Denver Nuggets vs. LA Lakers Game 3 Preview, Lines, Odds, Prediction, Picks (May 20)

The Denver Nuggets have taken a 2-0 lead in the NBA Western Conference finals against the LA Lakers. They’ve beaten the purple and gold for the second time in Denver and now head for the City of Angels. The Lakers are a different kind of team at the Crypto.com Arena, and they will play better in front of their own crowd than at the Mile High. This is a true test for Nikola Jokic and the boys, who will have to step up and show what they are made of. 

• Nuggets Odds +180
• Lakers Odds -215
• Spread Lakers -5.5
• Over/Under 215.5

Here is the preview for the Heat vs. Celtics Game 2 of the East finals.

Preview

Denver Nuggets (+180) have shown signs of weakness in Game 2, but Jamal Murray jumped out of the closet, scoring 23 points in the final 12 minutes and burying the Lakers’ hopes for a break. Murray was all over the place, delivering 37 points, having 10 boards, five assists, and four steals. 

The Nuggets faced a double-digit point deficit with Jokic resting on the bench, but they eventually got through that crisis. Jokic posted another triple-double with 23 points, 17 boards, and 12 assists, having three steals as well. 

Three more players were with a double-digit number of buckets among the hosts, Michael Porter Junior with 16, Aaron Gordon had 10, and Bruce Brown. The former Nets forward delivered 12 off the bench, playing 37 minutes. For the moment, he has been one of the key problems for the Nuggets’ rivals in the playoffs, and

LA Lakers (-215) had a nice chance to get Game 2, but both LeBron and AD had a subpar night. They combined for 40 points, which was equal to only Davis’ productivity in Game 1. LeBron had 22 points, 10 assists, and nine boards, 9-for-19 from the field, and all six threes missed, while Davis scored 18 points with 14 boards and 4-for-15 from the field. Both guys played 40+ minutes.

The LAL role players were good. Austin Rivers has become a force in the league, with the sharpshooting guard hitting five threes and 22 buckets in total. Rui Hachimura came off the bench to score 21 points in 30 minutes, creating certain problems for Nikola Jokic.

Once again, the LAL had problems with controlling the glass, having 40 boards, nine fewer than the rivals, but on the other side, they had more free throws, 26 compared to the Nuggets’ 18. 

Head to Head Games

The result during the season was 2-2, with the teams utilizing the home-court edge, and winning in front of their own fans. The same trend continued in the playoffs, as Nuggets triumphed in the opening two events played at the Ball Arena, 132-126 and 108-103.

Prediction

This is a do or die game for the Lakers, who were excellent at home in the playoffs. They will throw everything they have at Denver, and that, along with the help of the referees (which will be present, don’t doubt that), should be enough for them to take Game 3. The Lakers played well in Denver and were close to stealing the previous contest, which tells us this team has enough power to take down the No.1 seed in the West on Saturday night. 

Pick: LA Lakers Win +180