The Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers do battle at the Crypto.com Arena on Saturday night. Here’s a Lakers vs. Nuggets prediction. This article will include a Lakers vs. Nuggets pick.
Denver Nuggets Betting Preview
The Denver Nuggets are starting to turn things around, as they’ve won four of their last six games overall and they will be aiming for a third straight victory after outlasting the shorthanded Spurs in a 136-131 road win on Thursday. Jamal Murray led the team with 39 points and seven assists, Nikola Jokic tallied a triple-double of 31 points with 20 rebounds and 12 assists, while Spencer Jones chipped in with 19 points on eight of 13 shooting. As a team, the Nuggets shot 50 percent from the field and 12 of 36 from the 3-point line as they allowed the Spurs to get off to a flyer and quickly found themselves trailing by 20 points. However, the Nuggets must have had a productive talk at halftime, because they dominated the second half by 83-62 to come away with one of their best wins of the season.
Los Angeles Lakers Betting Preview
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers have been in red-hot form, as they’ve won seven of their last eight games overall and they will be eager to build on their current four-game win streak after blowing past the Bulls in a 142-130 home win on Thursday. Luka Doncic led the team with 51 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists on 17 of 31 shooting; Austin Reaves added 30 points with seven assists on 13 of 20 shooting; Deandre Ayton scored 23 points, while LeBron James chipped in with 18 points and seven assists. As a team, the Lakers shot 56 percent from the field and 17 of 36 from the 3-point line as they poured in 41 points in the second quarter to take the narrow lead at halftime before they took off with 75 points in the second half to make it a blowout.
Why the Los Angeles Lakers will win
- The home team has won each of the Lakers’ last seven games.
- The Nuggets have lost four of their last five games as favorites following a win.
- The home team has covered the spread in each of the Lakers’ last seven games.
- The Nuggets have failed to cover the spread in seven of their last eight games against the Lakers after winning as underdogs.
Why the Denver Nuggets will win
- The Nuggets have won four of their last five games against Western Conference opponents.
- The Lakers have lost nine of their last 10 games as home underdogs against Northwest Division opponents following a win.
- The Lakers have failed to cover the spread in eight of their last nine games as underdogs against Western Conference opponents.
- The Nuggets have covered the spread in each of their last five night games against Western Conference opponents that held a winning record.
Total Points Facts
- Each of the Nuggets’ last 13 road games against Western Conference opponents has gone OVER the total points line.
- Each of the Lakers’ last four games against Western Conference opponents has gone UNDER the total points line.
Los Angeles Lakers Player Facts
- Luka Doncic ranks 1st amongst qualified players for points per game (32.9) this season.
- Luke Kennard ranks 1st amongst qualified players for 3P% (48.8%) this season.
Denver Nuggets Player Facts
- Nikola Jokic ranks 1st amongst qualified players for assists per game (10.4) this season.
- Jonas Valanciunas ranks 10th amongst qualified players for rebounds per 36 minutes (13.1) this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Lakers rank 1st in the league for opponent blocks per game this season (3.6).
- The Lakers rank 1st in the league for field goal percentage this season (49.9%).
- The Nuggets rank 1st in the league for points per game this season (120.6).
- The Nuggets rank 30th in the league for steals per game this season (6.9).
Lakers vs Nuggets Prediction
The Nuggets are still playing without Peyton Watson, while the Lakers have ruled out Maxi Kleber once again. The Nuggets look like they may have moved on from their slump but now they take on the Lakers, who are starting to heat up right now. These teams last met just last week and it was the Nuggets who won by 120-113 at home thanks to 28 points apiece from Jokic and Murray. The Nuggets are expectedly favorites in this one, but the Lakers enter this matchup as the hotter team right now and I think they can pull off the minor upset at home in this spot.