The Denver Nuggets, the top seed in the conference, look to stay perfect at home during the postseason when they meet the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 of their 2023 NBA Western Conference finals series on Thursday. Denver is a 5.5-point favorite in the latest Nuggets vs. Lakers odds, while the over/under is set at 226. The game from Ball Arena in Denver will tip off at 8:30 p.m. ET. 

Before locking in any Lakers vs. Nuggets picks or any other NBA predictions, you NEED to see which side Larry Hartstein is on. 

A former lead writer for Covers and The Linemakers, Hartstein combines a vast network of Vegas sources with an analytical approach. Hartstein also excels in the NBA, especially when picking Denver Nuggets games. Over the past 94 Denver matchups, he is 55-36-3 against the spread, returning $1,545 for $100 players. Anybody following those picks has seen HUGE returns!

Now, he has set his sights on Lakers vs. Nuggets.

The expert knows Denver center Nikola Jokic is coming off his third consecutive triple-double, scoring 34 points, grabbing 21 rebounds and dishing out 14 assists in the Game 1 win. In 12 postseason games, Jokic is averaging a triple double with 31 points, 13.5 rebounds and 10.1 assists.  

Hartstein also knows small forward LeBron James registered a double-double in Game 1, narrowly missing a triple-double, with 26 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists. In Friday's Game 6 close-out 122-101 win over Golden State in the Western semifinals, he scored 30 points, while adding nine rebounds and nine assists.  

Now, Hartstein has locked in another confident against the spread pick for Lakers vs. Nuggets. We can tell you he's leaning Under on the point total, but he knows a crucial X-factor makes one side of the spread a MUST-BACK! You ABSOLUTELY need to see what it is before locking in any picks of your own.

Who wins Lakers vs. Nuggets on Thursday? And what critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? ... Join SportsLine right now to see which side of the Lakers vs. Nuggets spread to jump on, all from the expert who's an outstanding 55-36-3 against the spread (plus $1,545) over the past 94 Denver picks!