NBA picks: Nuggets vs. Lakers prediction, odds, over/under, spread, injury report for Saturday, March 2

KCP is out for Denver, but Murray is in and will start. Davis, James and Reddish are in for LA. The Nuggets are 1.5-point favorites now and that remains our ATS pick. The total has moved to 230 and we’ll take the under, even with the stars in for both teams.

We have a marquee Saturday night showdown in the Western Conference as the Denver Nuggets visit the Los Angeles Lakers. Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m. ET and the game will air on ABC.

Denver (41-19) has won all five of its games since the All-Star break and edged the Heat 103-97 on Thursday in a rematch of last year’s NBA Finals. The Nuggets ever trailed even as this game got tight late as Michael Porter Jr. provided 30 points and 11 rebounds in the win. Los Angeles (33-28) has taken three of its last four and survived a 134-131 overtime challenge from the Wizards on Thursday. Anthony Davis had a huge game with 40 points and 15 rebounds as the Lakers were able to gain an edge in the extra period and pull out the win.

On the injury front, Anthony Davis (Achilles) is listed as probable for the Lakers while LeBron James (ankle) is listed as questionable. For the Nuggets, Jamal Murray (ankle) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (personal) are both listed as questionable for the Nuggets.

Denver enters the game as a slight 1-point favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook, accompanied by a total of 228. The Nuggets are listed as a -120 moneyline favorite, making the Lakers a +100 underdog.

Nuggets vs. Lakers, 8:30 p.m. ET

Pick ATS: Nuggets -1

This game is a virtual toss up and it’s hard to pick against the team that is rolling on a five-game win streak at the moment. The Nuggets are starting to really rev things up ahead of the postseason and four of its victories on this current streak have come by double-digits. They’ve beaten the Lakers twice already this season and I’ll take the defending champs to cover tonight and sweep the season series.

Over/Under: Under 228

Denver road unders have been a good play this year with it cashing in 20 of 31 games. That’s where I’ll lean for tonight as we should get solid defense on both sides throughout this matchup.