Game Information:
•How to Watch: ESPN
•Game Date: 5/18/23
•Game Time: 8:30 P.M. ET
•Series 1-0 Nuggets
Series Odds:
•Nuggets odds to win the series (-280)
•Lakers odds to win the series (+240)
Game 2 Odds:
•Moneyline: Nuggets (-225), Lakers (+188)
•Spread: Nuggets -5.5, Lakers +5.5
•Over/Under: 226.5- Over (-110), Under (-110)
What The Numbers Say:
•Denver has the spread 62.5% at home this year
•The Lakers have covered the spread 55.8% of the time after a loss which ranks 9th in the NBA
• LA is 4-0 straight up and ATS after a loss this playoff
•The under has hit 3 out of 4 times after a Lakers loss this playoff
•The over has hit 4 out of 7 times this playoff, in Nuggets’ home games
•The over has hit 5 out of the last 7 games for the Lakers
Game 2 Predictions:
Denver held on for their life in game one to win 132-126, after being up as many as 21 points. Los Angeles seemed to have figured something out on the defensive end in having Anthony Davis play off Nikola Jokic in order to protect the rim. Although the Lakers didn’t win, they have to feel good about their adjustments.
Moving on to game 2, the Lakers have been incredible after a loss this playoff with a perfect 4-0 record. On the other hand, the Nuggets are now 7-0 at home this playoff and continue to prove that they can shoot the lights out at Ball Arena. That being said, I am taking the Lakers.
The Nuggets shot about 55% from the floor and shot an unreal 46.9% from the three-point line, which is impossible to sustain. During the playoffs this year, the Lakers have ranked second in opponent field goal percentage at 43.1%, and although it is tuff to defend in Ball arena, the Lakers will be better defensively in game 2.
I expect this game to go back and forth, and the difference maker will be Anthony Davis. I think he’ll have another great night offensively because he has proven he can score on Jokic, and defensively he’ll make life difficult at the rim.
My final score prediction is 114-111 Lakers. Whether you believe me or not, place your first $5 bet to get $150 in Bonus Bets with my friends at the FanDuel Sportsbook. Help me help you.
Best Bet:
My best bet is the under of points of 226.5 for a couple of reasons. First off, both teams will make adjustments, and there is no way both teams shoot as well as they did from the floor in game 1. The Lakers seemed like they have figured out a way to slow Jokic down a bit, and overall, they have been a solid defensive team this playoff. The Lakers also shot almost 46% from three and about 55% from the floor, which will be tough to keep up.
This has been proven because, in games where both teams shot over 40% from three in the playoffs, the under has hit 51% the next game. The other big stat to look at that also helps support the under is that in Game 2, if the over has hit in the previous game, the under has hit almost 70% of the time, dating back five years.