The first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs will continue on Saturday and the slate will conclude with the No. 2 Denver Nuggets visiting the No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers for Game 4 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 TNT.
Denver holds a commanding 3-0 heading into tonight’s game and will try to sweep LA right out of the playoffs for a second year in a row. Game 3 on Thursday followed the same pattern as the other games of the series with the Lakers building a nice lead in the first half, only for the defending champions to storm ahead down the stretch for a 112-105 win. It was Aaron Gordon’s turn to shine in this game as he led the team with 29 points and 15 rebounds in the win.
The Nuggets are proving to be too much on the glass in this series as they are averaging 10 more rebounds per game than the Lakers. That’s especially true on the offensive glass as they boast a 27.9% offensive rebound rate through three games. Those second-chance opportunities add up and its part of the reason why LA hasn’t been able to maintain.
On the injury front, LeBron James (ankle) is listed as probable on the injury report while Anthony Davis (wrist) is listed as questionable for the Lakers. For the Nuggets, Reggie Jackson (ankle) is questionable.
Denver enters the game as a 3.5-point favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook, accompanied by a total of 218. The Nuggets are listed as a -162 moneyline favorite, making the Lakers a +136 underdog.
Nuggets vs. Lakers, 8:30 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: Nuggets -3.5
Denver has demoralized Los Angeles and even if LeBron James’ “it’s just basketball” comments were taken out of context, the body language from both him and Anthony Davis following these losses doesn’t inspire much confidence. The Nuggets know how to dismantle this squad and that’s evidenced by they fact that they’ve won 11 straight games against the Lakers dating back to last year.
This series is over. The defending champs roll in the second half to become the first team in the bracket to advance to round two.
Over/Under: Under 218
Los Angeles is only averaging 102.3 points per game in the series so far and I can easily see the team throwing in the towel once things begin to get out of hand in the second half. That’s why I’ll predict the under cashing with the Lakers barely cracking 100 points.
