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Andrew Rogers
Nuggets vs. Lakers Game 1 Prediction: NBA Playoff Odds, Point Spread
The Nuggets are lucky to be here, having rallied from 3-1 series deficits against both the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers – and not surprisingly, they come in as +400 underdogs against the conference-best Lakers (-625), who have gone 8-2 so far in the postseason.
NBA Playoffs Point Spread and Betting Analysis
That the Lakers are seven-point favourites in Game 1 might come as a bit of a surprise to some, given how dominant they’ve looked – and how weary the Nuggets must be after having to play six games on the brink of elimination so far. But bettors shouldn’t sleep on Denver, which has gone 5-1 ATS in its previous six games (including four outright wins as an underdog). The Lakers were truly dominant against Houston, covering in four of the five games.
Bettors believe in the Nuggets, at least ATS; 61 percent of Sports Interaction participants are taking Denver and the points. And the O/U consensus is even larger, with 68 percent of bettors siding with the over on the total of 211. The teams have converted the Over in 13 of their past 19 head-to-head meetings and have really let loose in recent encounters, averaging a combined 237.7 points over their last three dating back to the end of the 2019 calendar year.
Denver Nuggets
With respect to center Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets go as far as Jamal Murray takes them. The electrifying point guard has been one of the surprise heroes of the NBA playoffs so far, leading the team with a 27.1 points-per-game scoring average. And his win-loss splits are dramatic, with Murray averaging 32.4 points on 55.1 percent shooting in Denver’s eight postseason wins and just 20.0 points on 42.1 percent shooting in the Nuggets’ six losses.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Nuggets are riding their dynamic duo to playoff glory – and so, too, are the Lakers, who are led by sensational big man Anthony Davis and future Hall of Famer LeBron James. The duo is averaging 54.2 points and 21.2 rebounds per game, though they’ll find the board work much tougher against Denver’s imposing frontcourt than they did against the micro-ball Houston Rockets. Even better for L.A. both players are averaging less than 35 minutes per game.
DEN
LAL