Halftime Report
Fortunes may be turning around for the Lakers after losing three in a row. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead the Nuggets 61-48.
The Lakers came into the contest with some extra motivation after the defeat they were dealt the last time these two teams faced off. We’ll see if they’re able to flip the script or if it’ll just be more of the same.
Who’s Playing
Denver Nuggets @ Los Angeles Lakers
Regular Season Records: Denver 57-25, Los Angeles 47-35
Current Series Standings: Los Angeles 0, Denver 3
How To Watch
- When: Saturday, April 27, 2024 at 8:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Crypto.com Arena — Los Angeles, California
- TV: ABC
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $30.30
What to Know
The Lakers will be in front of their home fans on Saturday, but a look at the spread shows they might need that home-court advantage. They will fight it out against the Denver Nuggets in a Western Conference playoff contest at 8:30 p.m. ET at Crypto.com Arena. The Lakers are staggering into the matchup hobbled by three consecutive losses, while the Nuggets will skip in buoyed by four consecutive wins.
While the experts predicted the Lakers would be headed into the match after a victory, that’s not how things played out against the Nuggets on Thursday. The Lakers took a 112-105 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Nuggets. The loss hurts even more since Los Angeles was up 37-25 with 10:54 left in the second.
The match pitted two of the league’s most dominant centers against one another in Nikola Jokic and Anthony Davis. Jokic had a solid game and almost dropped a triple-double on 24 points, 15 rebounds, and nine assists. Meanwhile, Davis did his best for the losing side, dropping a double-double on 33 points and 15 rebounds.
This is a must-win for the Lakers as the Nuggets are a game away from taking the series. Check back here after the game to see if the Lakers can force a Game 7 or if the Nuggets leave them behind.
Odds
Denver is a 3.5-point favorite against Los Angeles, according to the latest NBA odds.
The line has drifted a bit towards the Nuggets, as the game opened with the Nuggets as a 2-point favorite.
The over/under is 218.5 points.
See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Denver has won all of the games they’ve played against Los Angeles in the last year.
- Apr 25, 2024 – Denver 112 vs. Los Angeles 105
- Apr 22, 2024 – Denver 101 vs. Los Angeles 99
- Apr 20, 2024 – Denver 114 vs. Los Angeles 103
- Mar 02, 2024 – Denver 124 vs. Los Angeles 114
- Feb 08, 2024 – Denver 114 vs. Los Angeles 106
- Oct 24, 2023 – Denver 119 vs. Los Angeles 107
- May 22, 2023 – Denver 113 vs. Los Angeles 111
- May 20, 2023 – Denver 119 vs. Los Angeles 108
- May 18, 2023 – Denver 108 vs. Los Angeles 103
- May 16, 2023 – Denver 132 vs. Los Angeles 126
