2023 NBA playoffs - Odds, picks, betting tips for Lakers-Nuggets Game 1 - ESPN

ESPN's fantasy basketball and basketball betting tips cheat sheet is your pregame destination for basketball betting predictions and our best intel and data, featuring ESPN's proprietary Basketball Power Index (BPI) to help you make smart fantasy and wagering decisions. NBA game odds for Tuesday are provided by Caesars Sportsbook.

The path to the title is now clear. The Western Conference Finals begin tonight with the suddenly dangerous Los Angeles Lakers heading to Denver to face the top-seeded Nuggets. Our panel of experts will help prepare you for this pivotal start to the series.

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When it comes to playing DFS tournaments it's clearly going to be popular to load up on Nikola Jokic, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis, yet my model also adores «Joker's» peers Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. Murray even surfaces as the top value given he's been uniquely consistent with at least 34.75 DraftKings points in each playoff showing.

Thankfully, injuries aren't an issue heading into the contest, which allows you to get creative with these relatively deep rotations. Even as the competition elevates, savvy fantasy managers can ascend by building out lineups based on expected game script. Which is to say, if you have a feel for how this matchup unfolds, follow that in your construction.

— Jim McCormick

Los Angeles Lakers at Denver NuggetsGame 1: 8:30 p.m. ET,

Records (Against the Spread) Lakers: 43-39 (39-41-2) Nuggets: 53-29 (44-37-1)

Line: Nuggets (-6) Total: 222BPI Projection: Nuggets by 2.2Money Line: Lakers (+205), Nuggets (-250)

Injury Report: Lakers: Anthony Davis, (GTD — Foot); LeBron