Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets Betting Pick: Can Anthony Davis, Lakers Get Their Revenge?
The Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers kick off the 2023-2024 NBA season tonight. Can Anthony Davis and the Lakers get their revenge on the Nuggets after last year's Western Conference Finals?
Ben Rajavuori - October 24, 2023, 4:52 PM EDT
7 minLos Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets Betting Pick: Can Anthony Davis, Lakers Get Their Revenge?
The Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers kick off the 2023-2024 NBA season as the first game of the 82-game season. The Nuggets enter tonight's game as the defending champions from last season after beating the Miami Heat in just five games in last year's finals. The Nuggets went 16-4 in the postseason last year on a dominant run, including sweeping the Lakers 4-0 in the Western Conference Finals. The Nuggets are five-point favorites to get it done tonight. Can the Nuggets start out strong as the defending champions? Or will the Lakers get revenge for their series sweep last season?
Lakers vs. Nuggets Date, Time, And Where To Watch
- Date: October 24, 2023
- Game Time: 7:30 pm ET
- Where to Watch: TNT
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets Prediction
The Lakers may be entering this matchup with some revenge on their minds. After the Lakers got swept in last year's conference finals, I am sure they are thinking about that series coming into tonight. For the Lakers to win, it all starts with a healthy LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
The star duo played in just 36 games together last season, and even in some of those, one or both were on limited minutes. The Lakers didn't have their two best players for more than half their games last year and had them play full games together even less. Both Davis and James have to stay healthy for the Lakers this season. When they are, the Lakers are a well-rounded team that has tremendous depth. The Lakers have a serious case to contend in the West if they can stay healthy.
In the offseason, the Lakers added guard Gabe Vincent from Miami, who helped Miami make a run to the NBA finals last year. Vincent is a two-way player who can do it all, from scoring to passing to defense. Vincent is a nice addition to one of the deepest teams in the NBA, with bench players like Vincent, Taurean Prince, Rui Hachimura, and Christian Wood.
There's not much to say about the Nuggets at this point after last season. The Nuggets have the third-lowest odds to repeat and win it all back-to-back at +550, and part of that is still having a strong starting five. The Nuggets kept Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr., and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who rounded out a championship-level team last year. However, the Nuggets did lose some depth, losing Bruce Brown and Jeff Green, who were two very good bench players for the Nuggets. The Nuggets have one of the best starting fives in the league, but their lack of depth may come back to bite them if injuries happen.
I'm not necessarily a firm believer in the "championship hangover" effect people often talk about, but from a pure motivational standpoint, the Lakers "need" this game a lot more than the Nuggets. It's only game one, but it feels bigger than that. The Lakers just got swept by these guys in the playoffs to ruin their trip to the finals. That will definitely be on the minds of the Lakers tonight, and I expect them to play with a chip on their shoulders.
While the Lakers did get swept last year, three of the four games were very close. The Nuggets only won one game by double-digits, and the other three margins of victory were two points, five points, and six points, so three of the four games were decided by two possessions or less. That's what I expect again tonight.
While the Nuggets might pull this one off again, this has all the makings of another very close game. With Davis and James healthy, the Lakers can truly contend with any team this year when those two are in. Adding Vincent is a nice touch as well. I like the Lakers to play this game very close and maybe come out with an outright win.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets Betting Pick
2 Unit Pick: Lakers +5 -110 Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
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