2023 NBA Western Conference finals odds, Game 3 time: Nuggets vs. Lakers picks, predictions from proven expert
The Los Angeles Lakers will look to hold serve on their home court when they take on the Denver Nuggets in Game 3 of their 2023 NBA Western Conference finals matchup on Saturday. The Lakers have dug themselves a 0-2 hole after blowing a second-half lead in Game 2 as they dropped a 108-103 decision on Thursday. The Nuggets (53-29), the top seed in the West, are 10-3 in the postseason and have won the first two games of all three series this year. The Lakers (43-39), the seventh seed, are 7-0 in postseason series against Denver all-time, including a 4-1 win in the 2020 Western Conference Finals.
Tipoff from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles is set for 8:30 p.m. ET. Denver is allowing 107.8 points per game in the playoffs, while Los Angeles allows 109.1. The Lakers are 5.5-point favorites in the latest Nuggets vs. Lakers odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is set at 223. Before making any Nuggets vs. Lakers picks, make sure you check out what proven SportsLine NBA expert Larry Hartstein has to say.
A former lead writer for Covers and The Linemakers, Hartstein combines a vast network of Vegas sources with an analytical approach. Hartstein also excels in NBA, especially when picking Denver Nuggets games. Over the past 95 Denver matchups, he is 56-36-3 against the spread ($1,645 for $100 players). Anybody following those NBA picks has seen huge returns.
Now, Hartstein has set his sights on Lakers vs. Nuggets and just locked in his picks and NBA playoff predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are the NBA lines and trends for Nuggets vs. Lakers:
- Nuggets vs. Lakers spread: Lakers -5.5
- Nuggets vs. Lakers over/under: 223 points
- Nuggets vs. Lakers money line: Nuggets +178, Lakers -215
- DEN: The Nuggets are 11-4 against the spread in their last 15 games against a team with a winning straight-up record
- LAL: The Lakers are 3-0-1 ATS in their last four conference finals games.
- Nuggets vs. Lakers picks: See picks at SportsLine
Featured Game| Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets
Why the Lakers can cover
LeBron James and Anthony Davis are getting plenty of help in the 2023 NBA playoffs. Shooting guard Austin Reaves has been the model of consistency for Los Angeles. He scored 22 points in Thursday's Game 2 loss, following back-to-back 23-point efforts. He also had five assists and three rebounds. Reaves has led the Lakers in scoring once and in assists three times this postseason. In 14 playoff appearances, he is averaging 16.4 points, 4.6 assists and 4.4 rebounds in 35.6 minutes.
Point guard D'Angelo Russell is one of five Los Angeles players averaging at least 10 points per game this postseason. In 14 games, all starts, he is averaging 14.7 points, 4.9 assists and three rebounds in 31.3 minutes of action. Against the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors in last week's decisive Game 6 conference semifinal win, Russell scored 19 points, while grabbing two rebounds. In three regular season meetings against the Nuggets, he averaged 13.7 points, 6.7 assists and one rebound. See which team to pick here.
Why the Nuggets can cover
Denver center Nikola Jokic keeps racking up the postseason triple-doubles, and is coming off his fourth in a row after scoring 23 points, grabbing 17 rebounds and dishing out 12 assists in Game 2 of the series. In Game 1, he registered 34 points, 21 rebounds and 14 assists. In 13 playoff games, Jokic is averaging 30.4 points, 13.8 rebounds and 10.2 assists. He also was dominant in the conference semifinals. In the series-clinching 125-100 win over Phoenix, he had 32 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists and three steals. Jokic averaged 34.5 points, 13.2 rebounds and 10.3 assists in the second round.
Point guard Jamal Murray has been on fire this series, and is coming off a double-double with 37 points and 10 rebounds to go with five assists and four steals in Game 2. In the opener, he had 31 points, five rebounds, five assists, three steals and one block. He has upped his game in the postseason, and is averaging seven-plus points more per game than he did in the regular season. In 14 playoff games, Murray is averaging 27.2 points, 6.2 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 38.6 minutes. See which team to pick here.
How to make Lakers vs. Nuggets picks
Hartstein is leaning Over on the total, and he has identified a critical X-factor he says makes one side of the spread a must-back. You can find out what it is, and see which side of the Nuggets vs. Lakers spread to back, at SportsLine.
