The final four teams of the NBA Playoffs are here, and the Western Conference features a loaded matchup as the Los Angeles Lakers travel to take on the Denver Nuggets.
Both teams had their bouts of dominance on display against their opponents that led to this point, as the Lakers took care of the Warriors and the Nuggets took care of the Suns in six games each.
Everything in this series has led to this point, and it will be another matchup for LeBron James against one of the best players of this generation in Nikola Jokic.
What will really help determine this series is how good Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. will play for the Nuggets, as there is no doubt that Jokic will show up with the kind of playoffs he has been having for himself.
Ahead of the opening game on Tuesday night, the Denver Nuggets are favored on their home court over the Los Angeles Lakers at -5.5.
Back to being the best duo in the NBA
After their unreal performance in the bubble, it seemed as if no duo in the league would top the combination of LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the Lakers.
Their combination of power and finesse is so hard for teams to match and even harder for referees to officiate consistently.
A rough stretch of injuries as well as a rotating roster around the two players had made for a long stretch of time for the Lakers to be miserable in their efforts.
Getting rid of Russell Westbrook seems to have made all of the difference for this team, and now James is yet again on the cusp on another NBA Finals trip in his career.
The magic of Nikola Jokic
In all of the debate this season about who deserved the MVP Award, Nikola Jokic lost quietly and then exploded in the playoffs as clearly the best player the league has to offer.
His play has been unstoppable, and even in the games that the Nuggets have lost, Jokic has been dominant across the board.
Even his defense, which was arguably his weakest characteristic, has taken a step up and made it manageable for the rest of the players on his team.
He certainly has the best-supporting cast since he has been in the league, but each one of those players is immediately made better by Jokic’s impact on the court.
Lakers @ Nuggets Betting Prediction
One of these teams has a whole lot of history in their franchise, and the other team has never won an NBA Finals. Both of them are trying to make history.
James and Davis have looked the part of an elite roster in the NBA, and that has made a difference compared to the regular season this year.
On the other side of the ball, they are going to have to figure out how they can deal with Jokic, but they have the bodies to make it happen.
Regardless, it is too risky to bet against Denver game one, so roll with the Nuggets as the favorites at -5.5
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