The Los Angeles Lakers have fallen into a 0-2 hole against the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals. Game 3, in Los Angeles, will be crucial if the Lakers can stay in this series and keep their NBA title odds alive.
NBA lines are starting to move toward the home team heading into Game 3, needing a big game from the stars to get the win. These are some prop bets that can be solid options for NBA betting.
James Bounce Back
There is no question that LeBron James has struggled offensively through these playoffs. His shooting slump has been headlining NBA news. He has yet to make a three in Western Conference Finals, going 0-10. This has been a problem all playoffs, especially in crunch time, 1-20 from three in the fourth quarter throughout every series.
LeBron James has missed 19 straight threes in the fourth quarter this postseason. pic.twitter.com/olPhiPsSqH
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 19, 2023
With all the noise surrounding James and this being a crucial Game 3, expect his best effort. It might not be a better shooting performance, with James at 23.3% from three, but he will be much more aggressive, trying to get to the free throw line.
Look for James to keep driving into the paint against a Nuggets defense that struggles to defend it. He tried to do so in Game 2, but he kept missing open layups, which is out of character. The Lakers need him to make an impact on offense, and in what might feel like a must-win game at home, James could have a big scoring game.
Lakers’ First Quarter Lead
Now that this series has shifted back to Los Angeles expect the Lakers to come out hot, feeding off the crowd. Despite the Lakers losing the first two games of the series, they had chances to win each. In Game 1, the Lakers cut down on a massive lead to lose by six. Then in Game 2, the Lakers played much better, leading for 31 minutes, but could not close out, losing 108-103.
The Lakers have found things that work. They have used James or Rui Hachimura to guard Nikola Jokić, allowing Anthony Davis to roam on defense. Austin Reaves has also continued to shine on offense, often bringing an extra spark. The Lakers might jump to a lead in the first quarter and get the Crypto.com Arena loud, and ride that momentum.
While a good first quarter does not lock them into NBA picks for the game, it will give the Lakers a boost for the rest of the game, especially with the Los Angeles crowd.
Another Jokić Dominant Game
While Nikola Jokić has dominated the playoffs, averaging 30.2 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 10.2 assists, he has been better on the road. In five road games in these playoffs, he is averaging 35.6 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 11.6 assists, shooting 64.2% from the field. If anything, Jokić gets better on the road.
The chances of him having another dominant performance is pretty high. Given that he does everything for the Nuggets, expect him to keep filling up the stat sheet. The key to Denver winning is the surrounding players because Jokić always puts up big numbers. While the Lakers have tried new things to slow him down, they may be running out of options, giving Jokić the advantage.
Possible Live Betting Players
When focusing on possible NBA live betting options, focus on what happened in the fourth quarter of the first two games. In each, an outside shooting threat got hot, from Reaves 11 points in Game 1 to Jamal Murray’s amazing 23 to get the win in Game 2.
In the fourth quarter, the shooting ability of guards tends to be crucial, with Murray and Reaves having lived up to that. Even in Game 2, despite playing seven minutes, Reaves led the Lakers in the fourth quarter, scoring. The chances of one of them leading their respective team in scoring in the final 12 minutes are high, especially in a close game.
