Lakers vs Nuggets Game 5 Prediction & Best Bets: Will Denver Bounce Los Angeles at Ball Arena?

The Los Angeles Lakers need a miracle to move on to the second round of the NBA playoffs, but they certainly aren’t going down against the Denver Nuggets easily.

After throwing away double-digit leads in each of the first three games of the series, the Lakers finally held on to one in Game 4 as they avoided elimination with a 119-108 win on Saturday.

That sends the series back to Denver, where the Nuggets will look to lock up a spot in the Western Conference semifinals a Game 5 win (10:00 pm ET, TNT).

• Read on for the best spread and player prop bets for Lakers vs Nuggets Game 5.
• Will the Lakers take the series back to Crypto.com Arena for a Game 6? A few key betting trends and stats are covered here.
• Where can you place Lakers vs Nuggets Game 5 bets? Find out below.

Even after the Lakers finally reaped a reward for their efforts in the series, the Nuggets are still heavily favored to move on to the second round for the fifth time in six seasons.

At BetOnline, Denver is -5000 to win the series, while Los Angeles is +1500 to pull off a historic comeback. Those aren’t the worst odds among the seven remaining first-round series, but the outlook is still bleak.

Los Angeles Lakers vs Denver Nuggets Odds

Odds are courtesy of BetOnline, a longtime fixture among the top online sports betting sites. Check out our BetOnline sportsbook review, then bag a big bonus (100% if your first deposit is with Bitcoin, Ethereum, or another cryptocurrency) to bet on today’s NBA playoff action.

Spread

• Los Angeles Lakers +6.5 (-108)
• Denver Nuggets -6.5 (-112)

Over/Under

• Over 216.5 (-115)
• Under 216.5 (-105)

Moneyline

• Los Angeles Lakers +210
• Denver Nuggets -250

Get free and reliable moneyline, spread, and over/under consensus picks for every NBA matchup, including this one, from our NBA picks page.

Los Angeles Lakers vs Denver Nuggets Betting Analysis

Since losing Game 3 of their series against the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 playoffs, the Nuggets are 12-1 at home in postseason play. In that time, their lone loss is a 111-108 defeat to the Miami Heat in Game 2 of last year’s NBA Finals.

So, the Lakers face a tall, tall task to force a Game 6, which would take place on Thursday (time and TV TBD).

Additionally, teams who have had a 3-0 series lead in a best-of-seven series have finished off the series in five or fewer games 137 of 152 times (90.1%). In instances in which the trailing team forced a Game 5, it has ended at that juncture 44 of 59 times (74.6%). In the past 15 such instances, the series ended in Game 5 13 times (86.7%).

Those are some daunting numbers to deal with, but the Lakers have every reason to believe they will still be playing on Wednesday.

The Lakers led at halftime in Game 1, at the end of three quarters in Game 2, and at halftime again in Game 3 before finally making good on halftime and third quarter leads in Game 4. Through the first four games, Los Angeles led at the end of the quarter 11 times in 16 quarters.

There’s no doubt that they have struggled to put the Nuggets away when they have been in position to. But the fact that they have been in position to do so in every game is nothing to scoff at.

Is it enough to commit to backing the Lakers to win or even cover for the full game, given their struggles in the second half? The Nuggets should close things out tonight at home, but it’s unlikely to be done with ease.

Los Angeles Lakers vs Denver Nuggets Prediction & Best Bets

Lakers vs Nuggets Prediction: Nuggets to win

Lakers vs Nuggets Best Bets: 1) Lakers first half +3.5 (-115 at BetOnline), 2) Anthony Davis over 43.5 points + rebounds + assists (-106 at BetOnline), 3) Nikola Jokic over 51.5 points + rebounds + assists (-125 at Bovada), 4) LeBron James over 35.5 points + assists (-115 at Bovada)

Other NBA Playoffs Betting Information

Where to Bet on Lakers vs Nuggets and the NBA Playoffs

Many of the top online sportsbooks offer a wide variety of NBA betting odds 00the season.

In addition to being able to bet on 2024 NBA championship odds, you can make daily NBA picks on odds for every game all season long, including NBA playoffs odds.

Also, you can bet on the All-Star Game, NBA Draft odds, and the major awards like NBA MVP, NBA Rookie of the Year, and more at most reputable sports betting sites.

There are plenty of sports betting sites you can choose from that are good for NBA betting. In addition to BetOnline, here are several books that we have reviewed and highly recommend:

• BetDSI (review)
• BetUS (review)
• Bookmaker (review)
• Bovada (review)
• MyBookie (review)
• Sportsbetting.ag (review)

If you don’t have an account at a book on this list, check out our reviews to help you determine if it is worth your interest and your betting funds.

Looking to make some player prop picks for Game 5 in Denver? Bovada is one of the best sports betting sites for NBA player props, as they offer a plethora of prop markets for every game on the schedule. They also have a hefty welcome bonus for cryptocurrency users (75% up to $750).

Interested in Learning More About NBA Betting?

Looking to learn more about the ins and outs of betting on the NBA? Check out our NBA betting guide. Also, if you’d like to learn more about NBA player prop bets, check out our NBA player props guide.

Did you enjoy this Lakers vs Nuggets betting breakdown? The postseason is here, and we will have plenty of content dedicated to the NBA postseason. So, bookmark the site so you don’t miss out on any of what is in store.

Also, follow Betting News on X/Twitter, Twitch, and TikTok to get more NBA playoffs betting insight from myself and the rest of our team.

• Betting News on “X”/Twitter
• Betting News on Twitch
• Betting News on TikTok