Can Lakers Leap From 2023 Sweep? Lakers vs Nuggets Preview
Lakers vs Nuggets Odds and Playoff Breakdown: Nuggs Hard to Crack
The Lakers vs Nuggets odds to win the series are Los Angeles +285 and Denver -370. The defending champion Nuggets, tied for the second-best regular season record in the league this season, are strong favorites against the Lakers who beat the New Orleans Pelicans Tuesday night to escape the Play-In Tournament.
This two-seed vs seven-seed matchup is unlike many we have seen in the past. For starters, these teams are largely unchanged from last season where they faced each other in the Western Conference Finals.
The Lakers are a unique seven seed as they have championship hopes, led by GOAT conversation regular LeBron James, and All-Star big Anthony Davis. In reality, that hope is more media-driven than real.
The Lakers are not nearly as good as the Nuggets and will have to play nearly perfectly to make this series competitive.
With Lakers vs Nuggets odds out, we are going to dive into NBA schedule today, and these teams’ matchup history to make some bets.
Day/Time:
Records: Lakers (47-35)/Nuggets (57-25)
Location: Games 1, 2, 5, 7 in Denver, Games 3, 4, 6 in Los Angeles
Champions Are Hard to Beat
The Nuggets are currently the second favorite in NBA finals odds, with +300 to repeat as champions. They are only +135 to win the Western Conference, the next closest team is +600.
There is a lot of confidence in oddsmakers that not only will Denver make it out of the first round, but will return to the NBA finals for a shot at going back-to-back.
The Nuggets regular season wasn’t quite as electric as last year, but Nikola Jokic is likely going to win his third NBA Most Value Player award, and they ended the season tied for the best record in the West.
Many watching the Nuggets believe that after their championship run, they decided to focus on health and ending the season ready for the playoffs rather than chasing wins.
Nikola Jokic caps off his 3rd MVP Season with:
79 Games Played
26.4 PPG
12.4 RPG
9.0 APG
1.4 SPG
0.9 BPG62.7% 2PT
35.9% 3PT
81.9% FT
65.0% TS
+684 (#1 in the NBA)He’s the ONLY player in NBA History to put up these numbers. This is the latest installation of one of the best… pic.twitter.com/KSJHDcyQma
— Swipa (@SwipaCam) April 14, 2024
Denver ended the season top five in offensive rating (fifth) and top ten in defensive rating (eighth). They were fourth in net rating. After the all-star break, their numbers are even better, ranking fifth in defensive rating and third in offensive NBA ranking.
The Nuggets ended the season 37-42-2 against the spread and 35-46-1 on over/unders. They ended the season on a 15-5 run. In their last ten games, they went 5-5 ATS and 5-5 on over/unders.
The Lakers Just Aren’t That Good
At the start of the season, many considered the Lakers possible contenders. After getting swept by the Nuggets in last year’s playoffs, they believed a full season of their post-trade deadline squad could vault them over the hump.
Instead, even with their star duo of Anthony Davis and LeBron James both being relatively healthy, scoring over 24 points per game each and efficiently (both had season field goal percentages over 54%), they had another up-and-down regular season.
Lakers fans are hoping that their 100-96 Play-In Tournament victory over the Pelicans on Tuesday night, is the start of a miraculous playoff run.
We don’t find that likely. The Lakers ended the season ranking only 15th in offensive efficiency and 17th in defensive efficiency. Besides the names on their jerseys and LeBron’s championship pedigree, there is not much evidence to show that they are any better than a mediocre NBA team.
The Lakers ended their season 39-44 ATS and 47-35-1 on over/unders. They are +1300 to win the West and +2900 to win the championship.
LeBron James speaks about the rematch against the Nuggets and today’s Play-In win over Pelicans. pic.twitter.com/3WWap5e8X5
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) April 17, 2024
Can Lakers Leap From Sweep?
The series win Lakers vs Nuggets odds are Los Angeles +285 and Denver -370. The Nuggets won last season’s series in a clean 4-0 sweep, and we believe the Nuggets will once again dominate this series.
The Nuggets have now won their last eight NBA games against the Lakers and swept the season series 3-0. They won each of those games by eight or more points, showing the Lakers have not figured out the Nuggets puzzle since last year’s playoffs.
The Nuggets are +500 to sweep, +225 to win 4-1 and +400 to win 4-2. We believe the Nuggets will win this series relatively comfortably, meaning taking the Nuggets at a series spread of -1.5 at -160 odds feels like decent value.
Denver to win the series at -370 is a nice bet as well, we expect that an NBA injury to a key player is the only thing putting that in jeopardy.
You can’t deny the Nuggets season dominance, and with their championship run from last year still in recent memory, don’t be surprised to see the Nuggets make another run for it all.
For Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
