A critical NBA regular-season contest tips off late Tuesday as the Los Angeles Lakers (25-16) head east to take on the Denver Nuggets (29-14) inside Ball Arena.
Los Angeles is tied for fifth place in the Western Conference after dropping five of their past seven games. Three of those losses happened on the road, and the Lakers will be looking to snap that streak on Tuesday.
The Nuggets are on the opposite end of the spectrum. The Western Conference’s third seed has won six of their past eight games despite dropping a 110-87 decision to Charlotte on Sunday.
Can the Lakers reverse their recent road woes by knocking off Denver on Tuesday? We’ll cover that and provide bettors with our top three player props for this NBA game.
Tuesday’s matchup will be the first time this season Los Angeles and Denver have squared off. It will be the 1,586th game for LeBron James’ legendary career, however. The future Hall of Famer has played 24 games this season, averaging 22.6 points, 6.9 assists, and 5.9 rebounds during the veteran’s 23rd year in the league.
Those numbers are drop-offs from last season, but he’s consistently scored above 20 points in January while playing at least 32 minutes each night. There’s no reason to believe he won’t continue his high-level play against the outmanned Nuggets, and bettors should take him to cover this combo player prop total.
Denver is without a star as center Nikola Jokic recovers from a knee injury. The Nuggets have been here before, relying on veteran Jamal Murray to bear the offensive burden. He’s done that thus far, averaging 29.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 8.9 assists in January.
After posting back-to-back double-digit assist totals against Boston and Brooklyn, the guard has shouldered more of the offensive load. He’s finished with just 13 total assists over the past three games. Defenses will continue to key in on Murray and try to limit his ability to find open teammates. That’s why bettors should take the under on this assist prop wager.
One of the Lakers unsung heroes this season is Deandre Ayton. The seven-footer has been a force in the paint for Los Angeles, averaging 14.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per outing thus far.
He’s been a menace on the glass in January, notching four double-digit rebounding totals since the beginning of the year. On Tuesday, he’ll tower over Denver’s smaller lineup, making him a lock to continue this trend. Bettors should take him to cover his rebounding prop figures Tuesday night.
Denver’s ability to win without Jokic is impressive. The Nuggets have enjoyed efficient outings from multiple players while the MVP is currently on the mend. Playing some of the league’s worst franchises hasn’t hurt their cause, either.
Los Angeles is a step up from their recent competition. Bettors should expect a hungry Lakers team to take the court on Tuesday. Take the visitors to win this contest, covering the spread in this intriguing NBA matchup.