Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets (12-8 SU, 10-10 ATS) may be catching the Lakers (16-6, 11-11) at a good time as they look to avenge a loss to LA in last summer’s playoffs. Los Angeles is coming off a seven-game road trip and is just 4-4 SU at home this season.
- Date/Time: February 4, 10 p.m. ET
- Arena: Staples Center
- TV Coverage: TNT
- Sportsbook Odds: Lakers -6 | O/U 219 (Line History)
- Nuggets vs Lakers Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
LA was favored between 5 and 7 points for all six games these teams played on a neutral floor last summer in the Orlando bubble. Early money for this matchup has come in on the Nuggets, moving the line down to 5 by Thursday morning.
Denver News & Notes
Jokic has been on fire for a couple of weeks, but he took things to a new level Sunday to help Denver snap the Jazz’s 11-game winning streak. Led by 33 first-half points from their star big man, the Nuggets carried a 25-point lead into the intermission and coasted to a 128-117 victory, improving to 6-1 SU and ATS in their last seven.
Jokic, who finished Sunday’s contest with a career-high 47 points on 17-for-26 shooting, was recognized Monday with the Western Conference player of the month award for games played in December and January. He’s averaging 26.8 points, 11.8 rebounds and 8.6 assists through the first 20 games and recorded a double-double in each of those contests, becoming the first player since Bill Walton in 1976-77 to open a season with at least 20 consecutive double-doubles.
Denver has had extra time to prepare for the Lakers after its game Monday against the Pistons was postponed due to a false positive COVID-19 test. The Nuggets have gone OVER the total in seven of their last nine games when playing with two days’ rest and enter Thursday’s contest on a roll offensively, having scored at least 117 points in five of their last seven.
Denver has also gone OVER in five of its last six games on the road, eight of its last nine games as a dog and seven of its last eight against teams with winning records.
Los Angeles News & Notes
The Lakers will take the court Thursday with just one day off since concluding a seven-game road trip with a 107-99 win at Atlanta. LA has been a dangerous team to back recently in this situation, failing to cover any of its last four home games following a road trip of at least seven days. The Lakers have also struggled to cover numbers lately for bettors, snapping an 0-4 ATS skid with Tuesday’s win over the Hawks, and are just 4-4 SU at home on the year.
LA actually trailed that contest late in the third quarter before going on a 16-0 run that continued into the fourth. LeBron James also came up big down the stretch, scoring 12 of his 21 points in the final frame.
Anthony Davis led LA with 25 points – although he had a season-low two rebounds – and Montrezl Harrell hit eight of his nine shots from the field in a 19-point effort off the bench.
The Lakers’ league-leading defense has allowed an average of 97 points in its last two games and has kept five of its last 10 opponents under 100 points. LA went UNDER for the fourth straight time and sixth time in seven games on Tuesday, extending a 19-7 run to the UNDER in its last 26 dating back to last season.
Betting Pick: Nuggets +5
Denver’s on a roll, should have extra motivation and has had extra time to prepare. Don’t be surprised if the Nuggets earn their 10th outright win in their last 14 trips to the Staples Center.
- Denver is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games.
- Los Angeles is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games.
- The total has gone OVER in 7 of the last 8 meetings.
