The Nuggets start their week at home against the middling Lakers. Coming off something of a schedule loss to a talented and energetic young Hornets swarm, Denver still holds a two-game lead for the third seed in the Western Conference thanks to Jamal Murray’s All-NBA turn, Peyton Watson’s dramatic leap, and impressive ‘next-man-up’ contributors Spencer Jones, Jalen Pickett, and Zeke Nnaji. With Jokic set to return in time to face a gauntlet of great teams, getting the next two winnable home games would set them up well for a push into the All-Star break with most of the ailing roster back.
The Lakers, on the other hand, are 5-5 in their last 10 and have now dropped to sixth in the West. Losing Austin Reaves, who was having an All-Star season, hasn’t helped their top-heavy roster, as Lebron James is no longer able to carry the scoring and defensive load he was in his 40s. Luka has been Luka, scoring and playmaking a ton but with a drop in efficiency and below-average defense and focus. The Lakers are highly motivated to keep pace with the top four seeds, though, so sending them home with yet another L will be tough if both Ls get off to a hot start.
The Basics
Who: Los Angeles Lakers (25-16) @ Denver Nuggets (29-14)
When: 8:00 PM MST
Where: Ball Arena, City hosting the AFC Championship Game
How to watch/listen: Altitude TV / NBC / Peacock / 92.5 FM
Rival Blog: Silver Screen and Roll
Injury Report | Nuggets: Jamal Murray—probable (knee, illness); Aaron Gordon—probable (hamstring); Tim Hardaway Jr.—probable (knee); Christian Braun—out (ankle); Cameron Johnson—out (knee); Nikola Jokic—out (knee); Jonas Valanciunas—out (calf); Tamar Bates—out (injury)
Los Angeles Lakers: Austin Reaves—out (calf); Adou Thiero—out (MCL sprain)
The Three Things
The thing to watch for: Drew Timme and the Lakers’ new big baller lineup
Looking for a spark, JJ Redick pulled a deep card from the deck over the weekend, giving 6’9 stiff from Gonzaga, Drew Timme, some meaningful minutes. The two-way player scored 21 in a loss against the Blazers on Saturday and followed it up with an impactful role on Sunday in a win against Toronto. The Lakers trudged out a long lineup with Marcus Smart running point for Lebron, former Nugget prospect Jared Vanderbilt, and Deandre Ayton—along with the “sexual tyrannosaurus” himself.
With Reaves still out, the big-baller lineup could be an effective tactic again tonight against a Nuggets team playing without a true center. Small-ball C Aaron Gordon should be a go, fortunately, but Mr. Nugget will have his hands full with Luka and Lebron for much of the game. Denver will need Watson, Jones, and Nnaji to match the verticality and physicality, especially on the glass, if the Lakers keep playing this hand.
The thing to remember: The next four games matter
After tonight, the Nuggets have three very winnable games against teams no higher than 11th in their respective conferences whom they’ve already beaten: Wizards, Bucks, and Grizzlies. All three are on the road, though, including a back-to-back against Giannis.
When they get back to Denver, the team is likely to be bolstered by Jokic who is eying a return around then, but the competition ramps up dramatically. The Nuggets will play the Eastern Conference’s one-seed, the Detroit Pistons, twice, bookending games against the surging Clippers (8-2 in their last 10) and the first slugfest against OKC. Then it’s back on the road to Madison Square Garden and the Windy City before going into the break at home against the Cavs and Grizzlies.
With no guarantee that Jokic will return ahead of schedule—or how much rust he and the team will need to work through—banking wins this week will take some pressure off the team and set the Nuggets and their two(!) All-Stars up for a strong spring and potential run at homecourt advantage.
The thing to bet: Two-way parlay | Murray +30 points / Dončić +35 points (+3.5 threes for both if you’re feeling lucky)
Coming off a lackluster game on Sunday, Jamal will likely be aggressive early as he continues to make a strong case, not just for his first All-Star appearance (which is all-but assured at this point), but All-NBA consideration. With how much Mal has cooked the Lakers the last several years, expect this one to turn into something of a shootout at some point between him and Luka, who’s never one to shy away from taking bad shots at volume.
