Lakers vs. Nuggets NBA Western Conference Finals Game 1 odds, trends: Solid action on Denver against spread, heavy on Jamal Murray combo prop

LeBron James is an underdog in a third straight NBA playoff series for the first time in his legendary career as the seventh-seeded Los Angeles Lakers tip off the Western Conference Finals at the top-seeded Denver Nuggets on Tuesday. There's a solid lean on the Nuggets at -6.5 at BetMGM, and the player prop taking the most action is a combo number on Denver guard Jamal Murray. Click here for model picks.

The Lakers have won Game 1 on the road in each of their first two playoff series. They would be the fifth team to do it in their first three, joining the 2021 Hawks, 1999 Knicks, 1989 Bulls and 1981 Rockets. New York and Houston both reached the NBA Finals but lost in it.

The Nuggets opened at -4.5 and are now -6.5, taking 58% of the bets and 64% of the money. The total has dropped from 223.5 to 222.5 with 63% of the bets and 56% of the money on the Over. L.A., +200 on the money line, is taking 72% of the bets and 60% of the money.

This marks the eighth playoff meeting between the franchises and first since Los Angeles beat Denver in five games in the 2020 Western Conference Finals in the Orlando bubble. L.A. is 7-0 against Denver in playoff series. Lakers first-year coach Darvin Ham played for the Nuggets during the 1996-97 season. Ham is the 10th coach in Lakers history to take the team to the conference finals in his first season with the team. L.A. is the second No. 7 seed to ever make the Western Finals, after the Seattle SuperSonics did so in the 1986-87 season.

These teams split four regular-season meetings and haven't played since Jan. 9, when Russell Westbrook was the Lakers' leading scorer in a 122-109 loss in Denver. Both LeBron James and Anthony Davis sat out that night due with injuries and other than those two, the roster is a lot different now than it was on Jan. 9. Of the title team in 2020, only James and Davis remain. Only Murray, Nikola Jokic, Michael Porter Jr. and Vlatko Cancar remain from that 2020 Denver team.

Murray Over 31.5 points + assists at -110 is the most-wagered player prop tonight, followed by D'Angelo Russell Over 14.5 points at -125, and Davis Over 22.5 points at -115. Murray is averaging 24.7 points and 6.0 assists per game this postseason. He averaged 22.8 points and 5.3 assists in the regular-season series. Jokic is +102 for a triple-double tonight.

Will Ham stick Davis on the two-time MVP Jokic defensively? Jokic was marvelous in the last round against the Suns, averaging 34.5 points, 13.2 rebounds and 10.3 assists per game while shooting 59.4% from the field. Jokic become the third player in NBA history to average a 30-point triple-double in a playoff series.

No teams have been better at home this postseason than the Lakers and Nuggets, which are a combined 12-0 outright and 11-1 against the spread. The Nuggets (6-0) are one win from their longest home win streak to start a postseason.

On the series line, Denver is -155 and L.A. is +125, with 70% of money coming in on the Nuggets.

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