Nuggets vs Lakers Odds & Picks (Oct. 30)
By Eric Rosales in NBA Basketball
Published:
- The winless LA Lakers are 4-point home underdogs against the Denver Nuggets Sunday
- Denver beat the Lakers 110-99 on Thursday, October 26
- Read below for the Nuggets vs Lakers preview, with odds and predictions
There were definitely skeptics as to how the LA Lakers would look this season, but did anyone have them as the last winless team in the NBA?
Back home after a dropping two road games, the Lakers (0-5, 0-2 home) will look for their first win of the season as they host the Denver Nuggets (4-2, 1-2 away).
To make matters worse, LA’s two superstars showed up on the injury report. More on that below.
Denver is coming off a convincing win over the Jazz, avenging an opening night L, while the Lakers kept it close, but couldn’t close against the Timberwolves.
This one gets underway Sunday (October 30) at 9:30pm ET from cyrpto.com Arena, in a game that can be seen live on NBA League Pass.
Nuggets vs Lakers Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Nuggets | -4 (-109) | -159 | Ov 220.5 (-110) |
| Los Angeles Lakers | +4 (-112) | +130 | Un 220.5 (-110) |
Odds as of October 30 at Barstool Sportsbook.
The NBA odds have the home side as 4-point underdogs, with the Lakers a fetching +130 odds on the moneyline.
Denver Betting Analysis
Though he leads the team in points, rebounds and assists, Nikola Jokic didn’t have to do much in the way of heavy lifting in Denver’s 117-101 win Friday night.
The 2-time reigning MVP played just 25 minutes, putting up 12 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.
Bones Hyland hit a career-high 7 three-pointers to lead the @nuggets to the win! #MileHighBasketball@BizzyBones11: 26 PTS, 7 3PM pic.twitter.com/IkJU5Ajf0U
— NBA (@NBA) October 29, 2022
While Jokic was 0-for-4 from downtown, Denver lit it up from deep, drilling 17 of 37 attempts, a nice 45.9% clip, outscoring the Jazz by 21 points from downtown.
Bones Hyland starred off the bench, putting up a game-high 26 points, including a sparkling 7-for-12 mark from three-point range.
Michael Porter Jr had 22 points and 13 boards, including a sharp 4-for-5 mark from beyond the arc. Jamal Murray was the third starter in double figures, finishing with 13 points.
El show de Jokic 🃏
📊 31 puntos, 13 asistencias, 9 rebotes y 4 robos.
Victoria ante los Lakers. pic.twitter.com/WbG6pVKxzu
— NBASpain (@NBAspain) October 27, 2022
In their 110-99 win over LA at home Thursday, Jokic was a monster, pouring in 31 points, 13 rebounds and adding nine assists, as Denver used a 29-9 third-quarter run to blow things wide open.
The Nuggets also held the Lakers to a woeful 8-for-30 night shooting from deep, though they shot at an even worse clip from distance, finishing 9-for-34.
Los Angeles Betting Analysis
It took all of four games for Anthony Davis’ goal of suiting up for all 82 this season to come to an end, as back stiffness forced him to sit in LA’s 111-102 loss to Minnesota. Davis is listed as questionable for Denver. He was solid in the first meeting, finishing with 22 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks.
https://twitter.com/TedBuddy8/status/1585475672293924864
LeBron James showed up on the injury list this week citing a foot injury, though it’s expected he will be good to go Sunday. James passed Karl Malone for the most 20+ point games in NBA history when he went for 28 against Minnesota, with seven boards, five assists and four steals, but it wasn’t enough.
Perhaps the only bit of good news during a five-game losing streak was Russell Westbrook looking alive in a reserve role last game out against Minny.
Hear from Russell Westbrook after scoring 18 points in the loss to the Timberwolves. pic.twitter.com/6c5G5jDZjI
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) October 29, 2022
The 2017 NBA MVP provided a spark for LA, finishing with 18 points, eight rebounds and three assists, though he did shoot just 6-for-17 from the field, 5-for-10 from the stripe, while turning the ball over five times.
Westbrook missed the last meeting between these teams as he dealt with a hamstring injury.
LeBron finished with 19 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in the first game against Denver – the only time he’s been held below 20 points in a game all season. He did have a season-high eight turnovers in the loss.
Nuggets vs Lakers Prediction
The Lakers are perhaps the most offensively challenged squad in the NBA.
LA is last in scoring, averaging 97 points per 100 possessions. They are also last in both field goal percentage (41.6%) and 3-point percentage (23.7%). Even average offensive output and LA wouldn’t be in this mess. Their defense is actually pretty stout, ranking seventh in the NBA in field goal and three-point shooting percentage, while second only to Milwaukee in surrendering 104.9 points per 100 possessions.
LeBron now has the most 20+ point games in NBA history 👑
Don't take @KingJames' greatness for granted 🙏 pic.twitter.com/pmTSL4mwEm
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 29, 2022
Denver is a bottom-10 team in points allowed, and they’re 22nd in field goal defense and rank 17th in three point shooting D.
They’re also 0-2 against the spread as a road favorite. For their part, LA is 0-5 ATS, the only winless team against the spread this year.
LeBron is in unchartered waters, having never started out worse than 0-4 SU, which was his rookie season.
Even with AD questionable, look for the Lakers to muster one of their best efforts of the year, and at least keep it to a 1-possession game.
Pick:
- Laker +4 (-112); 1 unit to win 0.89 units
- NBA Betting Record: 2-3 ATS, 1-0 ML, -0.72 units
Sports Writer & Editor
Having worked in and around sports since 1997, Eric is truly a knowledgeable expert. The two-time journalism grad specializes in all things NBA and NFL. From TSN.ca to CTV's Olympic Broadcast Consortium, Eric's work has appeared in local and national publications alike.
