The Los Angeles Lakers (25-16) and Denver Nuggets (29-14) will face off in the NBA tonight. Tipoff is set for 10:00 p.m. ET from Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. The game will broadcast live on NBC and Peacock.
The Lakers are 2.5-point favorites on the spread against the Nuggets (Lakers -2.5), with the over/under set at 227.5 total points. Los Angeles is a -148 favorite to win outright on the moneyline, while Denver is +124 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Lakers vs. Nuggets predictions and NBA picks for Tuesday, January 20.
Lakers vs Nuggets Prediction, Picks
- Lakers vs Nuggets pick: LeBron James Over 23.5 Points (-106)
My Lakers vs. Nuggets best bet is on LeBron James over 23.5 points, but make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NBA odds page.
Lakers vs Nuggets Odds
| Lakers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-2.5 -110 | 227.5 -112o / -108u | -148 |
| Nuggets Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+2.5 -110 | 227.5 -112o / -108u | +124 |
Lakers vs Nuggets NBA Preview
The Nuggets received great news recently that three-time MVP Nikola Jokic is ahead of schedule in his rehab from a knee injury.
Denver has done better than expected without him, as the Nuggets are 7-4 without him out of the lineup. However, they ran into a buzzsaw on Sunday night as they got down early against the Hornets and lost by 23 points — falling to 12-7 on their home floor, and now they will look to get back in the win column against the Lakers.
In addition to Jokic, they will remain without Cam Johnson, Christian Braun, and Jonas Valanciunas. However, Jamal Murray, Tim Hardaway Jr, and Aaron Gordon are all probable for tonight's game.
Murray has paced the offense of late, averaging 28.8 points and 8.5 assists in eight games without Jokic this season. However, head coach David Adelman has gotten an unexpected source of offense from Peyton Watson.
There have always been flashes from Watson, particularly defensively, but he also scored 20 points twice before Jokic went down. Since then, he has averaged 22.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists over his past 11 games.
The Lakers remain without Austin Reaves, but are still the healthier team entering this matchup. They are coming off a 110-93 victory over the Raptors at home on Sunday.
It was much needed after they had dropped five of their previous six games despite having James and Doncic healthy and available. Defensive struggles have caused most of those issues, as the Lakers rank 25th in defensive rating this season.
Sunday's win saw DeAndre Ayton score 25 points, the most he has scored since early November. He will have a size advantage down low tonight, though Ayton has usually struggled with consistency.
Doncic scored 25 points as well while James added 24 points. They have combined for over 50 points in eight of their last nine games tonight.
Lakers vs Nuggets Predictions, Betting Analysis
James enters tonight's game, having scored 20 points in each of his last nine games and he scored 24 or more in seven of them.
Without Reaves, James is averaging 26.4 points per game and cleared this line in 11 of 14 games.
He has also scored 25 points in eight of his last 10 games against the Nuggets, averaging 25.4 per game.
Four of those games were in the high altitude in Denver.
The Nuggets have controlled this series of late, both in the regular season and playoffs.
However, the Lakers have two of the last three meetings since acquiring Doncic, going 2-0 in the games Doncic played in.
Doncic scored 30 points in both of those victories. Averaging 33.3 points per game this season, Doncic has scored 30 points in seven of his last 10 games.
Sunday's game was a rough game for the Nuggets across the board.
However, Murray had recorded 39 points and assists combined in his previous six games — going over 40 in four of them. He is averaging 22.8 and 7.3 assists in his last 11 games against the Lakers.
Without Jokic, he will have a strong chance to record 35 PA tonight.
Watson has averaged 31.5 PRA with Jokic out of the lineup, recording at least 28 in nine of those games.
I expect his athleticism to give him an advantage in his matchup against the Lakers tonight. 
Lakers vs Nuggets Best Bet
- LeBron James Over 23.5 Points (-106, DraftKings)
Lakers vs Nuggets Parlay Picks
- LeBron James Over 23.5 Points
- Jamal Murray 35+ Points + Assists
- Luka Doncic 30+ Points
- Peyton Watson Over 27.5 Points, Rebounds, and Assists
Parlay Odds: +650 via DraftKings
