The banged-up Los Angeles Lakers will face another tough assignment, with the Denver Nuggets hosting the Purple & Gold at Ball Arena for the third meeting between these Western Conference powerhouses this season. Will the Lakers stop their bleeding with a takedown of Denver? Or, will the Nuggets add to the woes of the struggling LA squad?

Catch this game live on Saturday, March 15, 2025 at 9:30 AM, Manila time

Away: Los Angeles Lakers (40-24, 15-17 Away)

Projected Starting Five:

  • Luka Doncic
  • Gabe Vincent
  • Austin Reaves
  • Dorian Finney-Smith
  • Alex Len

The eight-game winning streak feels like it took place a long time for the Lakers, who have since dropped three consecutive assignments. In their last outing, the Lakers suffered a 126-106 loss to Doc Rivers’ Milwaukee Bucks. Luka Doncic’s 45-point explosion on 14-for-27 shooting from the field got wasted in the Bucks game, as did Austin Reaves’ 28 points on 10-for-17 shooting. 

The Lakers did not get ample production beyond those two players, and things could worsen for Los Angeles on Saturday, with Doncic probably hinting at a possible unavailability for the Denver game. If Doncic ultimately sits out the rematch versus the Nuggets, the Lakers will have to brave Mile High City without their top two players in uniform, as LeBron James is still missing LeBron James due to a groin injury. Doncic and James combined for 57 points in the Lakers’ 123-100 win over the Nuggets in February. Rui Hachimura (knee), who had 21 points in that contest, is also not playing in this upcoming meeting with the Nuggets. 

The Lakers, however, are 3-1 against the spread in their last four games against the Nuggets. They are also 5-3 ATS so far this season in games on zero days of rest.

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Home: Denver Nuggets (42-24, 22-10 Home)

Projected Starting Five:

  • Jamal Murray (Probable)
  • Russell Westbrook
  • Christian Braun
  • Michael Porter Jr.
  • Nikola Jokic (Probable)

There is something about the Minnesota Timberwolves that the Nuggets just figure out. Denver has gone winless in the last five games against the Timberwolves, dating back to the 2024 NBA Playoffs, including their 115-95 loss to Anthony Edwards and company on Thursday at home. The good news for the Nuggets is that they won’t have to deal with Minnesota this weekend. Instead, they will be taking on the injury-ravaged Lakers at home. 

However, those looking to back the Nuggets will have to keep an eye on the statuses of the likes of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic, who are both listed as probable for the Lakers game. The two also got that designation heading into the matchup against the Timberwolves, but both managed to play. Murray scored 12 points on sa alty 4-for-15 shooting, while Jokic had 34 points on 13-for-23 shooting. As a team, the Nuggets posted just a 40.4 field goal percentage, but they should be able to bounce back from that as soon as this Saturday, considering that Denver is No. 1 in the NBA this season with a 50.7 FG% and No. 2 with a 57.4 eFG%.

The Nuggets are 5-5 ATS in their last 10 home games.

Picks

Spread: Denver Nuggets (-13.5)

Over/Under: Under (232.0)

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