Nuggets vs. Lakers: betting odds and predictions for Apr. 25

The Lakers looked for all the world to be on the verge of leveling their opening-round series with the Nuggets at 1-1 before fumbling away a 20-point lead and watching as the defending champions completed a memorable comeback at home to take a devastating 2-0 lead.

(Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

Now it'll be time for LeBron James and the Lakers to regroup and hit back at home to keep this series in a manageable position, something that seems difficult for a team which has allowed better than 115 points per 100 possessions in the first two games of this series.

Can the Lakers find their best play on the defensive end to put themselves in a winning position here in Game 3? Let's get into how to bet on Nuggets vs. Lakers on Thursday, April 25.

DENVER NUGGETS VS. LOS ANGELES LAKERS FANDUEL ODDS FOR APR. 25

MONEY LINE

• DENVER NUGGETS: -102
• LOS ANGELES LAKERS: -116

SPREAD

• DENVER NUGGETS: +1 (-110)
• LOS ANGELES LAKERS: -1 (-110)

OVER/UNDER (TOTAL)

• OVER 217 (-110)
• UNDER 217 (-110)

BEST ODDS FOR DENVER NUGGETS VS. LOS ANGELES LAKERS

• Denver is the underdog here by one point across the board, but the best odds are at BetMGM, offering Nuggets +1.5 (-120) 
• BetRivers has the best odds on the Lakers -1 (-108)
• The best odds on the Over are at BetMGM, offering Over 216.5 (-115). You'll find the best odds on the Under at Caesars, offering Under 217 (-110)

DENVER NUGGETS VS. LOS ANGELES LAKERS INJURY REPORT

DENVER NUGGETS INJURY REPORT

• VLATKO CANCAR - OUT - KNEE

LOS ANGELES LAKERS INJURY REPORT

• ANTHONY DAVIS - PROBABLE - BACK
• LEBRON JAMES - PROBABLE - ANKLE
• CAM REDDISH - OUT - ANKLE
• JARRED VANDERBILT - OUT - FOOT
• CHRISTIAN WOOD - OUT - KNEE
• JALEN HOOD-SCHIFINO - OUT - BACK

WHY DENVER NUGGETS WILL COVER THE SPREAD

The Nuggets have commanded this series with their other-worldly offense, scoring an aforementioned 115 points per 100 possessions through two games, and best of all it's come without much luck from 3.

Denver, which closed out the season on a torrid pace offensively, has been driven by shooting this season with top-10 ranks from outside and in the mid-range. It has found all of its success down low against a Lakers defense which has struggled all season long and ranked among the worst in the game at defending the rim, though its 3-point defense left a lot to be desired as well.

The calling card for the Nuggets, unquestionably, is their offense. They've looked devastating through two games without much success in shooting the 3, and they'll need to continue scoring the ball at an efficient rate if they want to run away with this series. Given we're likely to see some positive regression to the mean here with shooting variance kicking in, I don't have too many concerns about Denver slowing down in the scoring department.

WHY LOS ANGELES LAKERS WILL COVER THE SPREAD

Well, on the other hand, the Lakers have to feel great about taking a two-pronged offensive attack and limiting their opponents to just scoring down low. We've seen them perform well at the rim in the past, and their numbers did improve in the month of April which isn't all that surprising given the presence of Anthony Davis.

If things can pick up just a little bit on the defensive end, something that's always possible when you're playing at home, the Lakers should have a way in here considering they've knocked down a decent 37.4% of their shots from 3 in this series -- a number which may not seem all that great but is solid given those two games came on the road, at altitude, and in the playoffs where numbers are generally a bit depressed.

Denver was a tough team to score on this year, but it was most vulnerable to the 3, so keeping up the good work from the arc will be paramount in getting the job done here. The Lakers shot 2.2 points better from 3 at home this season and were a whopping 8.1 points better per 100 possessions.

FINAL NUGGETS-LAKERS PICK & PREDICTION

It does seem to me that some home cooking is all the Lakers need to get back into this series. They've been considerably better in these games, and given the driving force of their offense this year was the 3, the huge up-tick in production from outside was massive in securing some tough victories in L.A.

With the Lakers doing a great job against the Nuggets' 3-point attack, limiting them to 31.5%, and shooting pretty well from out there I think they've got what they need to win a game, and maybe even two in this series. Denver's getting what it wants at the rim, but that can only take it so far if L.A. continues to look effective on offense.

I think the Nuggets deserve even more respect than they're getting these playoffs, but this is a game that should go the Lakers' way given how well they've performed in two losses.

FINAL NUGGETS-LAKERS PICK & PREDICTION: LAKERS MONEYLINE (-112)

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