The Los Angeles Lakers will look to even their best-of-seven series when they take on the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of the 2023 Western Conference finals on Thursday. Denver opened up this 2023 NBA playoff series with a 132-126 home victory on Tuesday. The Lakers (43-39), who are looking to continue their playoff dominance over Denver, have won the previous seven postseason series against the Nuggets (53-29). Denver, meanwhile, is the top seed in the conference for the first time. The teams split four regular-season games, with the home team winning each time.
Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. ET at Ball Arena in Denver. The Nuggets are allowing 108.3 points per game in the playoffs, while Los Angeles allows 109.2. Denver is a 5.5-point favorite in the latest Lakers vs. Nuggets odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 226. Before making any Nuggets vs. Lakers picks, make sure you check out what proven SportsLine NBA expert Larry Hartstein has to say.
A former lead writer for Covers and The Linemakers, Hartstein combines a vast network of Vegas sources with an analytical approach. Hartstein also excels in the NBA, especially when picking Denver Nuggets games. Over the past 94 Denver matchups, he is 55-36-3 against the spread, returning $1,545 for $100 players. Anybody following those picks has seen huge returns.
Now, Hartstein has set his sights on Lakers vs. Nuggets and just locked in his picks and NBA playoff predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are the NBA lines and trends for Nuggets vs. Lakers:
- Nuggets vs. Lakers spread: Nuggets -5.5
- Nuggets vs. Lakers over/under: 226 points
- Nuggets vs. Lakers money line: Nuggets -215, Lakers +178
- LAL: The Lakers are 4-1 against the spread in their last five games overall
- DEN: The Nuggets are 4-1 ATS in their last five games after allowing more than 125 points in their previous game.
- Nuggets vs. Lakers picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Nuggets can cover
Center Nikola Jokic has been dominant, and has six triple-doubles during the postseason, including three in a row and four over the past five games. In Tuesday's Game 1 win, he scored 34 points, grabbed 21 rebounds and dished out 14 assists to go along with two blocks. In 12 playoff games, Jokic is averaging 31 points, 13.5 rebounds and 10.1 assists. In four regular-season games against the Lakers, he averaged 23.3 points, 12.3 rebounds, 9.8 assists and 2.3 steals in 35.3 minutes of action.
Small forward Michael Porter Jr. posted a double-double in the series opener with 15 points and 10 rebounds. He has registered three double-doubles over the past five games, including a 21-point and 12-rebound effort in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Phoenix Suns. He is averaging 14.5 points and 7.8 rebounds in 12 postseason games. He had similar success against the Lakers during the regular season, averaging 14.5 points and eight rebounds in two games. See which team to pick here.
Why the Lakers can cover
Shooting guard Austin Reaves posted his second 23-point effort in a row on Tuesday, while dishing out eight assists. He has started all 13 playoff games and is averaging 16 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 35.6 minutes. He has led the Lakers in scoring once and assists three times this postseason. In the close-out win over Golden State, he scored 23 points, while dishing out six assists and grabbing five rebounds. He was red-hot from the floor, shooting 58.3%, including 80% from 3-point range.
Point guard D'Angelo Russell has also played a big role in Los Angeles' success this postseason and is one of five Lakers averaging at least 10 points. In 13 games, all starts, he is averaging 15.1 points, 4.8 assists and three rebounds in 31.2 minutes of action. In the decisive Game 6 win over Golden State on Friday, he scored 19 points, while grabbing two rebounds. During the regular season, he faced the Nuggets three times, averaging 13.7 points and 6.7 assists. See which team to pick here.
How to make Lakers vs. Nuggets picks
Hartstein is leaning Under on the total, and he has identified a critical X-factor he says makes one side of the spread a must-back. You can find out what it is, and see which side of the Nuggets vs. Lakers spread to back, at SportsLine.
Who wins Lakers vs. Nuggets, and what critical x-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Lakers vs. Nuggets spread you need to jump on, all from the expert who has returned over $1,545 to $100 players over his last 94 Denver Nuggets picks, and find out.
