Lakers (-6) @ Nuggets (215)
Pick: Lakers -6
The Nuggets won Game 3 by a final of 114-106 and for most of the way it was not that close. Denver had to withstand a push from the Lakers in the fourth quarter, but was very impressive in the first 36 minutes on Tuesday night and ultimately refused to let the Lakers all the way back. While the Nuggets erased 3-1 series deficits in each of the first two rounds, they’re not going to have the same fortune against the Lakers if they do lose tonight’s game. However, that’s exactly why we like the Lakers tonight.
Nothing against Denver, Miami or Boston, but by this point every NBA fan should know how great of an opportunity LeBron James has to capture his fourth championship in the bubble. At 35, it might be his last great opportunity at a ring. Even though they responded to win Game 3, something tells me the tight loss the Nuggets suffered at the buzzer in Game 2 on a three-pointer from Anthony Davis is going to be their undoing. The role players stepped up for Denver on Tuesday to get the Nuggets into this series. But this feels like the game where James smells blood in the water, takes over and the Lakers grab a stranglehold on the series. Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic are excellent. But they aren’t James and Davis. The superstars rise to the occasion tonight for the Lakers and the Nuggets role players flounder under the pressure of getting even. Lakers by double digits.