Filip Tomic
The atmosphere at crypto.com Arena will be electric tonight as the Lakers host the Nuggets for the first time since their Western Conference Finals series in the NBA playoffs last year. For this occasion, I’ve prepared a Nuggets vs Lakers Same Game Parlay, and the last time I had an SGP for a Lakers game, it ended up cashing at +574 odds. We also have our NBA picks for tonight’s other matchups, but for now, let’s get into this Same Game Parlay.
Lakers ML (+142)
Nikola Jokic over 0.5 made threes (-174)
LeBron James over 1.5 made threes (-132)
Same Game Parlay odds: +446
Los Angeles Lakers ML over Denver Nuggets (+142)
Emotions will be running high tonight in LA as the Lakers honor their legend Kobe Bryant with a statue unveiling outside of the arena. On this special day, they get to face the defending champions Nuggets, a team that’s had their number for a while now. However, LeBron and company have actually fared well in home games against the Nuggets, winning 8 of the last 11. There’s still a bitter taste in their mouths following last season’s sweep in the Western Conference Finals and I think that’ll be used as a motivating factor here.
The Lakers will also be wearing their black mamba edition uniforms in this game — they went 4-0 in the 2020 NBA Playoffs when playing in them. I’m not saying I’m superstitious or anything, but wouldn’t it be the perfect way to honor one of the best players ever with a result against the defending champions? The Lakers are 5-2 in their last 7 games overall and 4-1 ATS in their last 5 at home.
Check out our full Denver Nuggets vs Los Angeles Lakers predictions
Nikola Jokic over 0.5 made threes (-174)
It’s really hard to describe how good Nikola Jokic has been against the Lakers in the past few seasons. The Serbian big man is averaging a triple-double over the past 10 meetings with 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds and 10.3 assists per game. But that’s not all, his efficiency is also through the roof in those 10 games. He’s shot 50% or better from the field in 7 of those, plus he’s made at least 1 three 7 times and multiple threes in 4 of the last 5 games. Even for a smaller player, you’d be hard-pressed to find such efficient numbers, and a big man has never been able to do what the 2-time MVP is doing. Jokic scoring at least 1 three shouldn’t be too difficult here. Jokic is averaging 41.7% of makes over his last 9 games overall and has cleared this line in 3 straight and in 5 of 6.
LeBron James over 1.5 made threes (-132)
LeBron James’ three-point shooting was very consistent up until the Hornets game the other day, where he failed to make a three from 5 attempts. He still shot the ball over 50% from the field in that game though and I wouldn’t worry too much about one poor shooting performance from distance. Prior to that game, he was on a streak of 8 straight games with multiple threes scored, finishing the month of January on almost 37% made threes. Denver has been a mediocre team when defending the perimeter in their last 3 outings with opponents making 37.6% attempts, up from their 36.2% average this season. In 2 of his last 3 against the Nuggets, LeBron had made 3 and 4 threes, both home games. This will be the first meeting at crypto.com Arena following the infamous sweep in the Western Conference Finals last season, I think James will do his best to carry the Lakers to a massive win here, making a pair of threes in the process.
We’re looking for our 2nd NBA mega parlay win in 3 days, and this one has +1068 odds!
