Game Time: 9:00 PM ET, Sunday, April 10th, 2022 

Venue:   Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado

Where to Watch: NBA League Pass

DraftKings:  Spread:  

Fanduel:  Spread:  Nuggets -7.5; 

BetMGM:  Spread: Nuggets -7.5;

Lakers: 32-49, 11th place Western Conference

Nuggets: 48-33, 6th place Western Conference

A Western Conference whimper to end the NBA 2021-22 season.  The Los Angeles Lakers have been called “the most disappointing team in the league”.  Two seasons removed from the bubble championship… a Lakers team with supposedly FIVE future Hall of Famers failed to make the playoffs… and then failed to make the “play-in” game.  They actually behaved like a team that was tanking over the last month… playing absurd lineups… Great players sitting, bad players getting the majority of minutes.  Except the Lakers tanking efforts only help the New orleans Pelicans OR the Memphis Grizzlies… because one of those teams will have the Lakers draft pick depending on if it falls in the top ten or just out of the top ten after the NBA draft Lottery.  One thing's for sure, the Lakers have no pick this year… or next… or the year after… when is 2027?  So the league gets an enormous break from these Lakers and discussions of whether LeBron or AD is to blame for the awful predicament that the Lakers find themselves in.  Lakers fans tell me everyday that KOBE would have never put his team in such dire circumstances.  It will be long years of dreadful prospects if AD can’t stay healthy, LeBron can’t stay motivated, and Russell Westbrook doesn’t miraculously completely change his game.  One thing is for sure… Coach Frank Vogel may be the only coach in recent history who is actually looking forward to being fired.  Also he will certainly be offered the Sacramento Kings job… because that is what happens to fired Los Angeles coaches.   The Denver Nuggets have maybe the best player in all of the league in C Nikola Jokic.  His only peers… meaning actual players at his level are C Joel Embiid in Philly and PF Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee.  If the Nuggets did not have Jokic they would be the Sacramento Kings or worse. Nikola Jokic leads the Nuggets in points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, and FG%... The only player in the whole league to lead his team in EACH of these categories at the same time.  Players have gotten close like Giannis leads his team in almost all of them… Julius Randle leads the Knicks in almost… PF Domantas Sabonis led the Pacers in almost all of them.  But only Nikola has them all… and he has a winning team!  At the completion of this season Jokic’s agent owes the Nuggets a call… and the trade demand should come this offseason.  Jokic is a nice guy, he is a loyal guy… and left in the hands of Denver management he will most definitely be a forgotten great.  Denver is not completely at fault… they didn’t know that SG Jamal Murray would go down with injury this season… or that PF Michael Porter Jr would eventually need his 3rd back surgery, signaling the end of most players who has ever had back surgery.  They should have known however that expensive SF Aaron Gordon would not have the ability to take the lead IN ANY of those categories… or maybe the Nuggets management should have known that any team that has found itself using Austin Rivers off the bench has met its demise by either dropping in the standings or being completely broken up.

The Los Angeles Lakers have won just two of their last ten games.  They went 5-4-1 ATS during that stretch.  The swoon knocked them out of contention for the play-in tournament.  Sportscenter and the TNT crew has almost mercilessly mocked them.  That is unfair though.  LeBron still is the Goat… all the MJ lovers will just have to learn to deal with LeBron finishing with more all time points, rebounds, wins, playoff wins, blocks, steals… longevity.  MJ has those extra rings… but he didn’t get to as many Finals and MJ had the stability of Chicago’s roster.  had Chicago not completely duped young Scottie Pippen into a terrible 7 year contract… They would not have been able to keep the band together long enough to get three rings.  Anyway… before I go on it is fun to not that the Lakers own their last game against OKC.  The Lakers had 8 players score in double figures… all of them practically… Sitting out were LeBron, Westbrook, Avery Bradley, Kendrick Nunn, Kent Bazemore, and Anthony Davis.  The remaining guys beat a last place Oklahoma City team that was also resting everyone with any talent also.

The Denver Nuggets have won 6 of their last ten games in a bid to hold on to the 6th place finish. They went 4-6 ATS during that stretch. They beat the Memphis Grizzlies 122 - 109 in the last game behind Joker's 35 points, 16 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals.  The Grizzlies were resting quite a few players. SF Aaron Gordon stepped up for 22 pts with 3 of 5 3-pointers. SF Dillon Brooks was the only Memphis Grizzly starter to play more than half the game.  The Nuggets do have the best player. They just don’t have much else.

Al McMordie had another GREAT DAY on Thursday, including BIG winners on the Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors and Carolina Hurricanes (with Milwaukee being a win/push/loss, depending on one's number). Big Al's riding a RED-HOT 25-8 Basketball run, and is back on the NBA hardwood tonight with this NBA Triple Pack. Get on board right now, and get your broom ready for a 3-0 SWEEP! Go get it! Get Big Al’s Sports picks!   You can discover the best  picks right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers. NCAAF, NFL, MLB, college football… get positive value from all your bets! Expert picks!  Fun fact… winning a wager is much better than making a wager!

The Lakers are 32-49 on the season, but 34-46-1 ATS.  They have logged 45 Overs, 35 Unders, and 1 Push. They are a terrible 11-29 in road games.

The Nuggets are 48-33 on the season, but 36-44-1 ATS.  They have notched 43 Overs, 36 Unders, and 1 Push.  They are 23-17 in home games.

The Lakers are 11th in scoring with 111.7 ppg, 19th in rebounds with 43.9 per game, and 24th in AST/TO ratio with 1.6.  On defense they rank 26th while allowing 114.8 ppg from opponents.

The Nuggets are 10th in scoring with 112.4 ppg, 18th in rebounds with 44.1 per game, and 6th in AST/To ratio with 1.9.  On defense they rank 14th while allowing 110.0  ppg from opponents.

Our prediction for Sunday, April 10th is…..   Nuggets 123 - Lakers 103

The Nuggets have shown no sign of resting Jokic.  Maybe Jokic is making a last bid for the MVP award that he so richly deserves except his team stinks.  Either way.  The Nuggets will not be as bad as OKC even when Jokic takes a break.

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The Lakers have gone Over in o of their last 12 games.
The Lakers are 4-13 ATS in their last 17 Western Conference games.
The Total has gone 5 of Denver's last 5 home games against the Lakers.

Lakers: Carmelo Anthony, Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kendrick Nunn… are all done for the season.

Nuggets: SG Jamal Murray (knee) Out ** PF Michael Porter Jr (back) Out 

Lakers: PF Stanley Johnson, SF Austin Reeves, C Dwight Howard, SG Talen Horton-Tucker, PG Malik Monk

Nuggets: PF Jeff Green, SF Aaron Gordon, C Nikola Jokic, SG Will Barton, PG Monte Morris

Lakers: Frank “Dead Man Walking” Vogel

Nuggets: Michael Malone