Denver Nuggets vs Los Angeles Lakers Prediction, 3/2/2024 Preview and Pick

Game: Denver Nuggets vs Los Angeles Lakers

Date: Saturday, March 2, 2024

Location: Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA

TV: Spectrum Sportsnet

The Los Angeles Lakers (33-28) host the Denver Nuggets (41-19) at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday.

The Nuggets faced off with the Heat and earned the victory with a final of 103-97 in their last game. In relation to fouls, the Nuggets ended up with 23 while the Heat finished the game with 16 fouls. They also buried 7 out of their 26 tries from beyond the arc. Miami finished the contest at 83.3% at the free throw line by burying 20 of 24 attempts. On top of that, Miami totaled 45 rebounds (9 offensive, 36 defensive) and had 8 blocked shots. Miami doled out 21 assists and had 10 steals for the contest. When talking about defending, Denver let their opponent shoot 42.2% from the field on 35 out of 83 shooting. They also dished out 22 dimes for this game while creating 14 turnovers and earning 10 steals. Concerning pulling down rebounds, they earned 41 with 9 of them being on the offensive end. When they shot from the free throw line, the Nuggets made 19 of their 21 shots for a rate of 90.5%. Denver finished having earned a 42.9% field goal percentage (36 of 84) and converted 12 out of their 34 three-point attempts.

Michael Porter Jr. is a player who was a major contributor in the matchup. He accumulated 30 points on 12 out of 23 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 38 minutes and grabbed 11 rebounds. Porter walked away from this one shooting 52.2% from the floor and also recorded 3 assists.

Get all of our NBA Picks Tonight

Denver will enter this game with a record of 41-19 on the season. They are losing possession via turnover 12.7 times per contest and as a squad they commit 18.5 fouls per contest. As a team, Denver is collecting 44.3 rebounds per game and has earned 1,740 dimes this year, which is 3rd in the NBA in terms of passing the ball. The Nuggets are shooting 36.7% on three-point attempts (689 of 1,878) and 76.0% from the free throw line. They average 114.4 pts per contest (18th in the league) while connecting on 49.2% from the field.

On defense, the Nuggets are forcing their opponents into 12.4 turnovers per contest while drawing 18.5 personal fouls. They are relinquishing 36.3% on 3-point shots and they are ranked 6th in the NBA in PPG allowed (110.2). The Nuggets defense is giving up a FG percentage of 46.4% (2,440 of 5,253) and they relinquish 42.1 rebounds per game as a basketball team. They currently rank 13th in basketball in giving up assists to their opponents with 1,536 relinquished for the year.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Lakers walked away with a victory by a final of 134-131 against the Wizards. In relation to how they cleaned up the glass, Los Angeles permitted Washington to snag 45 overall (10 offensive). They finished the game shooting 41.5% from beyond the arc by going 17 out of 41 and finished the game at 10 out of 12 at the free throw line (83.3%). The Lakers permitted the Wizards to make 52 out of their 102 attempts from the floor which left them with a rate of 51.0% for the game. When this game wrapped up, the Lakers finished 53 out of 101 from the floor which gave them a rate of 52.5%. When it comes to 3-point shots, Los Angeles made 8 out of their 23 tries (34.8%). They were able to bury 20 of them for a rate of 83.3%. The Wizards committed 19 personal fouls in the matchup which got the Lakers to the charity stripe for a total of 24 attempts. They also coughed it up 11 times, while earning 6 steals in the matchup. The Lakers were able to corral 38 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive boards totaling 45 in the matchup.

Anthony Davis ended up having an impact for the Lakers in this matchup. Davis scored 40 points in his 41 mins on the court and tallied 4 dimes for this game. He knocked down 14 out of 22 in the game for a field goal rate of 63.6%, and accounted for 15 rebounds.

Los Angeles has a mark of 33-28 so far this season. As an offensive unit, the Lakers are connecting on 49.6% from the field, which is ranked 3rd in basketball. Los Angeles has accounted for 7,148 pts for the season (117.2 per game) and they pull in 42.6 rebounds per game. They are dishing out assists 28.5 times per game (7th in basketball) and they are turning it over 13.7 times per contest. The Lakers have committed 16.2 personal fouls per game and they go 77.4% from the free throw line.

The Los Angeles defense gives up 37.5% on shots from distance (866 of 2,311) and their opponents are converting on 80.0% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have conceded 28.1 dimes and 44.5 boards per contest, which ranks them 24th and 21st in basketball. The Lakers defensively are ranked 20th in the league in points per game surrendered with 117.6. They are able to force 13.5 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 47.3% from the floor (15th in the league).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Denver

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here