Denver Nuggets vs Los Angeles Lakers betting tips and predictions for Saturday’s game on NBA TV. The Lakers look to end a 2-game losing streak as they travel to Colorado to take on the Denver Nuggets. Read on for all our free predictions and betting tips.
Denver Nuggets
Nikola Jokic and co. are coming off a season high 140 points scored at home in a 32-point win over the Portland Trail Blazers. They enter tonight’s game as 3.5 point favorites, despite covering just twice in their last 6 outings. They have done fairly well recently winning in 6 of their last 9 games, against teams from the Western Conference though they re just 2-4 ATS in the last 6. Before tonight’s game they have a couple of injury worries that could really hurt them. Will Barton is probable with a neck injury, while Jeff Green is listed as questionable due to a personal matter. The Nuggets are already crippled with injuries, they need every body they can get at the moment. Against the Lakers they’ve won only twice in the last 10 meetings, so tonight’s game will be a big test for them.
Los Angeles Lakers
The way Russell Westbrook has been playing lately has been a disaster. Even though he leads the Lakers with 8.8 assists per game, in his last 10 games he’s averaging just 38% shooting from the field and 16 points per game while committing 3.7 turnovers. For the month of January he’s shooting just 29% from the field and 0% (yes, zero percent) from downtown. It would be easy to blame it all on him, but the Lakers have struggled with health all season long and everyone is waiting for the return of Anthony Davis. With him they have the potential to be a force, but until he is back we’ll see them struggling against teams like Sacramento. LeBron is playing at an MVP level, but at 37 he can no longer carry a team by himself.
I’m liking the Nuggets here, they’ve won 3 of their last 4 and are on a pretty solid run in home games this season. LA doesn’t have anyone at the center position to match up with Jokic, so it should be a productive night for him. Take the Nuggets to cover at home.
Denver Nuggets vs Los Angeles Lakers Predictions & Odds
Denver -3.5 Point Spread is available at -110 odds on bet365
LA tends to play a lot of small ball these days, playing LeBron James at the center position. That has resulted in the over cashing in 4 of their last 5 games with the totals going as high as 240 points in some of those games. I think we could see a similar scenario tonight, Dwight Howard is injured so the Lakers are very thin at the center spot. The last 10 meetings between these two have produced 7 overs and an average of 222.1 points per game were scored in those meetings. For the Nuggets the over has cashed in 6 of 8 at home, they are simply taking advantage of the high altitude and teams aren’t prepared when they come to the Mile High City. The Lakers are averaging 103.2 possessions per game, which ranks 2nd only to the Houston Rockets in terms of pace. They’ve given up the most points over the last 3 games in the entire NBA as opponents have averaged 123.3 per game during that stretch. Even though the Nuggets are a big shorthanded here, they should have very little issues putting up a solid total in this one. Back the points.
Over 224.5 Total Points is available at -110 odds on bet365
