Zachary Cook

NBA Championship Odds 5/17: Lakers (+475) Have Value

The Denver Nuggets struck first in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. What&#8217;s in store for Game 2 tonight?
All odds courtesy of the <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/basketball/nba/los-angeles-lakers-@-denver-nuggets-32348661">FanDuel Sportsbook.</a> 
<h2>Los Angeles Lakers (+176) vs. Denver Nuggets (-210) Total: 226.5 (O-110, U-110)</h2>
Denver held off a ferocious Lakers comeback in the fourth quarter on Tuesday night and held on for a 132-126 victory. A big reason that the Lakers were able to make a comeback revolved around an adjustment they made with Rui Hachimura and his ability to make <a href="https://www.numberfire.com/nba/players/nikola-jokic">Nikola Jokic</a> uncomfortable. There&#8217;s a lot of chatter around the NBA that LA has solved the Nuggets, but if you think Denver won&#8217;t adjust to that defensive structure, you haven&#8217;t been paying attention to the job that head coach Michael Malone has done with this team. 
The Nuggets were able to pick up a six-point victory in Game 1, which was right around the line of the spread. Denver&#8217;s once again listed as a home favorite in Game 2 on the moneyline and spread, where they&#8217;re priced at -210, in addition to being 5.5-point favorites. 
Denver remains undefeated at home in the 2023 NBA playoffs, while the same continues to be true for the Lakers, which we&#8217;ll get to ahead of Game 3. Denver has more in their bag of tricks than they&#8217;re given credit for, which suggests that many people just haven&#8217;t been tuning in to watch the Nuggets. This high-caliber team can do damage against the league&#8217;s best, and they proved that in Game 1. Denver has more to give defensively, and we expect a better performance from them tonight on that side of the basketball. As a result, look for Denver to maintain home-court advantage and cover the number in doing so. 
Best Bet: Nuggets -5.5 (-112) 
During the regular season, these teams faced off four times and scored 209, 231, 234, and 231 points, respectively. Game 1 of this matchup saw the teams shoot the lights out, tallying 258 points in a game that didn&#8217;t even go to overtime. It&#8217;s fair to say we expect some regression with the adjustments both teams should make ahead of this contest, but it shows us the potential these two teams bring to the table in a &#8220;ceiling" offensive game. The total for Game 2 is 226.5, and despite what we saw in Game 1, we&#8217;re looking for a better defensive showing. 
Best Bet: Under 226.5 (-110) 
It&#8217;s no secret that the Lakers will seek new ways to shut down Nikola Jokic. They appeared to have found at least an area to start in that category in the fourth quarter of Game 1, but we&#8217;re not so sure that will work out for them with the time Denver has had to adjust over the last 48 hours. Game 1 saw Jokic combine to record a total of 69 points+rebounds+assists, which is a massive number. Even if some of the Lakers&#8217; adjustments work, Jokic has proven to be able to take an opponent&#8217;s best punch and get back up. As a result, we like for him to go over his player prop total of 53.5 points+rebounds+assists at -115. 
Best Prop: Nikola Jokic to Record Over 53.5 Points+Rebounds+Assists (-115)

NBA Playoffs: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets Game 2 Best Bets

Speculation about Cooper Flag's NBA team choice stirs up Utah, Charlotte, and more, impacting several cities. The guys speculate where he could end up!

Exploring Potential Destinations for Future #1 Pick Cooper Flag

Steph Curry's health woes put Golden State's playoff chances in jeopardy as they struggle with scoring issues. Can they figure out their offense without him?

Golden State's Dim Chances Without Steph in Playoffs

Boston, up by 20 in both games, trails the Knicks 0-2 in the series, hinting at a potential Game 7. The guys break down the betting odds ahead of Game 3!

Boston Remains Favorite Despite 2-0 Deficit in Series vs Knicks

LATEST VIDEOS

NBA,NBA Bets,NBA Betting,Nikola Jokic,Rui Hachimura,Denver Nuggets,Denver  CO,Western  Conference,Northwest  Division,Los Angeles Lakers,Los Angeles  CA,Pacific  Division

keywords

twitter:card

twitter:title

https://sg-images-bucket.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/thumnbail-webp/article/1774464-1920x1080.webp?v=1746978726

twitter:image

thumbnail

google

The Denver Nuggets struck first in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. What's in store for Game 2 tonight?

description

expires

robots

og:locale

og:site_name

og:type

og:title

og:description

og:image

og:image:type

og:image:width

og:image:height

og:image:secure_url

article:published_time

article:modified_time

2025 NBA Playoffs: Timberwolves vs Warriors Game 3 Most Bet Player Props

2025 NBA Playoffs: Celtics vs Knicks Game 3 Most Bet Player Props

Timberwolves vs Warriors Prediction, Props, and Best Bets NBA Game 3

Celtics vs Knicks Prediction, Props, and Best Bets NBA Game 3

Thunder vs Nuggets: Most Bet NBA Player Props for Game 3

Most Bet Player Props for Cavaliers vs Pacers NBA Playoffs Game 3

2025 NBA Playoffs: Best 2-Leg Parlay Bet for Friday, May 9

2025 NBA Draft: CBS Sports Full First Round Mock Reveals Top 10 Surprise

Thunder vs Nuggets Game 3: Best NBA Player Prop Bets Today

Thunder vs Nuggets Prediction, Props, and Best Bets NBA Game 3

Comment

Home

Articles

SportsGrid is your source for the best sports bets today. Watch SportsGrid for live sports news coverage, scores, odds, moneylines, sports betting tips & more.

sportsgrid.com

Ferrall Coast To Coast

College Football Today

NFL Pro Football Today

Bare Knuckle Fighting Main Event

The Early Line Live

SportsRage Tonight Live

NewsWire Live

The Bostonian Vs. The Book

Bare Knuckle Fighting Knuckle Up

MODUS Super Series Darts

Gametime Decisions Live

Fantasy Sports Today

The Smylie Kaufman Show

NHL Today

Ferrall Coast To Coast From Super Bowl Week

Ferrall Coast To Coast Live From Super Bowl Week

NFL Super Bowl Pro Football Today

2025 NFL Draft Special

OUR SHOWS

The A's showcased strong skills in a recent game, performing impressively with robust hitting and a solid bullpen. Are they top 8 in the American League?

Are the Athletics a Top 8 Team in the American League?

LATEST SPORTSGRID VIDEOS

Wherever you are, SportsGrid can be there too. Here are all of the platforms and subscription services you can find us on and how to watch SportsGrid today.

Where to Watch SportsGrid | How to Watch SportsGrid | SportsGrid

Samsung TV Plus

Roku TV

FireTV

LG Channels

Vizio

Xiaomi

VIDAA

SportsGrid is free to watch on any of the following Connected TV’s

FREE ON MY TV

Amazon Prime Video

YouTube TV

FuboTV

Plex

Sling Tv

FreeCast

Local Now

Stremium

Rad TV

Free Live Sports

SportsGrid is free to watch on any of the following Streaming services

LIVE STREAMING SERVICES

Sirius XM

Sports.Tv

YouTube

Download the new SportsGrid app, watch on SportsGrid.com or our YouTube Channel

WEB/MOBILE

SportsGrid is free to watch on any of the following platforms

ALL PARTNERS

Wherever you are, SportsGrid can be there too. Here are all of the platforms and subscription services you can find us on:

WHERE TO WATCH SPORTSGRID

Sports Betting

Sportsbook Promos

Social Casinos