The defending champion Denver Nuggets will aim for their 10th straight victory over the Los Angeles Lakers when they meet on Monday night. It is Game 2 of their 2024 NBA playoffs series, with Denver leading 1-0 after an 11-point victory on Saturday. The Nuggets swept the three-game regular season series between the two, in addition to a four-game sweep in last year's postseason. Both teams have 39 wins against the spread this season, with Denver at 39-42-2 ATS and L.A. at 39-45-1 versus the line.
Tipoff is at 10 p.m. ET from Ball Arena in Denver. The Nuggets are 7-point favorites in the latest Lakers vs. Nuggets odds, per SportsLine consensus. The over/under for total points is 224. Before making any Nuggets vs. Lakers picks, be sure to check out the NBA predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters the second week of the 2024 NBA playoffs on a sizzling 90-58 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning more than $2,800. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Los Angeles vs. Denver and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are the NBA odds and betting lines for Nuggets vs. Lakers:
- Lakers vs. Nuggets spread: Nuggets -7
- Lakers vs. Nuggets over/under: 224 points
- Lakers vs. Nuggets money line: Lakers +238, Nuggets -295
- LAL: The Over is 16-8 across the Lakers' last 24 games
- DEN: Denver is 8-8 against the spread over its last 16 games
- Lakers vs. Nuggets picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Nuggets can cover
Denver is both 4-0 straight-up and against the spread against the Lakers this season. Since the start of last year's playoffs, the Nuggets are 13-8 ATS in the postseason, which is the second-best mark in the league (min. seven games). Additionally, Denver is 5-1 against the spread over its last six games overall, including the regular season, while the Lakers are just 2-4 ATS over their last six.
On the court, few can match the balance of Denver, which ranks fifth in offensive rating and eighth in defensive rating. It has six different players averaging in double-figures, and its best players elevate their games in the postseason. Nikola Jokic has a career regular season average of 20.9 points that jumps to 27.6 in the postseason, while Jamal Murray's scoring average increases from 17.5 in the regular season to 24.9 in the playoffs. See which team to pick here.
Why the Lakers can cover
Lakers center Anthony Davis is a two-way force, as evident by his standout Game 1 performance. Davis supplied 32 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and four blocks. He's coming off a stellar regular season in which his rebounds (12.6) was a career-high while his assists (3.5) was his second-highest, to go along with 24.7 points and 2.3 blocks.
He's a big part of a highly efficient offense as the Lakers finished the regular season ranking second in field goal percentage, eighth in 3-point percentage and sixth in points per game. On defense, the Lakers can stretch to the perimeter as they allowed the third-fewest made 3-pointers and the sixth-lowest 3-point percentage. Meanwhile, LeBron James was his typical otherworldly self during his 21st NBA season as he shot his best 3-point percentage of his career (41%) and had his highest field goal percentage (54%) since donning the purple and gold in 2018. See which team to pick here.
How to make Lakers vs. Nuggets picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Under on the total, projecting just four players to reach 18 points. It has also generated an against-the-spread pick that cashes in nearly 60% of simulations. You can only see the model's pick and analysis at SportsLine.
So who wins Nuggets vs. Lakers, and which side of the spread cashes in almost 60% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Lakers vs. Nuggets spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that has returned more than $2,800 on its NBA picks this season, and find out.
