The Los Angeles Lakers will travel to the Pepsi Center to take on the Denver Nuggets. The game gets underway at 9:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Mar. 2 and will air on ALT and TWC.
The Nuggets were beaten by the Grizzlies 103-96 on Monday. Kenneth Faried put in a solid effort despite the loss for Denver, recording 16 points and 11 rebounds to earn his 16th double-double of the season. The Lakers, meanwhile, are coming off a 107-101 win over the Nets on Tuesday. D’Angelo Russell shot 14-for-21 and led in scoring with 39 points.
Russell has been on a tear over the last five games for the Lakers, averaging 21.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 0.6 steals, and 3.6 three-pointers.
Denver could own the offensive glass in this matchup, as they rank fifth in the NBA in offensive rebound percentage at 25.8%. Conversely, the Lakers are 28th in the league on the defensive backboards with a defensive rebound percentage of 74.2%.
The two teams have split their matchups this season. The Lakers had the upper hand in the most recent game, a 111-107 win. Kobe Bryant was the game’s leading scorer with 31 points.
The Nuggets enter the game with records of 23-37 Straight Up (SU) and 31-25-4 Against The Spread (ATS). They have been better ATS (7-3) than SU (2-8) over their last 10 games.
On the other side, Los Angeles has a SU record of 12-49 and an ATS record of 30-31. Los Angeles has records of 12-49 SU and 30-31 ATS against the West.
Los Angeles won the last meeting this season between these two teams, but the Nuggets still lead the head-to-head record, 8-2 SU, over the last 10 matchups. Additionally, the Nuggets lead the matchup ATS with a record of 7-3.
Predictions: SU Winner – Den
Notes
On average, Los Angeles puts up 97.7 points per game (ranked 27th), while Denver gives up 104.0 points per game (ranked 21st).
Los Angeles scores an average of 98.6 points per away game (ranked 21st). Denver ranks 27th in points allowed per home game with 106.0.
When giving up fewer than 100 points, the Los Angeles Lakers have a 7-6 record. When scoring fewer than 100 points, the Denver Nuggets have a subpar record of 3-18.
Los Angeles is an abysmal 5-43 when it allows 100 or more points. Denver has a 20-19 record when it hits triple digits.
The Lakers have an offensive rating of 99.6 (ranked 29th), while the Nuggets rank 21st for their defensive rating of 106.0.
Denver has an average field goal percentage of 43.8%. Los Angeles is an abysmal 6-40 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
On average, the Denver Nuggets attempt 23.0 three point field goals per game and the Los Angeles Lakers attempt 24.0 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, both teams have losing records; Denver is 9-16 and Los Angeles is 6-26.
Denver has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.55 this season (ranked 17th), while Los Angeles ranks lower at 27th with an A/TO of 1.38.
Denver is ranked fourth in offensive rebounding. Los Angeles ranks 23rd in defensive rebounds.
The Denver Nuggets average .0 steals per game (ranked first). The Los Angeles Lakers have an underachieving record of 12-49 when they allow at least steals.
