Denver Nuggets vs LA Lakers Prediction and Betting Tips: Best bets including a 16/1 pick
The NBA Playoffs are here and there are plenty of scintillating first-round series, but the clash between the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers stands out from the crowd.
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The Nuggets narrowly missed out on top spot in the Western Conference and had to settle for second, while the Lakers endured a difficult campaign but earned their place in the playoffs via a play-in victory over New Orleans Pelicans.
This series represents a repeat of last season’s Western Conference finals. The Nuggets won that series 4-0 before going on to win the championship and they will be hoping to dominate the Lakers again.
Nuggets vs Lakers Tips
Denver Nuggets -3.5 series handicap
The Nuggets swept the Lakers on their way to winning the NBA title last year and they could breeze past their Californian opponents again.
Denver earned four more regular-season wins than last term this time around, ending with a 57-25 record, while LA struggled for the majority of the campaign.
The Lakers could only muster up 47 wins in their 82 regular season matches and lost all three of their clashes this term, suggesting they may be in for another humbling series.
LA’s LeBron James’ powers are finally on the wane, while Denver star Nikola Jokic is only getting better.
Back the Joker’s Nuggets to have this series wrapped up in either four or five games by backing them -2.5 games on the handicap.
Jamal Murray most points in series
With Jokic likely to be marshalled closely by elite defender Anthony Davis for the entirety of this series, it may be a different Nugget who leads the scoring.
Jamal Murray led the scoring in last year’s Western Conference finals with 32.5 points per game in Denver’s 4-0 rout of LA, and the Canadian could be just as deadly this time around.
Last season was Murray’s first full campaign for a long time after a few injury-hit years, and he was even more prolific this term - averaging 21.2 points per game compared to last year’s 20.0 - highlighting how he is improving as his fitness improves.
Back Murray to lead the scoring in this series and dominate the Lakers again.
Austin Reaves most three pointers in series
D’Angelo Russell has proven his worth to the Lakers this term with some solid performances and the Nuggets will no doubt be wise to that.
With Russell, Davis and James likely to be guarded closely, Austin Reaves could find himself free on the perimeter quite regularly throughout this series.
He finished with only one less three pointer than Jamal Murray - who led that statistic with 15 - in the Western Conference Finals last year and has flourished from beyond the arc in recent weeks.
Reaves made 10 threes in his last three games of the regular season and given he has knocked down at least two in seven of his nine meetings with Denver, he rates a decent bet at big odds to notch more three pointers than any other player in the series.
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