The Lakers didn't turn itself into contenders until the trade deadline, but the Denver Nuggets have been the best team in the West all season long. These feel like the right two teams to end up in the Western Conference Finals and that's because they have the best two bigs in the game, Nikola Jokic and Anthony Davis. This series will be all about that matchup, so let's build a same game parlay for Game 1 and predict how it will play out.
Here are my picks for a Lakers/Nuggets same-game parlay (SGP) for Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals built on the FanDuel Sportsbook and pays out +696.
Lakers vs. Nuggets best same game parlay picks
Denver Nuggets ML
Anthony Davis OVER 12.5 rebounds
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope OVER 9.5 points
Nikola Jokic OVER 9.5 assists
Denver Nuggets ML
The Denver Nuggets are the better team heading into this series and have looked consistently like the best team in the NBA this postseason. The team enjoys a distinct home court advantage that will be tough for LeBron and the Lakers to deal with because of the elevation in Denver and Jokic will be the best player on the court. I feel comfortable with the Nuggets moneyline considering they are a six point favorite.
Anthony Davis OVER 12.5 rebounds
Anthony Davis has been up and down all postseason. It feels like every other game he's an absolute monster, wrecking the opposing offense and dominating on the glass. Then for some reason, likely a lack of rest, that player disappears the next game. He was dominant Davis in the closeout of the Warriors, but with a few days rest I think he'll be great in Game 1.
AD is averaging 14.1 rebounds a game this playoff run and he's exclusively playing center, something he's been apprehensive about for his entire career. LA will only be able to survive with one true big against Jokic and Denver's movement based offense, so AD will need to handle the boards.
KCP OVER 9.5 points
We haven't seen the chess match of this series begin, but I imagine that Michael Malone's first move is to play with pace. The Nuggets will want to test the veterans on the Lakers and see if they can run in the thin air. KCP is one of Denver's best transition players and he had 21 points in the closeout of Phoenix.
Nikola Jokic OVER 9.5 assists
Nobody can take away Jokic's offense entirely, but AD is the best matchup for him in the entire NBA. Davis may be able to prevent Jokic from getting 35 points, but there's not much he can do about the Joker's passing. Denver has four scorers on the floor alongside Jokic at all times, so there will be nowhere to hide the aging LeBron James defensively. I think Denver will keep him in constant motion and feast on back cuts with guys like Christian Braun and KCP when Lebron is trying to conserve energy for the offensive end.
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