NBA Betting May 3, 2021 – Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers are in a freefall that even their two best players have been unable to get them out of. We all thought they would return to their early season ways once Anthony Davis and LeBron James returned, but that hasn’t happened. After their second straight loss with both in the lineup and third overall, the Lakers are in jeopardy of sliding into the play-in round. They are currently tied for the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference with Portland and will look to halt their skid against the streaking Denver Nuggets on Monday night. And they may have to go without James again after he reinjured his ankle in Sunday’s loss to Toronto.  Bookmaker.eu offers a generous wecome bonus (max bonus $1600).

Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Lakers
Date and Time: Monday, May 3, 2021, 10 p.m. ET
Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
Opening NBA Odds: (Check Back Later)
Nuggets at Lakers TV Coverage: ESPN

Odds Analysis

The Nuggets are dealing with their own injury issues, but they’ve fared much better than LA in the absence of Jamal Murray. And they’ve been resting comfortably in their hotel ahead of this tilt. Denver won its fifth straight beating the Clippers 110-104 on Saturday for its second straight payout and third in four games. The Nugs are also 9-1 SU and 5-5 ATS since Murray was lost to a season-ending knee injury on Apr. 12. Overall the Nuggets are 43-21 SU and 31-33 ATS. It’s been a nightmare week for the Lakers, who saw a light at the end of the tunnel only to be hit by a runaway freight train. They’ve dropped three in a row and six of seven putting them close to a play-in spot. Things looked different two weeks ago when they beat Utah, but they were unable to sustain any momentum and dropped into their current funk. They are 0-6-1 ATS over their last seven games and they’ve lost three straight at home going 0-3 ATS in that span.

Denver Nuggets

With Murray out for the season and Will Barton and Monte Morris on the shelf, the Nuggets were able to get past the Clips on Saturday for their fifth straight win. Showing how deep the roster is and how good Nikola Jokic is, the Nuggets have flourished climbing to third in the conference just three games back of co-leaders Utah and Phoenix. We know what Jokic can do since he’s been doing it for the past few seasons. He had 30 points and 14 rebounds against the Clips and leads the team in scoring, rebounding and assists. The Joker also plays stout defense. “Jokic showed against a good team why he’s the front runner for MVP. He puts the team on his back. That is what big players do,” Michael Malone said.

Michael Porter Jr. has been a revelation, though. Averaging 25.6 points since Murray’s injury, Porter nailed his average over that span with 25 points against the Clippers. The Nuggets haven’t had much success against the Lakers recently with their 122-105 payout win on Valentine’s Day ending a three-game losing streak and a run of seven setbacks in eight games to LA. That stretch includes a five-game loss in last season’s Western Conference Final.

Los Angeles Lakers

Oddsmakers were thinking the Lakers would return to form with AD and James back in the lineup. News of LeBron’s return against Sacramento last week put them as an 11.5-point favorite. James missed a potential game-winner in the 110-106 loss but was optimistic about his game. He scored 16 points with eight rebounds and seven assists. Playing another team well below .500 on Sunday, the Lakers not only lost another game as a double-digit favorite, they might also be without James after he aggravated the ankle injury that kept him on the shelf for six weeks. James sat out the last half of the fourth quarter after scoring 19 points.

James and the Lakers are hopeful the injury isn’t serious. He will be a game time decision on Monday leaving oddsmakers to delay posting a line. “The plan is to see how I feel and go from there. The most important thing for me is to be healthy and be at full strength when it really matters,” James said. Meanwhile, Davis is still searching for his game following a return to the court and Dennis Schroeder is out due to the league’s COVID safety protocols.

Bet Nuggets at Lakers at BookMaker.eu

The Lakers need something good to happen as their season is unraveling. Everything points to them losing this game with James likely out and a losing skid hanging over them. We’ve seen strange things take place this season and the Lakers winning a game isn’t that far out of the realm. With a few games under his belt I anticipate AD will start to produce and with little time to think about their most recent setback, the Lakers will turn to their smothering defensive ways to eke out a win.

NBA Score Prediction: Lakers 108, Nuggets 103

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- Phil Simon, Gambling911.com