LA Lakers (37-24) vs. Denver Nuggets (38-24)
March 5, 2026 10:00 pm EDT
The Line: Denver Nuggets -5.5; Over/Under: 240.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Los Angeles Lakers travel to the Ball Arena to do battle with the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night.
Los Angeles Lakers Betting Preview
The Los Angeles Lakers have been in decent shape as they’ve split their last 10 games overall and they will be gunning for a fourth straight victory after beating the Pelicans in a 110-101 win on Tuesday. Luka Doncic led the team with 27 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, LeBron James added 21 points with seven rebounds and seven assists while Austin Reaves chipped in with 15 points, eight rebounds and three assists. As a team, the Lakers shot 47 percent from the field and 11 of 37 from the 3-point line as they battled with the pesky Pelicans and trailed by eight points midway through the fourth quarter before they closed the final 7:06 on a 24-7 run to secure the gritty win in front of their home fans.
Denver Nuggets Betting Preview
Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets haven’t been at their best as they’ve split their last 10 games also and they will be hoping to build some momentum after sneaking past the Jazz in a 128-125 road win on Monday. Jamal Murray led the team with 45 points and eight assists on 13 of 19 shooting, Nikola Jokic added 22 points with 12 rebounds and five assists while Julian Strawther chipped in with 15 points. As a team, the Nuggets shot 54 percent from the field and 16 of 39 from the 3-point line as they poured in 34 points in the third quarter to pull ahead, but this game was a dogfight till the final buzzer as the Nuggets never led by more than nine points in this one. In fact, the Nuggets trailed by four points late in the contest before they closed the final 1:53 on a 10-3 run to escape with the narrow road win.
Los Angeles v Denver Free Prediction
The Lakers could be slightly shorthanded for this one as they are keeping an eye on Maxi Kleber who is questionable, while the Nuggets have ruled out Spencer Jones with Cameron Johnson listed as questionable. The Lakers have done a decent job of keeping their heads above water despite not playing anywhere near their best lately and they beat the Nuggets by 115-107 back on Jan 20. It’s hard to trust either team in this matchup as we know that they’re capable of much better, but in this rematch I will lean with the Nuggets to get their revenge in this spot.
