The first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs will begin Saturday and the slate will conclude with the No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers visiting the No. 2 Denver Nuggets for Game 1 of their best-of-seven series. Tipoff for this Western Conference showdown is set for 8:30 p.m. ET and the game will air on ABC.
Los Angeles had to earn its way into the playoff bracket through the play-in tournament and did just that with a 110-106 victory over New Orleans on Tuesday. The Lakers built a healthy lead in the second half, only for Zion Williamson and the Pelicans to storm back and tie the game with two minutes left. Williamson’s late hamstring injury ultimately proved costly for the Pels and the Lake Show capitalized as a clutch De’Angelo Russell three in the final minute put them up by two scores.
Denver enters the playoffs as the defending NBA champion and went about its business through the regular season like you would expect a defending champion that returned most of its core. Nikola Jokic once again dominated and he has a good chance at locking up his third MVP award, averaging 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, and nine assists per game for the year.
Denver swept the season series against LA 3-0 and did so handily with each game being decided by at least eight points. It can be argued that the Nuggets have somewhat of a psychological edge considering that they swept this same Lakers team in the Western Conference finals last year. There was even speculation that LA would tank its first play-in game specifically to avoid Denver in the first round.
On the injury front, LeBron James (ankle) and Anthony Davis (back) are both listed as probable for the Lakers in Game 1.
Denver is listed as a 7-point favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook, accompanied by a total of 226. The Nuggets are listed as -278 moneyline favorites, making the Lakers +225 underdogs.
Lakers vs. Nuggets, 8:30 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: Nuggets -7
As mentioned before, Denver dominated the regular season series against Los Angeles and held a distinct advantage in two areas. The Nuggets were +25 in rebounding and +9 in three-point shots made during these matchups, stats that allowed them to win comfortably. Barring some rust coming off a six-day hiatus, I think the defending champs roll in Game 1 and cover the spread easily.
Over/Under: Under 226
This is a matchup between two teams who know each other’s tendencies very well and I’d imagine the defensive pressure will be kicked up a notch. While I don’t think this game will be played in a phone booth like a lot of postseason games, I do think the under will cash…but barely.