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The Los Angeles Lakers will look to avoid going down 2-0 as they face off against the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals Thursday. Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m. ET from Ball Arena with a broadcast available on ESPN.
Both teams will come into the game with no notable injuries as their stars and core players all look to be available for Thursday night’s contest.
The Nuggets are 5.5-point favorites to get the win on DraftKings Sportsbook, priced at -205 on the moneyline. The Lakers come in at +175 while the point total is set at 227.
Lakers vs. Nuggets, 8:30 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: Nuggets -5.5 (-105)
The Nuggets still haven’t lost a game at home in the postseason, and it’s tough to pick against them when looking at straight up results. They barely missed out on covering the 6.5-point spread in Game 1 as they only won by six points, but tonight’s 5.5-point spread gives them a little more wiggle room. They’ve been able to cover in seven of their 12 playoff games this season so far, with five of those coming within the confines of Ball Arena.
Four of the Nuggets’ last five wins have been by double digits, with all four of those coming against the Suns in the second round.
The Lakers have covered in four of their last five games, with just one of those coming on the road in Tuesday night’s 126-132 loss to the Nuggets. The Lakers shot 54.8% from the floor in Game 1, keeping pace with Denver’s 54.9% shooting on the night.
There will certainly be adjustments made by both sides in Game 2, but I’d expect to see Nikola Jokic put in another stellar performance and lead the Nuggets to another win by more than five points.
Over/Under: Over 227
Game 1 was a scoring fest as the contest finished 35.5 points over the total which was set at 222.5. Tonight’s matchup isn’t much higher at 227 and with all the offensive firepower both teams have on their squad, I’d expect them to finish over the total again.