Best Bets for Thursday's NBA Games: Bet on the Los Angeles Lakers?

The lines we use are from Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook. Make sure you shop around for the best price.

The NBA season is back so let’s wager on these games! There are four games on the slate tonight, with the Nuggets at Lakers being tonight’s marquee matchup. Let’s go!

Vik (5-3): On paper everything points to the Nuggets in this one, especially with the Lakers on a B2B. And, Denver is one of my favorite teams to watch right now, especially the way Gary Harris is balling right now. That being said, the Nuggets will be short-handed, missing one of their key cogs in Will Barton. The Lakers also won in blowout fashion last night, so they should have fresh legs. What concerns me about the Nuggets is their pick-and-roll defense. I can’t shake a game I watched between the Clippers and Nuggets last season. Boban absolutely torched Jokic and the Nuggets on PNRs. I’m predicting a similar outcome tonight, but by JaVale McGee. The public is also on the Nuggets at a 57% clip, yet the line has gone down, indicating reverse line movement. The Pick: Lakers +3

Jason (6-10-1): Finally, a good night! The 3-1 helped start to pull me out of the hole, but there’s a long way to go. I don’t love any games here, so let me dip deep into the bag. Having played last night and having a crisp game against the Suns, I’ll take the Lakers in the first half +1 against Denver. Elite offense vs the #2 defense (yes, it’s early), but I can see the better defensive team (Denver) pulling away in the 2nd half. My other pick will be the Celtics, favored by 1 in Oklahoma City. The Celtics last played on Monday, and lost to Orlando. At home. I’d imagine Brad Stevens was unhappy. The winless Thunder opened -1.5 and are now a home underdog. Picks: Lakers 1st half +1; Celtics -1.