Nuggets vs Lakers Free Pick, NBA Free Picks, NBA Predictions 3/19/25
- J.A. Cavalier
- Mar 17
- 2 min read
DENVER @ LA LAKERS (DEN -1.5, 232.5)
NBA ODDS, NBA PREDICTIONS, NBA PREVIEWS
NUGGETS @ LAKERS 3/19/25
When the Nuggets and Lakers meet tonight in Los Angeles, only one is anticipated to have its stars return, despite the fact that both Denver and Los Angeles won their most recent games without impact players. The Nuggets are probably going to have Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray on the court, while the Lakers are still expected to be without LeBron James and Rui Hachimura.
Christian Braun as well as Jokic and Murray missed Monday's game against the Golden State Warriors, but the Nuggets managed to defeat one of the league's most competitive teams 114-105 on the road. Although there is ongoing discussion about whether the Nuggets should have saved so much of their firepower for a nationally broadcast game, head coach Michael Malone found many positive aspects of the performance.
Although they are only one game ahead of the Lakers (42-25), the Nuggets (44-25) are tied for second place in the Western Conference. Denver defeated the Lakers 131-126 at home on Friday, but they have been shaky lately, going 3-3 since March 9.
Aaron Gordon stepped up with 38 points in Monday's victory over the Warriors, while Jokic scored 28 points and pulled down seven rebounds in the victory over Los Angeles.
In addition to missing James and Hachimura against Denver last week, the Lakers also missed big man Jaxson Hayes' game due to knee pain and Luka Doncic's absence due to calf and ankle soreness.
The Lakers defeated the San Antonio Spurs 125-109 at home on Monday thanks to 30 points from Austin Reaves, 21 from Doncic, and 9 points and 11 rebounds from Hayes. Against the undermanned Spurs, Los Angeles maintained control and led by as many as 28 points.
Even though Doncic hasn't fully recovered from his lengthy layoff due to a calf injury sustained on Christmas Day, he still managed to contribute. The Lakers' trade-deadline addition nearly had a triple-double with 14 assists and 9 rebounds despite only shooting 5 of 20 shots, including 1 of 7 from 3-point range.
Denver has won 2 of the 3 games against the Lakers this season. If you count playoff games, Denver has now won 14 of the last 16 meetings with Los Angeles dating back to January 2023.
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COACH RICK FREE PICK:
RUSSELL WESTBROOK OVER 20.5 PRA
Westbrook has gone Over this PRA number in 5 straight games and he’s hit it in 8 of the last 10. He’s had double-doubles - points and assists - in each of his last two games. Over this five-game span, Westbrook is averaging 31.8 PRA. He’s also gone Over this number in all three games against the Lakers this season. He averaged 28 PRA in those three games.
