2024 NBA bets, lines and stats for Saturday - ESPN

Saturday night's NBA slate features five games to choose from. However, I am most interested in the game between the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers. LeBron James is only nine points away from becoming the first NBA player to reach 40,000 in his career. The Lakers should also be motivated to snap their six-game losing streak to the Nuggets. Los Angeles will need a win to climb the standings in the competitive Western Conference. Saturday night's game provides them an opportunity to do so on a national stage.

Now let's dive into my betting recommendations.

LeBron James over 33.5 points and assists. James should be dialed in as a scorer for this game, for obvious reasons, but against a complete team like the Nuggets he should also be busy as a facilitator. James has surpassed this line in four of his last five games. It's also worth mentioning that he's cleared this line in five of his last nine games against the Nuggets.

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Nikola Jokic over 9.5 assists. The Lakers rank 25th in assists allowed per game to centers. Jokic has not surpassed 9.5 assists in 13 of his last 17 road games, but I am optimistic about his chances in Los Angeles. He has cleared this line in four of his last five games. Also, Jokic has averaged 10.6 assists per game against the Lakers in the regular season and playoffs during the past two seasons.

Cameron Johnson over 14.5 points. The Hawks rank 26th in points allowed per 100 possessions. Cam Thomas has already been ruled out due to a right ankle sprain, which bodes well for Johnson in this matchup. Johnson has cleared 14.5 points in six of the 11 games Thomas has missed