Opening Nuggets vs Lakers Game 3 Odds, Spread, Total & Expected Line Movement

• The Lakers and Nuggets meet in Game 3 on Saturday night
• Los Angeles has opened up as a 3.5-point favorite
• Keep reading for the Nuggets vs Lakers Game 3 odds, point spread, and expected line movement

The Los Angeles Lakers officially have their backs up against the wall in the Western Conference Finals against the Denver Nuggets after they fell into a 0-2 hole on Thursday evening. Now, the focus turns to Game 3, where LeBron James and co. desperately need a victory to get back into this series.

Below, we’ll lay out the opening Nuggets vs Lakers Game 3 odds, dive into some analysis, and discuss any potential line movement ahead of Saturday’s encounter at Crypto.com Arena.

Opening Nuggets vs Lakers Game 3 Odds

The Lakers have opened up as an early 3.5-point home favorite and sit at +134 on the moneyline. The Nuggets come back at -158 NBA betting odds.

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Odds as of May 18th at FanDuel. Claim a FanDuel promo code to bet on Nuggets vs Lakers Game 3. 

Lakers in Trouble

After a valiant effort in Game 1 where they nearly overcame a 21-point deficit, Los Angeles knew a victory in Game 2 was an absolute necessity. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Now, Darvin Ham’s squad heads back to California in a must-win scenario because after all, it’s extremely rare for any team to come back from 3-0 in a series.

Once again, the Lakers were outplayed on the boards Thursday, which was also an issue earlier in the week. LeBron had a big night with 22 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds, but co-star Anthony Davis struggled. The big man added a mere 18 points and struggled to shoot the rock. He also had four turnovers. On a more positive note, Rui Hachimura balled out with 21 points in just 30 minutes of action.

RUI HACHIMURA TONIGHT
🇯🇵 30 minutes
🇯🇵 21 points
🇯🇵 2 rebounds
🇯🇵 8/10 FG

OUR BEST PLAYER SO FAR IN THE WCF pic.twitter.com/aopYm1RMkM

— Lakers Lead (@LakersLead) May 19, 2023

LA was outscored 32-24 in the fourth quarter as Jamal Murray put on an offensive clinic, draining numerous huge triples. In fact, Nikola Jokic barely even scored in the final period. The Lakers need to close out stronger. It’s that simple.

Nuggets in Cruise Control

Denver couldn’t be in a better spot right now. They’re just two wins away from their first-ever NBA Finals appearance and have undoubtedly looked like the better team in the series.

After The Joker put up a gaudy stat line in Game 1, he certainly did his part in Game 2 with 23 points, 17 boards, and 12 dimes. Up until the fourth though, there wasn’t a lot of help until Murray went off.

NUGGETS GO UP 2-0 ON THE LAKERS ⚒️

Murray: 37 PTS | 10 REB | 5 AST
Jokic: 23 PTS | 17 REB | 12 AST pic.twitter.com/EpbQyMGHkF

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 19, 2023

The Canadian was on fire and basically put the Lakers to sleep all on his own. The Nuggets shot 37% overall from long range and now head to LA with the utmost confidence, knowing just one victory on the road can put them in a prime position to play for a ring.

Nuggets vs Lakers Game 3 Line Movement

With both teams healthy, I don’t expect a ton of movement with the spread here. The Lakers did improve to 10-4 ATS in these playoffs on Thursday though and have gone 6-0 at home SU in the postseason. 3.5 points isn’t a lot either and every game thus far in the Western Conference Finals has been relatively close. That being said, the odds likely won’t change much before tip-off.