The Denver Nuggets just want to get rid of the Los Angeles Lakers ASAP to get an early rest advantage for the second round. They can complete a sweet this Sunday after beating the Lakers again last Friday on the road, 112-105. Will the Nuggets go walis-walis? Or, will the Lakers prevent a sweep and hang on to play another game?

Catch this game live on Sunday, April 28, 2024 at 8:30 AM, Manila time

Away: Denver Nuggets (3-0)

Projected Starting Five:

• Jamal Murray
• Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
• Michael Porter Jr.
• Aaron Gordon
• Nikola Jokic

For the Nuggets, it’s no longer a question of whether they’d win the first round against Los Angeles; it’s now about when exactly will they discard LeBron James and the Lakers. As already mentioned everywhere ad nauseam, no team in the history of the NBA has ever won a series after going winless through the first three games of a matchup. And the Nuggets not showing any signs of slowing down and with the Lakers seemingly demoralized at this point, it’s just fair to expect that another sweep in favor of the defending champions is about to happen this Sunday. 

Even when they shot just 5/28 from behind the arc in Game 3, the Nuggets still easily beat the Lakers behind a balanced attack by their starters. Nikola Jokic had a near triple-double of 24 points, 15 rebounds, and nine assists, while Aaron Gordon went off for 29 points and 15 boards. So far in the series, the Nuggets are shooting 48.3 percent from the field and averaging nearly 10 more boards per game than the Lakers.

Denver is 3-1 against the spread in its last four games as the road team.

Home: Los Angeles Lakers (0-3)

Projected Starting Five:

• D’Angelo Russell
• Austin Reaves
• LeBron James 
• Rui Hachimura
• Anthony Davis 

There are a lot of angry Lakers fans out there. A LOT. And who can blame them? Their team still has to figure out the Nuggets despite having faced Denver a bunch of times since getting swept in the playoffs back in 2023. In Game 3, the Lakers looked good again to start the game but faded when the Nuggets began to get into their rhythm. While Anthony Davis and LeBron James were still productive with 26 and 33 points, respectively, they barely got any support outside of Austin Reaves, who finally had a good game going in the series as he finished with 22 points. 

Meanwhile, D’Angelo Russell went full Play-in Tournament Klay Thompson and went scoreless on 0/7 shooting from the field. If Game 4 were to be Russell’s last game in Lakers uniform, he could at least make it a memorable one. After all, it can’t get any worse for him than his disastrous Game 3 performance. Rui Hachimura and Spencer Dinwiddie also have to answer the call, as they are both averaging fewer than 6.0 points on 33.3 percent shooting from the field in this series for the Lakers, who are 5-5 ATS in their last 10 home games.

PICKS

Spread: Denver Nuggets (-3.5)

Over/Under: Under (218.0)