Tip-off: 0305, 13/02/2020
Stadium: Pepsi Center
TV: Sky Sports
The top two teams in the Western Conference go head to head at the Pepsi Center, as second-placed Denver Nuggets host leaders Los Angeles Lakers.
Denver have a superb home record of 21-6, while the Lakers have the second best away record in the NBA, with 22 wins from their 27 road trips.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis have guided Los Angeles into a three-game advantage at the top of the West, but this one is hard to call.
The Nuggets have been 8-2 over their last 10 games and have been 25-8 against teams from the Western Conference, while the Lakers just shade this form with 27 victories in 33 such contests.
However, Denver have beaten fellow high-flyers Houston Rockets and Utah Jazz in recent clashes at this venue and 21/20 for another home win is our first Nuggets vs Lakers prediction.
A Look At Denver Nuggets’ Betting Odds
Denver, who have won their last four home games, will be buoyed by the return of four-time NBA All-Star Paul Millsap after he made an impact on his 35th birthday against San Antonio Spurs with 22 points.
The power forward had not played since January 6 due to a left knee sprain but helped the Nuggets to a second-half comeback in a dominant 19-minute spell from the bench.
Denver are arguably back to full strength following the return of Jamal Murray (right ankle) and Millsap.
Murray has played in the last two games, although he had to battle on to play 34 minutes against the Spurs after tweaking his troublesome ankle.
Michael Porter Jr will miss a sixth successive game with a right ankle issue of his own, while Will Barton (right knee) will sit out a fourth straight contest after more inflammation on his knee problem.
However, one man who carried the mantle during recent injury issues was Nikola Jokic.
The Serbian has averaged 25.0 points, 9.25 rebounds and 10.75 assists in his last four home games for the Nuggets – and those stats are what we are focusing on for our second selection.
The huge center is Evens to register over 7.5 assists in this contest, a figure he has failed to make in only three of his last 10 matches, and we believe this is great value from the Nuggets vs Lakers odds.
A Look At Los Angeles Lakers’ Betting Odds
The link-up play between James and Davis is starting to have an ominous effect on the NBA standings, as the Lakers seek to pull clear in the Western Conference.
Despite stuttering in recent weeks, losing three of their last seven, Los Angeles and East coast rivals Milwaukee Bucks look most likely to be battling it out to be crowned NBA champions come the end of the campaign.
James is averaging 24.8 points per game and has been flirting around that mark consistently, while Davis is at a slightly higher rate of 26.5 points and 9.2 rebounds per match.
With their marks set around those season averages, it is hard to pick out either of the star players to hit over so many points in this contest.
However, their form on the road has shown that they actually score more on their travels (114.7 points per game) than at the Staples Center (114.6).
In addition to this, their only loss on the West coast came at the Los Angeles Clippers in their season-opener – where they share the same arena.
The other four away defeats have all come at Eastern Conference sides.
So, with their high average on the road and Denver’s strong home form, we believe a match total of over 219.5 points at 91/100 is the perfect way to round off our Nuggets vs Lakers betting tips.
Additional stats
Last result:
DENVER 127-120 San Antonio
LA LAKERS 125-100 Phoenix
Head-to-head: Lakers 104-128 Nuggets, Nuggets 96-105 Lakers, Lakers 99-115 Nuggets, Nuggets 117-85 Lakers, Lakers 121-114 Nuggets
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