![]() ![]() They had the 2nd-best defensive rating at 110.8 after the moves GM Rob Pelinka made, and LA cannot afford to run with the Nuggets as they’ll likely lose that battle. Maintaining the level of play they displayed on defense after the trade deadline will be crucial for the Lakers in getting off to a good start to this season. Lakers +4.5 (-110) available at time of publishing.ĭownload the Pickswise app to get our picks and best bets for every game, every day. He averaged 26.8 points per game in the 4-0 WCF sweep, and I think he will keep the Lakers within distance on opening night. Davis appears to be healthy and very motivated to prove he is still a top-5 player in the NBA. If that happens, then I would give a slight edge to the Lakers. The average margin of victory between the teams during last year’s Western Conference finals was just 6 points, so we could be in for another tight game. How much of a negative effect this will have on the team in the long term remains to be seen, but the oddsmakers seem to be very optimistic ahead of opening night, favoring the Nuggets by 5.5 points. The core of the team has remained the same, but there are a few notable absentees from the bench with Bruce Brown, Thomas Bryant and Jeff Green all leaving. I’m not saying this will be the case with the Nuggets, but it wouldn’t shock me if it happened. Over the years we’ve seen defending champions come out a bit flat on opening nights after the ring ceremony. Last season ended in a sweep at the hands of the Nuggets in the Conference Finals, so I think it’s pretty safe to say the more motivated team heading into Tuesday’s game will be the Lakers. LA has boosted its depth significantly this offseason with the additions of Gabe Vincent, Jaxson Hayes and Taurean Prince, while keeping D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves. There were some encouraging signs for LA as LeBron James netted 19 points and grabbed 6 rebounds, while Anthony Davis added 15, including 6 blocks, 5 of which came in the opening quarter. Although the Lakers ended the preseason with a 23-point loss to Phoenix, the game was pretty much in the balance up until the starters were pulled by head coach Darvin Ham. ![]()
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