Los Angeles Lakers vs Denver Nuggets: Highly vulnerable Lakers host Jokic and co.

Let us jump into the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Denver Nuggets. The Lakers have lost their way completely and are on the verge of being knocked out of the Play-in tournament race at this point. On the other hand, the Denver Nuggets will need to secure their sixth-place ranking as the Minnesota Timberwolves are far too close for comfort.

Team’s Current Forms

Lakers poor season

The Lakers have been a butt of jokes all season long and rather than progressing, they have regressed with each week. Earlier they were winning against sub-50% win squads or bottom feeders but even lower-ranked teams are feasting on them these days. They are on a five-game losing streak and because of that, the squad has fallen to eleventh place and the two teams above them Spurs and Pelicans are playing much better. There is no doubt that the Lakers are in danger of being knocked out before the Playoffs which makes this one of the worst seasons by a “Big Three” if not the worst.

Nuggets need to secure the sixth spot

The Nuggets lost the last game versus the Timberwolves but overall, their season has been much better than the derailed Lakers. They have 29 wins out of the 45 games since January and because of that, they have been in the sixth rankings for the most part. The upcoming schedule is not that difficult as the team will play the Lakers twice while the Spurs can give some trouble, however, the Grizzlies can end up resting their players. If we take into account the current Playoffs picture, the Nuggets are matched-up against the Warriors, and with the way the Warriors are going, they may stand a chance at pulling off a First Round upset at least.

Injuries

• Lakers: LeBron James and Anthony Davis are QUESTIONABLE for the game. Carmelo Anthony is PROBABLE. Kendrick Nunn is ruled OUT for the season;
• Nuggets: Vlatko Cancar, Michael Porter Jr., Jamal Murray, and Zeke Nnaji are OUT indefinitely.

Expert Betting Tips

Points Range: The Nuggets have been a way better efficient team than the Lakers and considering that the Lakers defense has had no answers for the strong Centers and Nikola Jokic will pose more problems than the Lakers could count. On the other hand, the Lakers' offense has been rather off these days and they struggle to mount up big possessions during most nights and have been rather awful late in games. Defensively, the Nuggets are not among the elite teams but they can take care of business in shootouts. This can be a game in the 230-240 points range or may even go beyond that.

Prediction: LeBron James and Anthony Davis are “Game Time Decisions” here and of course, their availability will determine the game of the Lakers. If both of them end up missing the game, the team will find it tough to even keep it within 10 points. If LeBron plays, they will be more competitive but even that hasn’t been a guarantee to win these days. If Davis plays, it will be interesting to see how the Nuggets deal with him but he hasn’t been able to add to the column win either. Overall, I believe the Nuggets are going to take this one 122:114.

Betting Odds

• Individual Total 2 Over 116.5 for 1.86;
• Total O 230.5 for 1.90;
• Handicap: 2(-6.5) for 2.29;