After staving off elimination with a much-needed victory in the fourth game of this opening round series the Los Angeles Lakers will look to pick up a second consecutive victory on the road in Denver. It is another must win game for LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers if they want to keep their postseason run and push the defending champions back to Los Angeles game number six. They will need to pull off another solid shooting performance, which is something that has bothered them throughout the first three games of the series, but it is something they were able to shake off in game number four for the time being. That is a performance they will replicate this game on Monday night as the series heads back to Denver and the defending NBA champions look to shut the door on the Los Angeles Lakers.
Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets will look to bounce back after a rough performance in game number four and close out this series with a gentleman sweep and a victory here on Monday. They will look to shut down Anthony Davis throughout game number five of this series and the Los Angeles Lakers supporting cast as they look to be the first team in the NBA playoffs to wrap up their first round series this season. This is a must win game for the Denver Nuggets in many people's opinion as they do not want to allow LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers to hang around any longer in this round series. Motivated LeBron James is a very dangerous LeBron James, and the more opportunities you give him the more he will end up haunting you in the end.
Past Prediction All the previous predictions can be viewed by clicking this link right here . There will be predictions made each and every night for the NBA season, throughout the remainder of the regular season and into the postseason as well. You can check back here for predictions each and every night all the way up until the last game of the NBA finals.
History Between These Two Teams These two teams are very familiar with each other at this point after several meetings throughout the regular season and multiple meetings throughout this first round playoff series as well. Which should provide us with another competitive game here on Monday night as these two teams go back-and-forth and look to pick up a victory.
Both the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers have battled it out in close games all throughout the regular season and the first four games of this playoff series. Which means you should expect more of the same as Denver looks to end the Lakers season and Los Angeles looks to keep battling all the way back to LA.
Denver has controlled this playoff series through the first four games winning three of them in four high scoring and competitive matchups that have had plenty of lead changes. Throughout three meetings in the regular season, the Denver Nuggets also picked up three victories against the Los Angeles Lakers, which brings Denver's record against the Lakers throughout this season to 6-1 on the year.
However, none of those three regular season matchups matter at the moment, and what matters is the three to one advantage that the Denver Nuggets hold over Los Angeles at the time being. That is something Los Angeles will need to battle back from with a much-needed victory here on Monday night to keep their season alive and push the series back to Los Angeles for game number six later this week.
Today’s Predictions Much like the opening four games of this first round series, you can expect another close and competitive matchup between the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers here on Monday night in Denver. I look for Nikola Jokić and Anthony Davis to be the focal points of this game for both teams. I also look for LeBron James to do what he does best and put his incredible scoring ability on fall display as he looks to save the Lakers season.
With Jamal Murray potentially missing this game while dealing with an injury, it will leave the door open for the Los Angeles Lakers to pick up their second victory of the series. They will have to find a way to shut down Nikola Jokić in this game if they want to be successful just like Denver will have to find a way to shut down Anthony Davis, who has been incredible throughout the early part of this series.
I expect more of the same here in Game number five between Denver and Los Angeles, as I look for them to trade punches back-and-forth throughout the first half of the contest. The biggest key for Los Angeles will be keeping their composure throughout the third quarter which is something that has hurt them throughout the last few games of the series outside of game four. Meanwhile, Denver will keep their foot on the gas to build an early lead, and they will need to continue to expand on that lead throughout the game.
Tips For Betting The Denver Nuggets put together a fantastic record at home this season, as they went 33-8 throughout the regular season and they are currently 2-0 throughout the playoffs. On the occasion that Jamal Murray does miss out on this game Denver posted a winning record without him in 23 games this season, winning 13. However, the losses without Jamal Murray in the lineup is still something to be concerned about if you’re the Denver Nuggets. But in the end, I don’t see it mattering much as I look for the Denver Nuggets to take advantage of another rough third-quarter by the Lakers and to pick up a series clinching victory here on Monday night.
The Pick: Denver Nuggets -7.5 (-110) Picks given are the opinion of the writer, not Elitepickz pros. To get picks from some of the sharpest minds in the industry, sign up here and use code AB15 for 15% off any pass!
