Nuggets vs Lakers Picks, Predictions & Odds Tonight

LeBron James is about to turn 40 and yet he continues to reach new milestones as an NBA player. Not only is he closing in on 40,000 points, but he recently completed the biggest comeback of his career in the fourth quarter earlier this week.

But the defending champion Denver Nuggets haven’t long been impressed with James, having beaten him in seven straight games, including last year’s sweep of the Western Conference Finals. NBA Odds Saturday, March 2 will be a real stalemate, so the Los Angeles Lakers could finally have a chance to avenge their loss last spring.

However, my NBA picks and predictions for the Nuggets against the Lakers, Denver is expected to find a way to win.

Nuggets vs. Lakers odds

Nuggets vs Lakers Predictions

The question for Saturday really is: Which version of these teams will be there tonight?

Each at their best, we saw during the Western Conference finals that the Denver Nuggets are at another level than that the Los Angeles Lakers.

But this isn’t a playoff game, and both teams are in different positions than in this series. A new assessment is required.

The Lakers are coming off one of the most impressive wins of the season against the Los Angeles Clippers, capped by a virtuoso performance from LeBron James, who led the 21-point comeback in the fourth quarter. But the next night, it took them overtime to eliminate the nine-win Washington Wizards.

The only consistency with the Lakers is their inconsistency. This is a team led by immense talent, but which can no longer play at peak form in every match. They’re also surrounded by flawed role players, mostly strong on one side of the ball but vulnerable on the other.

The Nuggets, even potentially without the services of Jamal Murrayare a well-oiled machine.

Over the past two weeks, they have won five straight games and are +20.7 points per game. Clean the glass. That includes wins over the Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors, who otherwise have little regard for the rest of the NBA.

Denver’s point differential throughout the season may not scream championship contender, but it simply finds ways to win games. The Nuggets are the kind of team that can flip a switch and really step up their game on both ends.

For example, this is now the second year in a row that the Nugs have had an elite defense in the clutch. Their defensive rating in games with less than five points with five minutes or less to play is 96.7. When they lock on, opposing attacks stop.

When the chips are low, the Nuggets play high-level defense, avoid the use of a traditional backup center and Nikola Jokic commands the offense.

When they do those three things, there’s no team in the NBA I have more confidence in to win. The Lakers are having a fantastic time, but confidence doesn’t enter into the equation.

Including the playoffs, the Nuggets have won seven straight against the Lakers. I’m counting on them to make it eight in a row on Saturday.

My best bet: Moneyline of the nuggets (+100 at Betway)

Parlay Nuggets vs Lakers in the same game

Nugget money line

LeBron James25+ points

D’Angelo Russell 15+ points

James is just nine points short of reaching the 40,000-point mark, and as the league’s all-time leading scorer, that naturally makes him the first player in NBA history to do so. I imagine he doesn’t want his record-breaking night to be ruined by an otherwise pedestrian performance.

And LeBron’s performance against the Nuggets was anything but ordinary. Although James can’t get up for every game like he could a decade ago, he can turn back the clock for a game against the champions at home.

LeBron has added 27-plus points in four straight games and should have had a restful Friday, as they played at home Thursday night.

D’Angelo Russell has quietly been a steady producer on guard for Los Angeles this season. Although he has calmed down considerably since his pre-trade deadline blowout, he continues to put points on the board efficiently in virtually every game. He shot 41.8 percent from downtown in February and has at least 16 points in nine of his last 10 games.

Learn how to bet on the same game with these helpful tips and strategies.

Nuggets vs Lakers Spread and Over/Under Analysis

The gap for the Nuggets at the Lakers opened with Denver starting as a 1.5-point favorite. This has become the case where Los Angeles is a 1.5 point favorite. Perhaps this suggests some development in Murray’s playing status, but that’s just speculation.

Murray twisted his ankle during Denver’s game against the Heat on Thursday. It looked bad, but he left under his own power and apparently attempted to return to the field before being sent off, so I don’t think it’s a done deal that he’s not playing today .

The fact is that the Lakers are the most publicly betted team in the NBA, so it could be the simple exceptionalism of the Lakers that moved the lines against Denver. Exceptional or not, they are just 13-16 ATS at home this season.

Denver has also outperformed the spread in its last five games by an average of 7.9 points per Cleaning the Glass. The Lakers underperformed theirs by 5.4. By the numbers, Denver should be the favorite, and a strong favorite.

Saturday’s total reached 231.5, but has since fallen to 229.5 at most sportsbooks. The Nuggets’ offense takes a hit if Murray is out, but in the short term, not major. If that means more shots for Jokic and maybe more threes for Michael Porter Jr.they will have more work to score than with Murray, but probably just as successful.

The Lakers have played at the level of a Top 10 offense over the past two weeks, and their usually solid defense has slipped. Overall, this line is properly defined for me and there is enough uncertainty for Murray that this is a number to stay away from.

Nuggets vs Lakers betting trend to know

The Lakers are just 13-16 ATS at home this season. Find more NBA Betting Trends for Nuggets vs. Lakers.

Nuggets vs. Lakers Game Info

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