Lakers vs. Nuggets Prediction & Odds
The seventh-seeded Los Angeles Lakers head to Denver to take on the top-seeded Nuggets on ESPN Tuesday night at 8:30 PM ET in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals in the 2023 NBA Playoffs.
Can the Nuggets cover the 6-point spread as home favorites?
The series is tied 0-0.
The Los Angeles Lakers went 45-37 in the regular season. They are 9-4 in the play-in and playoffs this year. The Lakers are 48-46-1 ATS on the season.
The Denver Nuggets went 53-29 in the regular season. They’re 8-3 in the playoffs this year. The Nuggets are 51-41-1 ATS on the season.
Game Matchup & Betting Odds
531 Los Angeles Lakers (+6) at 532 Denver Nuggets (-6); O/U 222
8:30 PM ET, Tuesday, May 16, 2023
Ball Arena, Denver, CO
Lakers vs. Nuggets Public Betting Information
Our NBA Public Betting Information page indicates that 73% of public bettors are currently backing the Nuggets -6 in this contest. Note that these numbers are subject to change, so be sure to check the link to receive the most up-to-date public betting data.
Los Angeles Lakers DFS Spin
Lakers stars Anthony Davis and LeBron James are both listed as probable for Tuesday’s tilt with the Nuggets, as they are both dealing with foot injuries. They’ve been listed as probable for several games in these playoffs and have suited up and played well on multiple occasions. For DFS purposes I’d lean more toward LeBron James as Anthony Davis may have his hands full defending Denver’s Nikola Jokic. That defensive assignment could cut into Davis’ offensive production on Tuesday.
Lakers point guard D’Angelo Russell could have some DFS value in Game 1 of this series. Russell scored 19 points in L.A.’s Game 1 road over Memphis in the first round and poured in 19 points in the Lakers’ Game 1 road win over Golden State in the second round. Russell didn’t shoot over 48% in either of those contests but did dish out 6+ assists in both games.
Denver Nuggets DFS Spin
Denver point guard Jamal Murray is officially listed as questionable for Tuesday’s game with a non-COVID illness. It should be noted that Murray held the same designation for the same illness before Game 6 of Denver’s second-round series and he poured in 26 points in the Nuggets 125-100 blowout win. For the playoffs, Murray is averaging 25.9 points, 6.5 assists, and 5.2 rebounds per game.
Denver’s Kentavious Caldwell-Pope might have some DFS value at shooting guard on Tuesday. Caldwell-Pope may have some extra motivation playing against his former team. In 11 postseason starts, KCP is averaging 10.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 1.6 made three-pointers per game. Los Angeles may try to hide a lesser defender on Caldwell-Pope, and he could produce a big scoring night as a result.
Lakers vs. Nuggets NBA Betting Trends
Los Angeles is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games playing on 3 or more days’ rest.
Los Angeles is 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games overall.
Los Angeles is 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games against a team with a winning percentage over .600.
The over is 9-2 in Los Angeles’ last 11 road games.
Lakers vs. Nuggets NBA Prediction
The Lakers opened the postseason by winning their play-in game at home. In the next two rounds, they were able to steal Game 1 on the road against Memphis and Game 1 in San Francisco against Golden State. LeBron James and company understand that they need to win at least one of the first two road games in order to win the series as the lower-seeded club. They’ve been able to pull that off twice already.
For Denver, this will be the toughest team they’ve played all postseason. Minnesota and Phoenix did not have big men the caliber of L.A.’s Anthony Davis, and Davis could make things very difficult for Denver’s Nikola Jokic. I think these teams are about even depth and talent-wise, which is why I like the Lakers to cover the number in Game 1 on the road in Denver on Tuesday night.
NBA BETTING PREDICTION: LOS ANGELES LAKERS +6
