as questionable for game five. Without Davis, the Lakers have little to no chance, barring a miracle performance from someone on their supporting cast.
While listed as questionable, the consensus is that Davis will play Monday, hurt or not. This is hugely important because Davis has been on fire this series, averaging 30.5 points, 15.8 rebounds, and four assists per game. Davis scored his lowest point total of the series on Saturday, 25 points. We think game five will be a defensive battle, and with a potential injury affecting his shooting, the under on Davis’s point total could be a bet.
Nuggets Win, Covering Questioned
The Nuggets are heavy favorites at home on Monday, with the spread being Denver -7 and a total set at 217. We like the Nuggets to close out the series on Monday, and although the spread of -7 is large, the Lakers would have covered this spread in two of the games and pushed in one.
Look for the Nuggets to set the tone early, so the first-quarter spread might be a fun bet to make. If not, this could be a close one, and LeBron and the Lakers will do everything in their power to extend this series. Tune in to witness whether the Lakers can overcome the odds and force a Game 6, or if the Nuggets will secure a series victory on their home court.
This series has been trending under and has gone under in three of the first four games. We think Monday’s game has a good chance of following that trend.
Now take this Lakers vs Nuggets preview and go make some bets!
For NBA betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
