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Wednesday nights in the NBA are always jam-packed with action, which is no different tonight. We have 11 games on the slate tonight, but we are here to lock in on one game in particular. That game is the Denver Nuggets taking on the Los Angeles Lakers. This game features two of the biggest stars in the NBA today, Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic, so it will almost certainly lead to entertaining basketball. Throughout this article, we will recap each team’s season while previewing the matchup on ESPN tonight.
The Nuggets, led by Nikola Jokic, are having another strong season. They are in prime position to be a top-five seed in a tough Western Conference. Multiple-time MVP Nikola Jokic is having another MVP-caliber season. He is averaging a triple-double with around 29 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. This offense runs through him, and why wouldn’t it? Jokic has led this team to a championship, and he can do it again. Plus, he is a walking Hall of Famer.
What’s different about this Nuggets team compared to the past is that they are deeper than ever. They have eight players who average over 23 minutes a night. We know that Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. have done a great job supporting Jokic in the past, but some of the younger players have stepped up. Christian Braun, who has started 65 of 67 games, is averaging a career-high 15 points per game. Plus, Julian Strawther is knocking down just over 35% of his shots from behind the three-point line. Then, you also have veterans like Russell Westbrook, who has bought into his role on this team. Come playoff time, this Nuggets team will be dangerous.
Now, looking at the Lakers, they have had one of the crazier seasons of any team. Like the Nuggets, this Lakers team is smack dab in the middle of the Western Conference playoff race. They made a mid-season trade that netted them Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for essentially Anthony Davis. Since the trade, the duo of Luka and LeBron were rolling, but that was unfortunately short-lived, with LeBron James going down with a groin injury.
With LeBron out, somebody else needed to step up outside of Luka, and Austin Reaves is that man. He has turned into an awesome player, averaging career-highs in points, rebounds and assists. Also, rookie Dalton Knecht has started to come into his own. In fact, in the last game against the Nuggets last week, Knecht finished with 32 points, which was a career-high. When LeBron gets back, and if Knecht keeps playing like this, this Lakers team could be very dangerous once playoff time comes around.
As mentioned above, these two teams met just last week. The Nuggets won that game 131-126 on the back of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, who combined for 54 points. Austin Reaves was the leading scorer for the Lakers that night with 37 points. Luka Doncic and LeBron James both could not suit up for that game. So, it was an impressive effort from the short-handed Lakers team to keep that game close.
In this matchup, LeBron James isn’t expected to play, but Luka should be able to give it a go, even with the nagging injuries. However, for our pick in this game, we are not targeting someone from the Lakers—we are going with Jokic.
We mentioned above just how good Jokic has been this season, averaging a triple-double, so we like him to have a huge game tonight, especially on the glass. With the Lakers missing LeBron James, Jokic will likely have even more opportunity to grab boards, as the Lakers may struggle to control the glass without their superstar. Jokic’s versatility allows him to excel in both offensive and defensive rebounding and with the pace and style of play that Denver often generates, he’s likely to see multiple chances to grab rebounds. The combination of his consistent rebounding and the Lakers’ injury-depleted lineup makes this a promising pick for Jokic to record more than 12 rebounds.
Dylan has had a love for sports since he was a kid. Four years ago, he decided to dive into the sports content-creating industry specializing in Fantasy Football, NFL and NBA. He has since had his work published on sites that include Fantasy Alarm, Fansided, and Fantasy Six Pack.