Lakers vs. Nuggets Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for December 16 (Elite Offenses Trade Buckets at cryptom.com Arena)

Lakers vs. Nuggets Game Info

• Date: Friday, December 16, 2022
• Time: 10:00 PM ET
• Venue: Crypto.com Arena -- Los Angeles, California
• Coverage: ESPN, SportsNet LA, and ALT

The 2022-23 NBA season continues on Friday with 10 more games, including a battle between the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers. The Nuggets rank third in the Western Conference with a 17-10 record, while the Lakers check in 12th with an 11-16 record. This is going to be an exciting one.

Denver enters riding a three-game winning streak that includes a 141-128 win over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Los Angeles has dropped four of its last five games, including a 122-118 overtime loss to the Boston Celtics on Tuesday. Will it be able to bounce back at home?

Lakers vs. Nuggets Odds & Spread

• All NBA betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: DEN: (-120) | LAL: (+102)
• Spread: DEN: -1.5 (-110) | LAL: +1.5 (-110)
• Total: 237.5 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

The Nuggets enter this contest as slight road favorites on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 10 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 237.5 points, which is above average compared to the rest of Friday's projected totals.

Lakers vs. Nuggets Betting Trends

• The Nuggets covered 36 times in 82 matchups with a spread last season.
• The Lakers had an ATS record of 18-21 as underdogs of 1 point or greater last year.
• Nuggets games went over the point total 47 out of 82 times last season.
• In 82 Lakers games last year, 47 of them went over the total.

Lakers vs. Nuggets Prediction & Pick

NBA teams should be on high alert as two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic is starting to heat up. He is averaging 31.6 points and 12.0 rebounds over his last five games. The 27-year-old's efforts are a big reason why Denver ranks first in shooting percentage (50.8%) and sixth in points per game (116.5).

That doesn't bode well for the Lakers' chances of standing tall on defense tonight. LA is allowing a whopping 116.6 points (No. 25 in NBA) and forcing only 13.2 turnovers per game (No. 27 in NBA) this season. The talent of Anthony Davis and LeBron James won't be enough to carry the Lakers here.

The Nuggets are 8-4 straight up n its last 12 away games, so I'll back Denver to squeak out a win.

Final Score Prediction: Lakers: 118 | Nuggets: 123

Lakers vs. Nuggets Best Bet

This game features the second-highest point total of any contest on Friday's slate for a reason. It's already been mentioned how Denver excels on offense, but keep in mind LA averages 115.0 points per game on the season (No. 11 in NBA). The Lakers also play at the fourth-fastest pace in the NBA.

The total has hit the over in seven of the Lakers' last eight games as well as in four of Denver's last six games. The over has cashed in four of the last five head-to-head matchup between these Western Conference foes as well. Back the over and root for buckets to be drained at crypto.com Arena.

Bet: Over 237.5 Points (-110)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.