Los Angeles Lakers vs Denver Nuggets Prediction, 4/20/2024 Preview and Pick

Game: Los Angeles Lakers vs Denver Nuggets

Date: Saturday, April 20, 2024

Location: Ball Arena in Denver, CO

TV: ABC

Odds/Point Spread: Los Angeles (+7)

The Denver Nuggets (57-25) will go up against the Los Angeles Lakers (47-35) at Ball Arena on Saturday in Game 1 of their series. Los Angeles opens as 7-point underdogs from Vegas oddsmakers. The betting total is set at 223.

The Lakers stepped onto the hardwood against the Pelicans and walked away with a win by a score of 110-106 in their last contest. When it comes to fouls, the Lakers walked away with 12 while the Pelicans finished the game with 23 fouls. They also converted 9 out of their 30 tries from three-point range. New Orleans went 73.3% from the free throw line by burying 11 of 15 shots. In addition, New Orleans snagged 50 boards (10 offensive, 40 defensive) and got 7 rejections. New Orleans earned 30 assists and had 4 steals for this game. With regard to defending, Los Angeles let their opponent shoot 46.2% from the floor on 43 of 93 shooting. They also distributed 24 assists for the contest while creating 13 turnovers and having 8 steals. In reference to rebounding, they compiled 41 with 6 of them being of the offensive variety. When they shot from the free throw line, the Lakers knocked down 26 of 29 attempts for a percentage of 89.7%. Los Angeles finished the contest with a 41.7% FG percentage (35 out of 84) and buried 14 out of their 35 three-point attempts.

Anthony Davis is someone who came through in this contest. Davis ended up going 37.5% from the floor but had no dimes when the game ended. He played 40 minutes and pulled down 15 boards. He finished with 20 points on 6 out of 16 shooting.

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Los Angeles heads into this one with a mark of 47-35 this year. They have an average of 118.0 points per contest (6th in the league) while connecting on 49.9% from the field. The Lakers are hitting 37.7% on shots from downtown (969 of 2,572) and 78.2% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Los Angeles is collecting 43.1 rebounds per game and has earned 2,340 assists on the season, which ranks 5th in the league in terms of passing. They turn the ball over 14.0 times per game and as a unit they commit 15.6 personal fouls per game.

When they are on defense, the Lakers are able to force 13.4 turnovers every game while drawing 19.7 personal fouls. They are 26th in basketball in giving up assists to their opponents with 2,316 conceded for the season. The Lakers are allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 47.4% (3,643 of 7,687) and they surrender 44.0 rebounds per game as a basketball team. They concede 37.6% on shots from beyond the perimeter while they are 23rd in the league in PPG allowed (117.4).

In their last game, the Nuggets got the victory with a final of 126-111 when they faced the Grizzlies. When it comes to how they attacked the glass, Denver permitted Memphis to collect 43 in all (16 on the offensive glass). They went 24.2% from downtown by going 8 of 33 and finished the game at 13 of 18 at the free throw line (72.2%). The Nuggets permitted the Grizzlies to make 45 of their 100 tries from the field which gave them a rate of 45.0% in this matchup. When the final whistle blew, the Nuggets shot 46 out of 89 from the field which had them sitting at 51.7%. Regarding shooting from downtown, Denver knocked down 12 out of their 36 tries (33.3%). They were able to knock down 22 of those for a clip of 84.6%. The Grizzlies committed 18 personal fouls in this contest which got the Nuggets to the charity stripe for a total of 26 attempts. They also turned it over 17 times, while earning 9 steals for this game. The Nuggets collected 38 defensive rebounds and 16 offensive boards totaling 54 for the game.

Jamal Murray ended up being a major contributor for the Nuggets in the game. He converted 7 of 14 for this contest giving him a rate of 50.0%, and accumulated 6 rebounds. Murray racked up 21 points in his 24 minutes of playing time and had 4 dimes in the matchup.

Denver has a win-loss mark of 57-25 on the year. As an offense, the Nuggets are connecting on 49.6% from the floor, which is ranked 4th in basketball. Denver has earned 9,418 pts this season (114.9 per contest) and they grab 44.4 boards per contest. They are earning an assist 29.5 times per contest (3rd in the league) and they cough up possession 12.6 times per game. The Nuggets commit 18.2 personal fouls per contest and they go 76.2% from the free throw line.

The Nuggets on defense are ranked 6th in the league in points allowed per contest with 109.6. They have forced 12.4 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 46.2% from the floor (4th in basketball). The Denver defense allows 35.5% on shots from behind the 3-point line (919 of 2,587) and their opponents are connecting on 77.2% of their free throw shots. They concede 25.7 assists and 42.3 rebounds per contest, which is 9th and 7th in basketball.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Denver (-7)

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