The Los Angeles Lakers visit the Denver Nuggets in a compelling Saturday night showdown.
The pregame narrative: The Nuggets are red hot, going 9-1 over their last 10 games. I expect Nikola Jokic to fill the stat sheet in his typical fashion against the Lakers, and I’ll take Rui Hachimura to clear a modest point total for Los Angeles.
Check out my Lakers vs. Nuggets prop picks for Feb. 22.
Lakers vs. Nuggets prop picks
Best bet: Jokic over 40.5 points/rebounds (-108)
During Denver’s ascension up the Western Conference standings, the three-time MVP has been making the case for a fourth.
- Jokic has cleared this line in 6/8 games in February.
- He’s averaging 42.2 points/rebounds over that time.
There’s a glaring weakness in the Lakers’ starting five, and it’s the centre position. Jaxon Hayes has filled in as the starter since the departure of Anthony Davis.
While Hayes is serviceable, he averages 18.0 minutes per night and is no match for Jokic down low.
If I’m coach Mike Malone, I’m running everything through Jokic on Saturday night.
In his one game against L.A. this season, Jokic had 34 points and 13 rebounds — and that was with AD on the roster.
Key stat: Jokic has cleared this line in three of the past four regular season meetings with the Lakers, averaging 42.8 PR in those games.
Quick pick
Hachimura over 14.5 points (-106): On the Los Angeles side, I’ll ride with Hachimura.
The forward had only six points against the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday but surpassed this total in seven of eight games before that.
- In those eight games, he averaged 19.4 points.
- He shot 56.2% from the field and 45.7% from 3 during that run.
With how he’s been shooting the lights out while Luka Doncic works his way back into form, Hachimura should once again see enough volume to score 15-plus points.
Picks made at 1:19 p.m. ET 02/22/2025.
Spencer is a true sports junkie. A graduate of the Sports Journalism program at Centennial College, he first joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2023. He is now a contributing writer. He loves finding the edge to bet on in all sports but has a deep passion for the NBA and UFC. Previous stops include Sportsnet.