Nuggets Showing no Signs of Weakness
Lakers vs Nuggets Odds, Predictions and More
The Lakers vs Nuggets odds are Denver -7.5, total set at 223. This line is almost identical to game one, and oddsmakers are expecting a similar scene in game two.
The Nuggets winning streak against the Lakers continues. The Nuggets have now beaten the Lakers nine times in a row, the Lakers’ last win falling in December of 2022. The Nuggets’ armor doesn’t seem to be wearing thin as they fairly easily handled the Lakers in game one.
The Nuggets won game one 114-103, behind a seemingly effortless 32-point 12 rebound game from Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets overcame their slow start and first-half deficit fairly easily. The Lakers started game one with a strong start, LeBron had 19 first-half points and went into halftime with a 60-57 lead. In the second half, LeBron only scored nine points and didn’t even take a shot in the fourth quarter until less than two minutes left. The Nuggets controlled the second half through a complete team effort.
With these Lakers vs Nuggets odds out, we will look at the NBA schedule tonight, NBA playoffs scores, and NBA odds to see where we can find some value to bet on.
Lakers vs Nuggets 
Records: Los Angeles Lakers (47-35) @ Denver Nuggets (57-25)
Location: Ball Arena, Denver, CO
Day/Time: Streaming: TNT, truTV
Nikola and His Minions
Nikola Jokic is the best player in the world. He can do exactly what he wants on the basketball court, and no player or team has shown that they can stop him. When you add in his perfect supporting cast, it is hard to imagine the Nuggets losing a playoff series any time soon.
In game one Jokic’s supporting cast of Michael Porter Jr., Jamal Murray, and Aaron Gordon all stepped up. Murray had an off-shooting night but still put up 22 points and ten assists, Porter Jr. had 19 points and eight rebounds and Gordon led the team in plus/minus with his 12-point, 11 rebound double-double.
It seems like the Laker’s game plan in game one was to let Jokic beat them with his scoring rather than his passing, only allowing seven assists from the MVP. Taking the Jokic under on assists could be an interesting look, but the Laker’s plan obviously didn’t have the result they were looking for so they could change it up. Jokic had double-digit assists in three of his four playoff games against the Lakers last year.
“Who’s your Daddy” chants rain down in Denver
The Lakers have now lost NINE in a row to the Nuggets
pic.twitter.com/sg4ho81SG0— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) April 21, 2024
D-Lo’s New Low
In game one the Lakers leaned heavily on LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and De’Angelo Russell, all playing upwards of 40 minutes. James and AD held up their side of things well, with AD putting up 32 points and 14 rebounds and LeBron with 27 points and eight assists. Russell did not play as well. DLo shot an abysmal 1-of-9 from three, and 6-of-20 on the game.
To have a chance on Monday the Lakers will need at least one of their role players to step up. Austin Reaves is a possible candidate to have a decent night. He had 13 points on Saturday but only played 36 minutes. After the huge minutes load put on Davis and James in game one, we could see Reaves getting an increase in playing time, resulting in more scoring opportunities. He has hit the over on his points prop in four of his last five games and scored 17 or more points in every game against Denver last playoffs.
D’Angelo Russell against Denver in the playoffs last year and this year:
🔸 8 PTS, 4-11 FG, 0-3 3PT
🔸 10 PTS, 3-8 FG, 1-5 3PT
🔸 3 PTS, 1-8 FG, 1-6 3PT
🔸 4 PTS, 2-4 FG, 0-1 3PT
🔸 13 PTS, 6-20 FG, 1-9 3PTOverall: 7.6 PPG, 31.4% FG, 12.5% 3PT pic.twitter.com/rWOEYqvtSy
— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) April 21, 2024
Nuggets Win, but How Easily?
The Lakers vs Nuggets odds are Denver -7.5, a total of 223. The Nuggets have won their last four games against the Lakers by eight or more points and would be 2-2 on over/unders if the score total was set at 223. They also went 2-2 on over/unders in their four playoff games last season.
The spread of -7.5 is a bit too low in our opinion. The Nuggets handled the Lakers by a margin of 11 points in Saturday’s game, and we could see a similar scene on Monday. Even with starting the game down, the Nuggets never looked uncomfortable or worried on Saturday. We could see this happening again on Monday, but there is a possibility that they decide to turn it on later in the game and only win by five or six points.
The bet that really interests us is the Nuggets -290 money line. It is hard to see any way the Nuggets don’t handle their business on their home floor and take this series to 2-0. In their last ten home games, the Nuggets have only lost one at Ball Arena, a 111-108 loss to Miami during the finals. The Nuggets finished this season 33-8 at home.
Lakers vs Nuggets Betting Lines
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