Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets Player Prop Pick: Can D'Angelo Russell Share the Rock in Game 5?
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets Player Prop Pick: Can D'Angelo Russell Share the Rock in Game 5?
The Los Angeles Lakers travel back to Ball Arena in Denver tonight to take on the Nuggets in Game 5 of the first round of the NBA playoffs. The Lakers were able to avoid the sweep in Game 4 by besting the Nuggets at home 119–108. It feels like the inevitable is coming and that the Nuggets will take this series anyway, as a team has never come back from down 0–3 in a series before, but the Lakers look like they’re in for a fight after Game 4.
LAKERS VS. NUGGETS GAME 5 DATE, TIME, AND WHERE TO WATCH
- Date: April 29, 2024
- Start Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
- Where to Watch: TNT
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets Game 5 Prediction
The Lakers took a much more aggressive approach with LeBron and Game 4, as he took it to the cup a lot more and went for a series-high 30 points while also having a series-low four assists. He did a lot less facilitating the offense from the point and more of just taking the ball to the hoop and scoring. This more aggressive approach from the Lakers paid off, as they were in control for most of the game and ultimately won by double digits.
Another thing that seemed to pay off was giving D’Angelo Russell heavy minutes and more control of the offense. Russell ended the last game with the highest plus-minus on the team at +15. He played 41 minutes, which tied his series high, and while he only had four assists in the box score, he led the team with 11 potential assists and also had two secondary assists. D’Angelo Russell has only passed 4.5 assists in one game this series so far, but his line is 4.5 again tonight and I love him to go over, especially at plus money. Like I was just saying, Russell led the team last game with 11 potential assists, although that only turned into four actual assists, which is uncommon. Austin Reaves played a series-low 30 minutes in Game 4 and the Lakers had their most successful game. With Russell getting more minutes and leading the team in plus-minus, the Lakers will likely go with another hefty load of D’Angelo Russell playing the point again. With LeBron taking less of the duty of passing and being more aggressive as a scorer, Russell will be opened up for even more assist opportunities running the offense. If the last game's numbers follow this one at all, Russell should be able to pass 4.5 assists tonight. If he gets 11 or more potential assists again and fails to go over this number, we just chalk it up to bad luck at that point. This number is too good to pass up at plus money.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets Game 5 Player Prop Pick
Pick: D'Angelo Russell Over 4.5 Assists +110 Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
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Article Author
Ben Rajavuori is a handicapper out of Minneapolis, MN. He has been creating sports content for almost four years now and is an expert in all things NFL, MLB, NBA, UFC, and NCAAB. Ben thrives on diving deep into statistics to find the best angle on every bet. You can follow him on Twitter @WeBeatTheSpread.