Lakers vs. Nuggets Betting Preview
Two of the top NBA teams in the Western Conference face off when the Los Angeles Lakers take on the Denver Nuggets in the bubble on Monday, August 10. The Lakers are considered the favorite to win the title, with the betting odds at many sportsbooks showing the Lakers as the team with the best odds to win the NBA championship. In fact, the Lakers have already locked up the top seed in the conference.
Both teams have already clinched a playoff spot. While LeBron James and the Lakers are locked in at the top, the Nuggets have some wiggle room for where they’ll land. Denver can still earn the two, three or four seed in the Western Conference.
Taking a look at the Lakers vs. Nuggets odds, the Lakers are the favorite but make sure to keep an eye on playing statuses of both James and Anthony Davis. With the team having the top seed locked up, the Lakers could rest their two superstars.
As always, we recommend line shopping for the best prices on the market when looking to wager. To compare Lakers vs. Nuggets odds across different sportsbooks, as well as other games from around the NBA, check out our odds comparison tool. It makes it easy to shop the best Lakers vs. Nuggets lines.
Be Wary of Minutes for James and Davis
Los Angeles enters this contest playing poorly. Entering the competition against Denver, the Lakers are 2-4 inside the bubble.
The Lakers enter the game relatively healthy with the exception of small forward Danny Green who is battling a hip injury.
James and Davis are expected to be limited to 35 minutes of playing time per game, and there’s always the possibility of a day-of-game scratch, so you’ll want to take that into account when reviewing the Lakers vs. Nuggets odds.
Murray Back for Denver
Denver is getting healthier, and in their win over the Utah Jazz 134-132 in double overtime on Saturday point guard Jamal Murray made his restart debut after battling a hamstring injury and dropped 23 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists in 39 minutes.
The Nuggets are led by Murray, two-time all-star center Nikola Jokic, and rookie Michael Porter Jr., who has averaged 29 points and 12.5 rebounds over his last four contests.
Statistically, the Lakers play at the 11th-highest pace of game, while Denver plays at the second-slowest pace in the NBA. Los Angeles excels defensively, as they’re currently third in the NBA in defensive efficiency. The Nuggets are 16th out of the 30 NBA teams in the category. Denver is ninth in offensive efficiency with the Lakers just two spots behind.
The Lakers and Nuggets offenses will likely be popular for Lakers vs. Nuggets props because of the talented all-around offensive players on both sides. You’ve got James and Davis on the Lakers side, then Murray and Jokic and big stars on the Nuggets side. Plus, there’s been a lot of scoring inside the bubble.
Los Angeles won two of the three games played between the two teams during the regular season.