Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Lakers Betting Preview

The Denver Nuggets have a record of 17-10 and have a 9-7 record on the road right now. They’ve done well over the last few games, winning three of them in a row. After a huge 141-128 win over the Washington Wizards, they’re looking to earn another. Tonight, they face the Los Angeles Lakers, a team that they’re very familiar with. 

The Los Angeles Lakers have fallen back into another slump. Primarily due to injuries, the team has lost four of their last five games this season. With a few players dealing with injuries, they come into this game as 1.5-point underdogs. It’s not surprising that they’re not favored, especially after they recently lost to the Boston Celtics. 

Denver Nuggets: Nuggets need to get off to a fast start

Winning their last three games is pretty impressive, especially because of Nikola Jokic’s performance. He put up 43 points against the Washington Wizards a few nights ago. Today, they’ll look to Jokic again to lead them to victory. On average, Jokic puts up 24.6 points per game and nine assists. He leads the team in both of these categories. 

The Nuggets as a team put up an average of 116 points per game this season. They’re one of the best at scoring and they’re a great rebounding team. Getting off to a fast start against the Lakers is going to be key here. If they can, they can hold the lead and put a lot of pressure on an injured Lakers team. In our opinion, this nearly guarantees that they’ll earn a win.

Los Angeles Lakers: Lakers need to play better as a team

The one thing that we’ll say about the Los Angeles Lakers is they need to play better as a unit. This season, they’ve struggled to really build the chemistry they need to win. It’s interesting because when LeBron James was sidelined, they performed better. It might be a coincidence but maybe there’s something there. Especially since Anthony Davis leads the team in scoring.

Averaging 28.1 points per game, Anthony Davis leads the Los Angeles Lakers. Russell Wilson leads the team with 7.5 assists per game. As a unit, the Lakers are averaging 115 points per game this season. However, even with all of the scoring, they have a record of 11-16 this season. So, between these two teams, who’s the best pick for tonight?

Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Lakers Betting Pick

Although the Lakers are one of the highest-scoring teams in the league, there are a few things to consider. For starters, they have one of the worst defenses in the league, allowing 116.6 points per game. They rank 25th in the NBA in this category compared to the Nuggets ranking of 18th. 

The Denver Nuggets can play pretty good defense and they have Nikola Jokic. Look for them to get a strong start tonight and be able to win this game. Since the spread is so small, we feel they’ll be able to cover that as well. 

DUNKELINDEX Free Pick: Denver Nuggets -1.5, OVER
 

Photo Credit: Associated Press

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