Denver Nuggets vs Los Angeles Lakers Prediction, 5/20/2023 Preview and Pick

Game: Denver Nuggets vs Los Angeles Lakers

Date: Saturday, May 20, 2023

Location: Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA

TV: ABC

Odds/Point Spread: Denver (+4)

The Los Angeles Lakers will take on the Denver Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday in Game 3 of their series. The Nuggets lead 2-0. Denver opens this matchup as 4-point dogs from oddsmakers. The betting total is set at 222.5.

The Nuggets earned the victory with a final of 108-103 in Game 2. In reference to fouls, the Nuggets left the arena with 18 while the Lakers recorded 19 fouls. They also converted 8 out of their 30 tries from three-point range. Los Angeles finished 88.5% at the charity stripe by knocking down 23 of their 26 attempts. In addition, Los Angeles snagged 40 rebounds (4 offensive, 36 defensive) and got 2 blocks. Los Angeles doled out 26 dimes and had 10 steals for the game. In the matter of defending, Denver allowed the other team to shoot 43.9% from the floor on 36 of 82 shooting. They also dished out 27 dimes in this contest while creating 12 turnovers and earning 8 steals. When discussing rebounding, they collected 49 with 11 of them being on the offensive end. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Nuggets knocked down 16 of their 18 attempts for a percentage of 88.9%. Denver finished the game having earned a 43.8% field goal percentage (39 out of 89) and converted 14 of their 38 shots from beyond the perimeter.

Jamal Murray is someone who had an impact for this contest. He notched 37 points on 11 of 24 shooting. He played 43 minutes played and snagged 10 boards. Murray went 45.8% from the floor and distributed 5 dimes.

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Denver heads into this matchup with a mark of 53-29 so far this season. They average 115.8 points per game (12th in the league) while hitting 50.4% from the field. The Nuggets are connecting on 37.9% on 3-pointers (969 of 2,559) and 75.1% from the free throw line. As a unit, Denver is grabbing 43.0 boards per game and has tallied 2,368 assists this year, which ranks 2nd in basketball in terms of passing. They are turning it over 14.5 times per contest and as a group they are committing 18.6 fouls on a nightly basis.

Defensively, the Nuggets are forcing 13.5 turnovers every game while drawing 19.5 personal fouls. They currently rank 16th in basketball in giving up assists with 2,105 conceded this year. The Nuggets are allowing a field goal percentage of 47.8% (3,423 of 7,166) and they surrender 40.8 rebounds per game as a team. They are relinquishing 34.4% on shots from beyond the arc while they are 8th in the league in points per game allowed (112.5).

In Game 2, the Lakers were able to corral 36 defensive rebounds and 4 offensive rebounds totaling 40 in this matchup. They coughed it up 12 times, while earning 10 steals for the matchup. The Nuggets committed 18 fouls for the game which took the Lakers to the charity stripe for a total of 26 tries. They were able to make 23 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 88.5%. In relation to 3-point shots, Los Angeles made 8 out of their 30 tries (26.7%). When all was said and done, the Lakers finished the game shooting 36 for 82 from the field which gave them a rate of 43.9%. The Lakers allowed the Nuggets to knock down 39 of their 89 tries from the field which gave them a rate of 43.8% for this contest. They shot 36.8% from 3-point land by going 14 of 38 and ended up shooting 16 out of 18 at the free throw line (88.9%). Regarding how they attacked the glass, Los Angeles allowed Denver to grab 49 overall (11 on the offensive glass).

LeBron James pitched in for the Lakers for the matchup. James scored 22 points in his 40 mins on the court and had 10 dimes for the game. He knocked down 9 of 19 in the game for a rate of 47.4%, and totaled 9 rebounds.

Los Angeles has a record of 43-39 so far this season. The Lakers commit 17.9 fouls every game and they go 77.5% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 25.3 times per game (15th in basketball) and they turn it over 14.1 times per game. Los Angeles has accounted for 9,608 points for the year (117.2 per game) and they grab 45.7 boards per contest. In terms of offensive execution, the Lakers are hitting on 48.2% from the field, which ranks them 10th in the league.

The Lakers on defense are ranked 20th in the league in points allowed per contest with 116.6. They are forcing 12.6 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 46.9% from the floor (10th in the league). The Los Angeles defense gives up 34.4% on shots from distance (1,028 of 2,991) and opponents are knocking down 77.3% of their shots from the free throw line. They have conceded 25.7 assists and 44.9 total rebounds per game, which ranks them 15th and 25th in the league.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Los Angeles (-4)

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