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NBA Playoffs Best Bets, Picks & Predictions: Thursday (5/18)

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Game 2 of the Western Conference Final begins tonight in Denver, with the Lakers trailing the Nuggets 1-0. Let’s get some skin in the game with our best bet for the night.

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Thursday’s Best NBA Bets

(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)

Los Angeles Lakers @ Denver Nuggets

These teams skied over the Total of 222.5 in Game 1, but that result should not be projected onto this game. Both Denver and Los Angeles enjoyed abnormally efficient shooting nights, greatly over-performing their postseason numbers beyond the arc and from the field. Regression is no guarantee, but it’s more likely than not that the shooting numbers in Game 2 are closer to this mean than the outlier performance of Tuesday.

Also of note is the Lakers appeared to find some answers defensively for Nikola Jokic late in Game 1. Rui Hachimura‘s switch onto Jokic freed up Anthony Davis defensively, helping to stymie the two-time MVP and slowing the pace of the Nuggets’ offense. Denver should be better equipped for this matchup, but the Lakers exhibited capability in stopping them and have been an exceptional postseason defense otherwise.

The extreme nature of Game 1 likely attributed to such a high total score. With Denver holding such a large lead for much of the game, opportunities were scarce for the pace to stall as the Lakers had to continually push to get back into the game. As Los Angeles cut into the lead late into the fourth, the pace of the game did stall, as it should more frequently tonight, with a closer game being the expectation.

Bet: Under 227 (-110)

Also check out our other best bets for Thursday:

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