Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets will look to make a big statement when they host LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in their mid-week matchup of top western Conference NBA championship hopefuls. With both ballclubs looking to extend winning streaks, let’s find out which team is offering the best value against their NBA Odds.
Lakers vs Nuggets 2020 NBA Betting Lines & Game Preview
- When: Wednesday February 12, 2020 at 10:00 PM ET
- Where: Pepsi Center, Denver, CO
- Radio: Los Angeles / Denver
- TV: ESPN, Spectrum SportsNet, Sportsnet One
- NBA Odds: LA Lakers -1.5 / Total: 220.5
Why Bet On The LA Lakers
The Lakers have won two straight and four of five including an emphatic 125-100 win over Phoenix on Monday night as Anthony Davis scored a team-high 25 points while adding 10 rebounds. Veteran point guard Rajon Rondo scored a season-best 23 points while going 4-of-5 from beyond the arc.
“When he gets in the game, we want to keep that pace high,” Davis said of Rondo. “He has been hesitant on his shots lately and (Monday) he let it fly. When he lets it fly and he’s shooting the ball extremely well, then we’re a tough team to beat.”
Six players finished in double digits in scoring in the win while holding Suns all-star shooting guard Devin Booker to just 10 points. The Lakers average 114.6 points per game (7th) while allowing 107.2 points per game defensively (6th). Los Angeles is an impressive 22-5 on the road this season.
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 114.63
- Field Goal %: 48.77
- Three Point %: 36.34
- Free Throw %: 73.49
- Total Rebounds: 46.17
Defense
- Total Score: 107.15
- Field Goal %: 44.54
- Three Point %: 34.7
- Free Throw %: 78.1
- Total Rebounds: 41.58
Los Angeles Lakers Betting Trends
- Lakers are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games as a road favorite.
- Lakers are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
- Lakers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following a ATS win.
- Lakers are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
- Lakers are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games playing on 1 days rest.
- Lakers are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 Wednesday games.
Why Bet On Denver
The Nuggets have won four straight including a solid 127-120 win over San Antonio on Monday night. Denver had to battle back from a 23-point deficit with under 19 minutes remaining to get the thrilling win.
“After that first quarter where our defense was nonexistent, I thought we did a pretty good job on that end of the floor,” Denver coach Michael Malone said after his team’s big win. “… That was another remarkable comeback by our resilient group.”
The Nuggets got a team-high 26 points from Jamal Murray and 22 points from veteran forward Paul Millsap on his 35th birthday.
“We were giving him some smack this morning about being a senior citizen,” Malone said. “He’s playing like he played to start the year. To start the season I thought Paul and Will (Barton) were our best players. Now Paul, having time off, recuperating, getting healthy, and coming back fresh. That’s great.”
Denver averages 110.3 points per game (19th) while limiting the opposition to just 106.4 points per game defensively to rank a stellar fourth in points allowed. The Nuggets have gone 21-6 at home this season. Do-it-all superstar center Nikola Jokic leads the Nuggets in all categories with 20.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per game.
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 110.33
- Field Goal %: 46.43
- Three Point %: 35.55
- Free Throw %: 77.71
- Total Rebounds: 44.91
Defense
- Total Score: 106.43
- Field Goal %: 45.59
- Three Point %: 34.12
- Free Throw %: 75.53
- Total Rebounds: 43.15
Denver Nuggets Betting Trends
- Nuggets are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games overall.
- Nuggets are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
- Nuggets are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight up win.
- Nuggets are 16-7 ATS in their last 23 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
Lakers vs Nuggets Expert Analysis and Prediction
While the Lakers get far more national media attention than Denver does, I believe the Nuggets’ chances of coming out of the Western Conference are about equal to LA’s and NBA hoops fans will see exactly why in this contest. Denver has a trio of excellent players in Jokic, Murray and Millsap and they play well together, led by Jokic’s unique skill-set.
More importantly, I am fully expecting the Nuggets to go all-out to get the win while delivering a bold statement to the Lakers should they meet in the postseason. I’m still not completely convinced that the Lakers have enough quality depth on the bench and the Nuggets have been rock-solid at home this season. The Lakers are 1-5 ATS in the last 6 meetings in Denver and 8-18 ATS in the last 26 meetings overall while Denver has gone 4-0 ATS in their last 4 home games. Add it all up and it comes out to be a Denver win and ATS cover in a game they shouldn’t even be underdogs in!
Pick: Nuggets 109 Lakers 103
