Thursday’s showdown between the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets is crucial in their battle for Western Conference playoff positioning. Both teams are just inside the automatic playoff spot cut line (top 6), with Denver fifth in the conference at 38-24 and Los Angeles right behind at 37-24.
Let’s dive into my Lakers vs. Nuggets predictions.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets odds
Money line: Lakers +164 / Nuggets -198
Spread: Lakers +5.5 (-115) / Nuggets -5.5 (-105)
Total: Over 240.5 (-110) / Under 240.5 (-110)
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets best bet: Lakers +5.5 (-115)
The Lakers may be written off as NBA title contenders, but don’t sleep on them entirely. They are healthy right now and playing well. Their current three-game winning streak features a 28-point humiliation of the Warriors, a 24-point romp over the Kings, and a nine-point victory over the Pelicans. No one on the active roster other than Maxi Kleber — who is averaging 2.2 points per game — has any kind of injury designation for today’s contest. Luke Doncic has led the team in scoring seven consecutive times, including a 41-point barrage against the Suns last Thursday. Doncic also recorded 27 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists against New Orleans earlier this week.
Denver is still without Aaron Gordon (hamstring), who has not played since January 23. The Nuggets went 6-1 in Gordon’s last seven games before he went down; they are 7-9 since.
These two conference rivals have faced each other only once in 2025-26, when the Lakers went into Denver on January 20 and scored a 115-107 victory. It must be noted that Nikola Jokic was absent for the home team. However, keep in mind that Gordon was playing for the Nuggets in that matchup and L.A. was without Austin Reaves. So the Lakers still have some advantages in this rematch even though Jokic is playing. An upset is possible, but at the very least Los Angeles should cover a generous spread.
The Lakers are 3-0 against the spread in their last four games and 4-0 ATS in the last four head-to-head matchups. The Nuggets are 1-4 ATS in their last five at home.