The first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs will continue on Monday and the slate will conclude with the No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers visiting the No. 2 Denver Nuggets for Game 2 of their best-of-seven series. Tipoff for this Western Conference showdown is set for 10 p.m. ET and the game will air on TNT.
Denver enters this matchup with a 1-0 series lead after pulling past LA for a 114-103 victory Saturday. The Nuggets got off to somewhat of a sleepy start and were down by 12 at one point in the second quarter. However, the defending champs soon woke up and turned the tables on the Lakers, effectively putting the game out of reach with a 13-0 run in the third quarter.
The Nuggets won this game despite shooting just 46.1% from the field and attempting only six free throws for the entire contest. Their three-point shooting, however, arguably proved to be the difference as they went 15-42 from beyond the arc compared to the Lakers going 8-29. This is something to keep in mind for Game 2.
On the injury front, both LeBron James (ankle) and Anthony Davis (back) are listed as probable for the game. If you haven’t picked up on it by now, the Lakers’ star duo are always listed on the injury report in some capacity. They will be good to go barring some last-minute setback.
Denver enters the game as a 7.5-point favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook, accompanied by a total of 224. The Nuggets are listed as a -305 moneyline favorite, making the Lakers a +245 underdog.
Lakers vs. Nuggets, 10 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: Nuggets -7.5
As mentioned before, Denver did not have its best shooting performance on Saturday and still managed to topple LA by double digits. The Nuggets have had the Lakers’ number as they’ve now won all four of their matchups this season by at least eight points. After their slow start in Game 1, I think the defending champions will be locked in from the opening tip and turn this into a blowout.
Over/Under: Under 224
The age old adage is that in a playoff series, the biggest adjustments are made between the first and second games and that’s especially the case between two teams who are already highly familiar with each other. The under ultimately cashed in Game 1 and I’ll predict the same happening in Game 2.