Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets Betting Preview
16 May 2023
The 2023 NBA Western Conference Finals is set to begin on Tuesday night, and it’s a rematch of the “bubble” playoffs. It will be the Los Angeles Lakers taking on the Denver Nuggets in what should be a terrific series.
Los Angeles has made it to the Western Conference Finals as the number seven seed, and they had to win the play-in game just to make the postseason. The Lakers have had little trouble in getting past the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors.
Denver has been dominant so far in the playoffs, and they are the top overall seed in the Western Conference. The Nuggets just eliminated the Phoenix Suns, and they come into this series with a ton of momentum.
The Nuggets are six-point betting favorites over the Lakers in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
Lakers Led By Two Stars
The Los Angeles Lakers have a pair of stars in LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but it’s going to take more to win this series. Both James and Davis are both capable of scoring 30 or more points in a game, but the Nuggets can really defend.
Three-point shooting has been a struggle for the Lakers at points this season, and they are going to have to shoot the ball well to win this game. Austin Reaves is going to be a big key as he has emerged as a great weapon for this team.
The Lakers will have to throw extra bodies at Nikola Jokic, and that will leave the Nuggets open on the perimeter. Los Angeles will have to rebound the ball well to limit possessions for Denver.
Jokic Doing it All For Denver
Nikola Jokic didn’t win the MVP of the NBA this season, but he has been the best player in the playoffs. Jokic has been a triple-double machine all season long, and he has been carrying his team throughout the playoffs.
Jamal Murray is another player that seems to thrive in the playoffs, and he will be a big key in this matchup. The Nuggets typically like to play slow, but they have been able to get easy buckets in transition.
Denver continues to be great on the defensive end of the floor, and that is going to give the Lakers some issues in Game 1.
Denver Dominates Series Opener
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers have proven that they can win games on the road in the playoffs, but winning in Denver is a different animal. The Nuggets just simply don’t lose often at home, and they will be ready to defend home court in Game 1.
The Lakers aren’t going to have an answer for Nikola Jokic in the series opener, and they won’t be able to score on the Denver defense. Los Angeles can still come back and be the team to beat in this series, but they are going to have to climb out of an early hole.
Bet the Denver Nuggets -6.0 as they cruise to a comfortable win in Game 1 as they cover the spread in the matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers.
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All Media on this page by Associated Press.
