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Andrew Rogers
Nuggets vs. Lakers Game 2 Prediction: NBA Playoff Odds, Point Spread
Surprise! The Denver Nuggets find themselves trailing in the Western Conference final as they prepare to tangle with the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 on Sunday. After climbing out of a pair of 3-1 deficits against Utah and the L.A. Clippers in the first two rounds, Denver hung tough with the conference-leading Lakers for 13 minutes in Game 1 before Los Angeles took control en route to a 126-114 win. It’s the first Game 1 win for the Lakers in the playoffs.
NBA Point Spread and Betting Analysis
After covering with ease as seven-point favourites in Game 1, the Lakers find themselves at -7.5 for Game 2; they’ve covered five straight games dating back to their series-opening loss to the Houston Rockets, while recording double-digit wins in four of their past five games. Denver has been no slouch from an ATS perspective – having gone 9-3 in their previous 12 games – with eight of those covers coming via outright wins as underdogs.
The Game 1 total of 210.5 was left in the dust in the Lakers’ 126-114 victory, but the Game 2 number isn’t that much higher at 213.5. But don’t expect as much value in the Over as the Under, with an incredible 96 percent of Sports Interaction bettors taking the O213.5. But it’s notable that Denver has converted the Under in seven of its previous nine games, while the Under is 4-2 in Los Angeles’s past six games overall.
Denver Nuggets
If the Nuggets don’t get passing help from their franchise centre, they could be in big trouble – and that was certainly the case in Game 1. Seven-footer Nikola Jokic was held to just two assists in the defeat, his lowest total in the postseason and the fewest he’s had since the Nuggets’ final regular-season game, when he played just 10 minutes. Jokic was one of the top playmakers in the league during the season, averaging 7.0 assists in 73 games.
Los Angeles Lakers
A motivated LeBron James is a dangerous thing – and LeBron enters Sunday’s contest still steaming about how he finished in the NBA Most Valuable Player balloting. After receiving just 16 out of 101 first-place votes (compared to 85 for winner Giannis Antetokounmpo), James admitted he was “p***ed off” before saying he would have no trouble shaking off the perceived slight. But don’t be surprised to see him take out his frustrations on the Nuggets.
DEN
LAL