2023 NBA playoffs - Odds, picks, betting tips for Lakers-Nuggets Game 2 - 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 Thursday are provided by Caesars Sportsbook.

The Denver Nuggets seek a commanding two-game lead over the Los Angeles Lakers in a bid for the franchise's first trip to the NBA Finals. Not that this is lost on hoops fans, but Nikola Jokic is playing the best basketball of his already incredible career. Which is to say, it's hard to imagine fading him in DFS tournaments or in prop markets.

Even «Joker's» 3-point prop appears enticing, as it is often found at plus money for him to sink at least two 3-pointers. The Lakers have a clear agenda to push Jokic's playmaking from the post out to the perimeter, but this is also a player making more than half of his shots beyond the arc in the playoffs while making multiple such shots in seven of his twelve playoff appearances this spring. In a pick your poison approach, Jokic can still do damage. Teammates Bruce Brown and Jamal Murray make for savvy complementary plays, especially given how well Murray shot against the Lakers' backcourt in the series opener.

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While Anthony Davis' defense against Jokic appeared inviting at times this past Tuesday, it might have gotten lost that he posted a 40-point double-double in the process. There really isn't a defender on Denver's roster capable of limiting Davis in the post, making him a nice pivot from Jokic for a unique DFS