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The Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers meet in Game 4 of a best-of-7 Western Conference 1st-round series on Saturday. Tip-off at Crypto.com Arena is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET (TNT). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Nuggets vs. Lakers odds and make our expert NBA picks and predictions.
Season series: Nuggets lead 3-0
The Nuggets picked up a 112-105 win in Game 3 as 1.5-point underdogs, pushing the Lakers to the brink of elimination. Denver is threatening to sweep Los Angeles out of the postseason for the 2nd consecutive year, too. The defending champs bounced the Lakers in 4 games in last season’s Western Conference Finals.
The Lakers have had difficulty generating offense, going for just 102.3 points per game (PPG), while covering only once in 3 tries. The Under has connected in each of the games in this series.
Denver has not only covered 2 of 3 in this series, but it is on a 6-2 against the spread (ATS) run since April 6 of the regular season. It has won 11 straight games against LeBron James and the Lakers, too, while going an impressive 7-1 ATS in the past 8 meetings.
Nuggets at Lakers odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:30 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Nuggets -165 (bet $165 to win $100) | Lakers +135 (bet $100 to win $135)
- Against the spread: Nuggets -3.5 (-110) | Lakers +3.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 218.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Nuggets at Lakers key injuries
Nuggets
- G Reggie Jackson (ankle) questionable
Lakers
- F Anthony Davis (wrist) questionable
- F LeBron James (ankle) probable
- F Cam Reddish (ankle) out
- F Jarred Vanderbilt (foot) out
- F Christian Wood (knee) out
For most recent updates: Official NBA injury report.
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Nuggets at Lakers picks and predictions
Prediction
Nuggets 109, Lakers 103
Moneyline
The Nuggets (-165) are moderate favorites on the road, as they look to close things out with a sweep for the 2nd consecutive season against the Lakers (+135).
Denver has won 11 in a row against Los Angeles, so it’s pretty hard to consider the Lakers here. However, Denver is a much better play laying the little bit of points.
PASS.
Against the spread
The NUGGETS -3.5 (-110) were actually underdogs in Game 3. That’s hard to believe. The books have installed Denver as a slight favorite, as they look to broom the Lakers +3.5 (-110).
All the defending champs need to do is win by 2 buckets to get the job done. Denver has won the 3 games by an average margin of just 5.3 points per game (PPG), so none of the contests have been lopsided. But the Nuggets have been moving the ball around better, while the Lakers have tended to set picks to create space for LeBron, and they don’t move nearly as much on the offensive end. It’s a clash in styles, and so far it’s Denver’s style, which is winning out.
Over/Under
UNDER 218.5 (-110) is a strong play as Denver looks to close this one out, while potentially cashing low for the 4th consecutive time in this series.
The Under is 6-1 in the past 7 meetings between these teams, too. These teams were on an Over roll to close out the season, but defense has reigned supreme in this series so far.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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