He denver nuggets he could have easily gotten away with Game 1 of the Western Conference finals after they built an 18-point halftime lead. He los angeles lakers I had other plans. A furious fourth-quarter comeback got them within three points, but the Lakers couldn’t get over the slump. Now Denver leads the series 1-0, but the Lakers have shown they won’t go down without a fight.
This series is going to be competitive, and that makes the buildup to Thursday’s Game 2 even more exciting. Here’s how you can tune in as the Lakers try to even the series at one game each.
Lakers at Nuggets – Game 2
- Date: Thursday May 18 | Time: 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time
- Location: Ballpark – Denver
- Television channel: ESPN | live broadcast: was (Free Trial)
- live updates: follow along
- Odd: Pips -5.5; O/U 226.5 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
arguments
Lakers: The Lakers started Game 1 small, with dennis schroeder Union austin reaves and D’Angelo Russell in the first five as he did to finish the Warriors series. That lineup was destroyed and the Lakers found success with rui hachimura playing in the closing lineup and defending Nicholas Jokic. Will Darvin Ham get to that look right away in Game 2? Or will he take Hachimura off the bench and play with other methods to slow down Jokic?
Pips: Denver’s offense was terrific in Game 1. Their defense? Not so much. The Lakers played bully ball all night against the weaker Nuggets defenders. antonio davis scored 40 points. Lebron James I was 26 largely from switch hunting jamal murray. Even Hachimura got in on the fun. The Lakers are bigger and stronger than the Nuggets on many points, and are much more reliant on offense near the rim. So how do the Nuggets fit up? Can they find ways to stop the Lakers from dominating their mismatches?
Prediction
The Nuggets are now 7-0 at home this postseason and 41-7 in Denver overall. Yes, the Lakers closed the gap late in Game 1, but they also showed Denver some of their best adjustments in the process. Now the Nuggets will be prepared for Hachimura’s matchup with Jokic, and will have plans to limit what James can do as a trade hunter on offense. Denver has been the best team in the Western Conference all season, and until someone beats them in their building, they deserve to be favored in every home game. The pick: Nuggets -5.5