NBA Conference Finals 2023, Game 2 on Friday, 05/19/2023
Both Western Conference Finals opponents converted their baskets ice cold, but the strength of one Nikola Jokic on the board in securing rebounds was game-changing in the outcome of the opener.
In a similarly dominant fashion, bettors always secure the best sports betting bonuses on the net! Meanwhile, I’m expecting another monster performance from the Serbian in my Nuggets Lakers betting tip tonight!
Game 1 was much closer than the oddsmakers had anticipated. The Lakers came back to within 3 points with a minute to go, but then failed to make good shots.
In the end, the score was 132-126 from the Nuggets’ point of view, which is quite astonishing. The 258 total points offered to the fans are the most points in a Conference Finals game without overtime since 1987.
And in fact, Nikola Jokic and Anthony Davis – the key duel of this series that I anticipated in my Nuggets-Lakers tip-off – can be expected to keep the score high in the coming games.
The first half of the opener was dominated by the Nuggets and especially Nikola Jokic, who Anthony Davis just couldn’t get under control. Game 1 proved that when the Serb is on a 180, he can single-handedly beat LA.
It was unbelievable what the All-Star player pulled out of his hat in the early stages of the game. In the first half, the Serb grabbed more rebounds than the entire Lakers team (16:13).
What’s more, Jokic’s performance made him the first player since 1997 to put up at least 12 rebounds and 5 assists in a single game. It was already triple double number 6 in the 2023 NBA Play-offs for the Serbian.
Both teams played well and showed a high accuracy in their throws, which was also necessary to let the score rise so high in the first place.
But that preponderance at the board for the Nuggets in capturing free balls was game-changing in Game 1 and could be the difference in the games to come.
Denver secured 20 of the 23 possible first rebounds. Accordingly, the duel on the boards went clearly to Team DEN (51:36). As a result, the Lakers had an incredibly difficult time coming back from a deficit to win the game.
Jokic finished the night with 34 points, and I remain confident that he can reach that mark again tonight if he can hold his own against AD like he did in the opener.
In this regard, sports betting is available at Bet365, which rewards a haul of at least 29 points from the Serbian with betting odds currently at 1.83.
In my opinion, this is just as outstanding an offer from the bookmaker of the same name as its Bet365 bonus! However, the All-Star is not equally infallible at the back.
For his counterpart Anthony Davis was able to score a total of 40 points in the opening game and is therefore also a candidate for a player bet – especially for all LAL fans!
In terms of Nuggets Lakers odds, no surprises are expected compared to the opener.
However, after Nikola Jokic’s monster performance, sports bettors seem to have become a tad more certain that the home side will win Game 2 as well.
The odds on Denver to win have slipped below the 1.50 mark at all betting sites this time!
Meanwhile, some bench players who have made the difference in some important games in the play-offs so far are disappointing for the Lakers, above all D’Angelo Russell.
The role player of the Californians hardly scored anything (8 points) and could also not set any accents in the backcourt. There is definitely not enough here to put the Nuggets in trouble!
Conclusion: Nikola Jokic admittedly went down a bit in the final quarter, but if he keeps up the pace he did in the early stages of the opener, it will be another long night for LAL.
The purple and gold are certainly not without a chance, however, as they have an outstanding centre in Anthony Davis himself who can conjure up any number of points on the board.
The result could be a high-scoring game with another close outcome, but in my Nuggets Lakers tip I expect another strong performance from the Serb!
My prediction: Jokic with over 28.5 points!
