This Saturday night's five-game NBA schedule will feature a very interesting duel between the
Los Angeles Lakers and
Denver Nuggets, the two reigning Western Conference finalists, although it could be affected by the possible absence of LeBron James and Anthony Davis for the Los Angeles Lakers, while Jamal Murray is doubtful for Colorado, although Nikola Jokic will play at 100%.
Beyond absences and possible casualties, the Nuggets land in Los Angeles looking to continue their great form. With five wins in their last five games, the team led by Michael Malone has the best active streak in the Western Conference, where they currently occupy 3rd place with a 41-19 record, very close to the top two: Minnesota Timberwolves (42-18) and Oklahoma City Thunder (41-18).
On the Lakers' side, the purple and gold franchise will have to pray that both LeBron and Davis can play in the game. With the latest win for the Golden State Warriors (9th with a 32-27 record), the team coached by Darvin Ham has fallen to 10th place with a 33-28 record. The fight between the two is getting very tough and evenly matched, and any loss weighs twice as much at this point of the season.
Expert predictions (Possible quintets and result).
The main predictions for tonight's game place Denver Nuggets as the winner of the game. Taking into account the possible losses of the Los Angeles Lakers and, of course, the notable difference in squad level, the Los Angeles franchise should play its best game of the season to prevent the Colorado Nuggets from winning.
In addition, the potential quintets will be as follows (in the event that LeBron, Davis and Murray play):
- Lakers: D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, LeBron James (Taurean Prince), Rui Hachimura, Anthony Davis (Jaxson Hayes).
- Nuggets: Jamal Murray (or Reggie Jackson), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokic.
Schedule and TV.
The game will be played this morning at 2:30 a.m. (Spanish peninsular time), and will be broadcast on Movistar+, on dial 7. In addition, it will also be available on the official NBA website and app with a League Pass subscription.
Downs
- Lakers: LeBron James (ankle), Cam Reddish (ankle) and Anthony Davis (achilles) are questionable. Jarred Vanderbilt (foot), Gabe Vincent (knee), Christian Wood (knee) and Colin Castleton (wrist) are out.
- Nuggets: Jamal Murray (ankle) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (personal reasons), questionable. Braxton Key (personal reasons) and Vlatko Cancar (knee), ruled out.