Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Lakers Betting Preview

In a rematch of the 2020 Western Conference Finals, it will be the Los Angeles Lakers hosting the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night. Both teams are off to strong starts to the 2020-21 season, and this could also be a potential playoff preview.

The Nuggets bring a 12-8 record into this game, which has them in second place in the Northwest Division. Denver is a much better team when playing on its home floor, but this team can win anywhere.

The Lakers are 16-6 this season, good enough for second place in the Pacific Division. Los Angeles is just 4-4 so far this season when playing at home, and that is an area that must improve. 

The Los Angeles Lakers are five-point favorites over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night. 

Denver Doing it With Depth

The Nuggets have seven different players averaging at least 10 points per game, and this is one of the deepest teams in the NBA. That depth allowed the Nuggets to go on a deep playoff run a season ago, and the team has not changed its formula.

Center Nikola Jokic leads the team with 26.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 8.6 assists per game and is one of the best players in the league. Denver runs its entire offense through Jokic, and he is able to find open shooters if he gets in trouble.

Jamal Murray has chipped in with 18.9 points per game, but the entire Nuggets team can shoot. Denver is shooting better than 38 percent from the three-point line, which will keep them in every game. 

Lakers Leaning on Leaders

The Lakers are not as deep as the Nuggets, but they are led by two of the best players in the NBA. LeBron James and Anthony Davis are both off to great starts this season, and they do whatever it takes to lead the Lakers to a win.

James is leading the Lakers with 25.0 points and 7.5 assists per game, and he sets up the entire offense. Davis has chipped in with 22.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, and he will have a huge impact on this game. 

Los Angeles is also the best defensive team in the NBA, holding opponents to just 104 points per game. The Lakers will need to guard the three-point line on Thursday night to slow down the Nuggets. 

Nuggets Stun Lakers

The Lakers have really struggled at home this season, and that will give the Nuggets a chance to come away with a win. The Lakers are not playing this season with a sense of urgency, but Denver will be looking to pull off the upset.

This should be a low-scoring game, and it will likely come down to which team can make shots late. Since Denver is the better shooting team in this matchup, that will give the Nuggets an edge.

Denver will head into Los Angeles and stun the Lakers on Thursday night. Bet the Denver Nuggets over the Los Angeles Lakers in this Western Conference showdown.

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