I get that Jamal Murray has been an absolute flamethrower of late, but I see too much value on this total to be afraid of it. Including the postseason, Murray has played 35 road games this season. He's gone over this total in only four of them. Yeah, Game 3 was one of those times. Toss in the desperation for the Lakers, and the high probability they make Murray a defensive focal point tonight, and he seems due for an off performance.

I'm totally a Michael Jordan guy so I don't want to hear these GOAT comparisons with LeBron James. There is no comparison, but LeBron is going to be judged pretty harshly and pretty unfairly if the Lakers are swept (his teams have been swept just twice overall) and I do find it hard to believe a team that has been so good at home in these playoffs and so good overall since March could really go out that way. So, yeah, I am betting the circumstance. Human nature for the Nuggets to have a bit of a letdown in Game 4. L.A. has won and covered 9 in a row after a double-digit loss, including 4-0 SU/ATS in the playoffs.

With the Lakers down 0-3, it's hard to love L.A. The Lakers have failed to slow down Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. But I foresee a gentleman’s sweep. That means L.A. wins tonight, and then the Nuggets take care of business at home where they have been dominant throughout the playoffs. Lay the points with the home team.

This line is actually high for LeBron James considering how his scoring has been throughout these playoffs; he’s only had 30 or more points once while averaging 23.5 points. However, James has only been swept twice in his career, both times in the finals, once in 2007 by the San Antonio Spurs and in 2018 by Golden State Warriors. In the last 5 elimination games James has averaged 35.6 points, our SportslineAI is predicting 32 points for him tonight due James' past performances in elimination games.

I just don't see it happening. I do not see LeBron James and the Lakers being swept out of the playoffs. The Nuggets are the better team and were always going to win the series, but a sweep is asking too much. Denver shot over 40% from three in Game 3 and made 17 threes to the Lakers' 10. It was simply too much for the Lakers to overcome, and I don't see a Nuggets team that's struggled on the road all year doing it two games in a row.

Michael Porter Jr. hauled in 10 rebounds in Game 3, giving him his second double-double of the series. Even when he was in early foul trouble in Game 2, he finished with seven boards. He has at least seven rebounds in six of his last seven games, and with increased playing time, has averaged 7.9 rebounds per game in the playoffs. Significant juice here, but I still like the over to be a winning wager.

D’Angelo Russell has completely disappeared in this series. He is shooting 29.6 percent from the field, including going just 2-for-14 from behind the arc. They need his three-point shooting, and his scoring is key to help take pressure off LeBron James and Anthony Davis. In the absence of production from Russell, Austin Reaves has stepped up to score at least 22 points in all three games. Going back even further, he has scored at least 21 points in five of the last six games. With the Lakers’ season on the line, expect Reaves to play a lot and get enough shot attempts to hit this over.

Nikola Jokic produced “only” 24 points, six rebounds and eight assists in Game 3, and the Nuggets still won by 11 points. Jamal Murray has dominated the Lakers, averaging 35.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 3.0 steals in the series. Meanwhile, LeBron James continues to struggle from behind the arc and D’Angelo Russell has disappeared. The Lakers probably won’t go down without a fight, but I still like the Nuggets to at least keep this close, if not complete the sweep.

Five different Nuggets made 3-pointers in the fourth quarter of Game 3, a testament to how difficult this matchup is for the Lakers. LeBron James and Anthony Davis will be game once again, but Denver has proven it is more disciplined and has too many weapons. LA couldn't maintain an 11-point lead in the third quarter of Game 2, and it failed to capitalize on Nikola Jokic's foul trouble in Game 3. Look for another tight contest, with Denver making the winning plays late.

I know we got burnt backing Nikola Jokic in game 3 but I contend that was the right play just an unfortunate result. Jokic dealt with foul trouble in game 2 which ultimately impacted his playing time, in addition to Jamal Murray erupting for 37 points, both of which contributed to Jokic having a quiet scoring game. Aside from Murray, the rest of the Nuggets starters have struggled scoring on the road in the playoffs. While the Nuggets look hard to beat, the Suns provided a blueprint that was somewhat successful where they essentially dared/forced Jokic to score, while trying to make things difficult for his teammates, i.e. not by not doubling Jokic.