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Lakers vs Nuggets Predictions & Odds (Oct. 26)

Eric Rosales

by Eric Rosales in NBA Basketball

Updated Oct 26, 2022 · 2:15 PM PDT

LeBron James driving baseline
Oct 23, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) drives to the basket during the fourth quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
  • The winless LA Lakers are 6-point road underdogs when they visit the Denver Nuggets Wednesday
  • Both teams are coming off losses to the Portland Trail Blazers
  • Read below for the Lakers vs Nuggets preview, with odds and predictions

There are no soft landing spots for the LA Lakers.

So if they’re to break their season-opening 3-game skid to start they year, the Lake Show (0-3, 0-1 away) will have to do it in Denver, against reigning 2-time MVP Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets (2-2, 1-0 home).

At least the Lakers’ Mile-High stop isn’t at the end of a long road trip — as it’s the first of a mini 2-game trek away from Staples.

It all gets underway Wednesday (October 26) from Ball Arena at 10pm ET, in a game that can be seen live on ESPN.

Lakers vs Nuggets Odds

Team Spread Moneyline Total
Los Angeles Lakers +6 (-110) +200 OFF
Denver Nuggets -6 (-110) -240 OFF

Odds as of October 24 at DraftKings. Claim the DraftKings Sportsbook promo code to bet on the Lakers vs Nuggets game.

The NBA odds have the home side as 6-point favorites, with the Lakers a distant +200 underdog on the moneyline.

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Los Angeles Betting Analysis

It’s easy to point the finger at Russell Westbrook — he’s certainly struggled, particularly in the last two games. He’s questionable Wednesday with a hamstring injury.

Russ shot 0-for-11 in a loss to the Clippers, before another abysmal shooting night in a 106-104 loss to the Trail Blazers, shooting 4-for-15.

The last of those was an ill-advised jumper in the final 30 seconds with 18 seconds still left on the shot clock and the Lakers nursing a 1-point lead.

Still, Westbrook is just one of many problems for a Lakers’ team that has been poorly constructed, and can’t generate buckets.

They’re putting up just 103.3 points per game, which ranks 29th of 30 teams. They are dead last in field goal shooting at 40.7%, and they’re a brutal 21.2% shooting from beyond the arc.

How bad are is that mark? Consider that the Minnesota Timberwolves in 29th are actually closer to the 19th-place Sacramento Kings than they are to the last-place Lakers.

No shooting around LeBron James is criminal, as James’s efforts — leading the team in scoring (27.3 points), rebounds (11.0) and assists (7.3) while shooting 47% from the field — are being wasted.

Perhaps one of the other bright spots is the early play of Anthony Davis, who’s stayed healthy so far, while putting up 24.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.3 blocks on 50.7% shooting.

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Denver Betting Analysis

It was simply an off-night for Nikola Jokic last time out against the Blazers. Battling foul trouble all night, Jokic took just four shots all game, finishing with nine points, nine rebounds and nine assists.

Despite the off-night, he was close to recording his third straight triple-double in the young season.

There’s really no concern over Jokic, but the Nuggets are trying to build cohesion on a roster that featured much turnover, while also trying to re-integrate stars Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr into what they believe is a championship-level roster.

Murray had his worst game of the season against Portland, scoring just eight points on 3-for-12 shooting in 27 minutes of work. On the year, he’s averaging 12.0 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists on 37.8% shooting, coming back from ACL surgery.

Porter Jr has looked a little more at home after back surgery wiped out his campaign last year. He’s averaged 18 points and 5.8 rebounds while playing all four games, shooting 50% both from the field and from beyond the arc.

Where this roster needs the most improvement, however, is on the defensive end. Denver is currently last in points allowed (124.5), having allowed at least 117 points in every game this season,  They are allowing teams to shoot an NBA-best 50% from the field, and they are one of seven squads allowing teams to shoot 40% or better from downtown.

Lakers vs Nuggets Prediction

Pressure is already sky-high for the Lakers, who have looked pretty bad out of the gate. Maybe getting on the road is the right remedy, but Denver is no slouch. Their 25-16 home record last year was second-best in the West.

In head-to-head matchups, Denver is 3-2 in the last five vs the Lakers, while sporting an impressive 4-1 mark against the spread.

While I think the Nuggets should win, their slow defensive start might be the spark the Lakers need to get their offense going. LA’s last two losses were by six points or less, and that should continue Wednesday.

Pick:

  • Lakers +6 (-110); 1 unit to win 0.91 units
  • NBA Betting Record: 1-0 ML, +0.40 units
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