It’s been an up-and-down start to March for Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, and tonight, they’ll be looking to have more of an ‘up’ against a LeBron James-less Los Angeles Lakers. As we get set for a potential playoff series preview on NBATV, we’re here to hook up your Friday night with our Lakers vs. Nuggets predictions.

That also means a best bet from our Lakers vs. Nuggets picks, and everything will wrap up with a huge $1,500 BetMGM Sportsbook sign up bonus.

 

 

 

Lakers vs. Nuggets Predictions for NBA on NBATV, 3/4

Up until the recent Lebron James groin injury, making Lakers vs. Nuggets predictions would have meant predicting a battle of the #2 seed in the Western Conference. While that may still ultimately be the case, there is now a question of whether or not the honeymoon phase for the Lakers is over.

That honeymoon phase being the one that began following the trade for Luka Doncic, so even with the King off the court, they still have one of the best players in the NBA healthy. However, Luka Doncic in LA means that Anthony Davis no longer is, and when facing a big man the caliber of Nikola Jokic, these are the types of matchups where that absence is felt most.

That certainly plays a major role in how we’re approaching the Lakers vs. Nuggets odds for our best bet tonight. 

 

 

 

Los Angeles Lakers: Losing With Luka

Not only will LA be down their big man of the last several seasons, but they’ll also be on the road AND on the second night of a back-to-back. They were just in Milwaukee last night taking on the Bucks, which ended in a 20-point loss for the Lakers. It was their second straight loss since the LeBron James injury, despite big performances from Luka Doncic.

To be clear, this isn’t to slight Luka Doncic, but rather to demonstrate that LA needs a dynamic duo at the very least since they don’t have a ‘big 3’ model either. Since the LeBron James injury, Luka Doncic has had a triple-double and a 45-point game just last night, and neither were enough. Now facing Nikola Jokic & company, the Lakers are huge 14-point underdogs.

 

 

 

Denver Nuggets: Nikola Jokic The True MVP?

Even if Anthony Davis was still with the Lakers, Denver’s Nikola Jokic has proven that he is matchup proof. So much so that even after the Nuggets loss on Wednesday night, there are still plenty of fans and analysts who feel as though he should be the MVP favorite over Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

When you see that Nikola Jokic is averaging a triple-double this season and ranks inside the top three for all three stat categories (points, rebounds and assists), the argument is more than fair. However, there is always the factor of voter fatigue - Nikola Jokic has already won three MVP awards, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is still looking for his first.

 

 

 

Lakers vs. Nuggets Odds, Spreads, Total & Betting Lines

After these teams split their first two matchups of the year, Denver is a clear favorite at home tonight, and you can see the latest Lakers vs. Nuggets odds at BetMGM Sportsbook here:

 

 

 

Lakers vs. Nuggets Best Bet: Under 232.5 Points (-110 at BetMGM Sportsbook)

With Denver coming off a home loss, there was some hope that oddsmakers would provide us with a more favorable number in terms of the point spread. However, with LA being without LeBron James, that was a bit too optimistic.

While we fully expect Nikola Jokic and company to bounce back from Wednesday’s loss, we’re going to avoid sweating out the point spread market. After all, dueling triple-doubles by Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic could end up keeping things closer than expected come the tail end of the game.

Instead, we’re going to focus elsewhere for the best bet from our Lakers vs. Nuggets predictions, although still a standard market. That would be the point total, which is where we’re going to target the under. It’s an approach that has paid dividends for LA bettors this season, as they have the fifth-best record for unders thus far.

Of course, LeBron James not being on the court is a massive blow to those hoping that the Lakers can light up the scoreboard, even with Luka Doncic on the court. Similarly, the last time we saw Denver take the court, they put up just 95 points.

Admittedly, they’ve had a couple higher-scoring games this month, but the majority have still been on the low side. Since the calendar turned to March, the Nuggets have either scored or held opponents to 110 points or fewer. That was also the case when these teams met just three weeks ago, a game in which Denver scored just 100 points.

Speaking of which, both meetings between these teams this year stayed under the total by an average of 14 points. That’s the final straw we needed to lock in the best bet from our Lakers vs. Nuggets predictions on the under 232.5 points (-110 at BetMGM Sportsbook).

 

 

 

Lakers vs. Nuggets Injury Report & Starting Lineup

As with any matchup, it’s always a must to have the latest injury news. Starting with Denver, we recently saw that Julian Strawther will miss several weeks, and Aaron Gordon missed Wednesday’s game against the Timberwolves.

In LA, the biggest injury news in the entire NBA as of late is the LeBron James groin injury. Not only did we already know that he’ll be out at least one to two weeks, but he even traveled back to LA to rehab. Similarly, Rui Hachimura also went back to LA, but has changed to day-to-day.

As for starting lineups…

LA Lakers:

DEN Nuggets:

 

 

 

How To Bet On Lakers vs. Nuggets at BetMGM Sportsbook & Claim Your $1,500 Bonus With Promo Code ALARM

Fading or following our Lakers vs. Nuggets predictions is entirely up to you, but be sure to make your pick while claiming today’s $1,500 BetMGM sign up offer:

  1. Sign up here for a new BetMGM account
  2. Enter the BetMGM promo code ALARM
  3. Make an initial deposit of at least $10
  4. Wager $10+ and up to $1,500 on anything
  5. Receive a full refund in bonus bets if it loses

As you can see, that first bet will be fully insured, guaranteeing that you don’t walk away empty-handed. Just be sure that the BetMGM promo code ALARM is filled in when joining today!