It’s a star-studded Western Conference matchup as the Lakers take on the Nuggets in the late game on Thursday night.
Los Angeles is coming off a win over the terrible New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday and has opened as 4.5-point underdogs on Kalshi when they face the Nuggets on Thursday night.
The Nuggets haven’t played since Monday when they scooted past the Jazz by three points in Utah.
These two rivals have not liked each other since The Bubble, when the Lakers eliminated the Nuggets en route to an eventual NBA Championship.
Though since the Lakers moved on from Anthony Davis, this matchup has lost some luster, and Los Angeles appears to have a bit of an edge now that they have Luka Doncic.
The Lakers have won the only game Doncic has played against the Nuggets, in which Nikola Jokic has also played.
Lakers vs. Nuggets prediction
Neither team here is even remotely competent at defense.
Los Angeles has the No. 22 defensive rating in the NBA, while the Nuggets are No. 21; these are the two lowest defensive ratings among playoff teams.
The total of 232.5 points is among the highest in the NBA this year, and while this line just opened, I suspect money comes in on the over.
Denver has a nightmare slate ahead, with games against the Knicks, Thunder, Rockets, Spurs, Lakers (again), and 76ers.
I project this spread to be dead on the number, assuming no one sits out, but I’ll take the over in this game at a bit of an edge, considering the metrics of these two defensively.
This total could move a bit, but I’m fine targeting Over 232.5 and am willing to bet it up to 234.
The over is 27-13 when the Nuggets are favored, and the over is 14-9 when the Lakers are underdogs.
This is a perfect storm to target the over in Lakers vs. Nuggets.
PREDICTION: Over 232.5 total points (Kalshi)
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