A pair of Southwest teams meet at the FedExForum on Monday night. The Memphis Grizzlies host the San Antonio Spurs in this back-to-back saga. This is their second regular-season meeting, with Taylor Jenkins and company taking the first win back in November in a close 124-122 overtime thriller. The Grizzlies have plenty of confidence coming into this game with home advantage on their side this time. Meanwhile, Gregg Popovich and the rest of the Spurs will try to bounce back from their recent loss to the Celtics.

Nitrobetting shares the latest news, NBA odds, and special features throughout the 2022-23 NBA season. Let’s get a closer look at the upcoming Lakers vs. Nuggets face-off in this preview.

Lakers vs. Nuggets Game Information

Sunday work ???? pic.twitter.com/1EigBj8CES

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) January 8, 2023

• When: Monday, January 9, 2023, 9:00 PM ET
• Where: Ball Arena, Denver, CO
• TV: ALT, SPECSN
• Radio: 710 ESPNLA (Lakers) // Altitude Sports Radio 92.5 FM (Nuggets)
• Live Stream: NBA League Pass
• NBA Betting Odds: Lakers (+9) // Nuggets (-9)

READ MORE: Spurs vs. Grizzlies 2023 NBA Odds and Preview – January 9th

Why Bet on the Los Angeles Lakers?

It’s been a while since the Lakers experienced stability. Their five-game winning streak should give them enough momentum to lock horns against the top Western Conference team. However, head coach Darvin Ham needs to make a few adjustments with Lonnie Walker IV out of the lineup due to injury, while LeBron James is listed day-to-day on Monday night’s game.

The Lakers average 116.9 points per game. It’s the fifth-best record in the league at present. They match this with 48.7% shooting, featuring 56.3% from the two-point range–both of which place well within the top-ten averages. However, the lineup fails to light things up from deep with a 34.2% three-point shooting average in 40 games. LeBron James leads the team in scoring as he registers 29.13 points per game. But, if he fails to suit up, Anthony Davis can also take the offensive helm with averages of 27.40 points and 12.08 rebounds per game.

Defensively, the squad allows 117.7 points per game on 47.3% shooting. They do fairly decent in contesting close and mid-range attempts, holding opponents to 55.1% from two points. The Lakers do better around the perimeter. The team limits competitors to 34.7% from deep, while collecting 52.5 total rebounds per game.

Why Bet on the Denver Nuggets?

The Nuggets are prepared to go toe-to-toe with the Lakers on the offensive end. Nikola Jokic is on fire this season as he threatens to claim another MVP title. Denver averages 116.7 points per game on 50.9% shooting. These figures are easily within the top ten, but they do even better to post a league-best 40.1% three-point shooting and 56.8% two-point shooting.

There’s no shortage of talent here. There’s also the topic of health, which the Nuggets currently have no qualms with. Leading scorer Nikola Jokic and the pair of Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon are enough to take the scoring load. Michael Porter Jr. and former Laker Kentavious Caldwell-Pope also work well as secondary scorers should the latter start slow.

Not only does Jokic lead the team in scoring with 25.31 points per game. He also fronts the squad in rebounds (10.78 RPG) and assists (9.53 APG). His efforts are enough to put Denver’s defensive numbers at a decent mark. As a team, they allow 113.8 points per game on 48.2% opponent shooting. They look hot ahead of back-to-back wins, and a solid record that sees just two losses in their last eleven outings.

Lakers vs. Nuggets Betting Trends

• The Lakers are 4-1 in the last five road games (4-1 ATS).
• The Lakers are 6-4 in the previous ten games versus the Nuggets (5-5 ATS).
• The totals went over in three of their last five road games.
• The Nuggets are 4-1 in the last five games (4-1 ATS).
• The Nuggets are 3-2 in the previous five home games against the Lakers (3-2 ATS).
• The totals went under once in the Nuggets’ previous five games.

Lakers vs. Nuggets Expert Betting Prediction

The only factor that could take this away from the Lakers’ hands is the availability of Anthony Davis, Lonnie Walker, and Austin Reaves. If the visitors come in shorthanded, this could easily go the way of the hosts. Meanwhile, the Nuggets ruled out Jeff Green and Peyton Watson again, which are positions that the team’s lineup could easily cover.

If the Lakers manage to continue their positive performances of the season despite facing major injury issues, it’s always a possibility to see them cover the spread and threaten to take this away from Denver. But, a Nuggets team running at this pace will pose a threat to any contender out there. Ultimately, we expect an interesting clash to happen tomorrow night.

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This is just one of the many sports betting guides that you can read here at Nitrobetting news. Stay tuned for more 2022-23 NBA season previews and articles and don’t forget to check out the latest basketball betting odds on our online BTC sportsbook.

*All odds stated are subject to change without prior notice.