[gambcom-standard rankid=”3011″ ]
The Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets face off Monday in Game 2 of their best-of-7 Western Conference, 1st-round series. Denver leads the series 1-0. Tip-off from Ball Arena is set for 10 p.m. ET (TNT). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Lakers vs. Nuggets odds and make our expert NBA picks and predictions.
Denver picked up the 114-103 home win in Saturday’s opener, covering as a 6.5-point favorite. C Nikola Jokic dropped 32 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the win. Four of Denver’s starting 5 had a +/- of at least +10.
Los Angeles received a 32-point, 14-rebound outing from C Anthony Davis and a 27-point performance from F LeBron James, but the Lakers lost the turnover battle 12-4 and were outrebounded 49-40. G D’Angelo Russell also had a rough shooting game, going only 6-of-20 from the field, including just 1-of-9 from deep.
Lakers at Nuggets odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 2:16 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Lakers +240 (bet $100 to win $240) | Nuggets -300 (bet $300 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Lakers +7.5 (-110) | Nuggets -7.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 223.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)
[gambcom-standard rankid=”3012″ ]
Lakers at Nuggets key injuries
Lakers
- F Anthony Davis (back) probable
- F Lebron James (ankle) probable
- F Cam Reddish (ankle) out
Nuggets
- None
For most recent updates: Official NBA injury report.
Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!
Lakers at Nuggets picks and predictions
Prediction
Nuggets 112, Lakers 103
Moneyline
PASS.
The Nuggets (-300) will win, but they’re not worth the risk of betting on as such heavy favorites. Back the spread and/or total instead.
Against the spread
BET NUGGETS -7.5 (-110).
Denver has covered the spread in back-to-back games and is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games. The Nuggets have also covered in their last 6 games vs. the Lakers and are 7-3 ATS in the last 10 head-to-head meetings.
Meanwhile, L.A. is also only 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games.
Denver was able to win by 11 points Saturday even with G Jamal Murray having a very inefficient 9-of-24 shooting night. So, this bet seems a safe play assuming that Murray will have a better outing in this one.
Over/Under
LEAN UNDER 223.5 (-115).
The Under has hit in back-to-back games for the Lakers. For Denver, the Under is 3-1 in its last 4 home games vs. a Western Conference opponent. The Under has also hit in 7 of the last 10 Los Angeles-Denver matchups.
This is only a lean because the Over is 6-4 in L.A.’s last 10 games and because the O/U is 5-5 in Denver’s last 10 outings.
[gambcom-standard rankid=”5″ ]
For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
Follow @payton_shanks on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook.
Access more NBA coverage:
HoopsHype | Bulls Wire | Celtics Wire | Nets Wire | Rockets Wire | Sixers Wire | Spurs Wire | Thunder Wire | Warriors Wire | LeBron Wire | Rookie Wire | List Wire
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1368]