In the sporting world, there have been times when a team has found beauty in adversity. The case of Denver Nuggets signals towards the same because they’ve only gotten better after losing Jamal Murray. On the contrary, the Lakers have performed below expectations even as Anthony Davis joined last week.

The unforgiving WC has rewarded the brave and punished the underperformer in a way that the rankings best reveal. The Nuggets are ruling at #3 while the Lake Show is down at #6, gasping for breath. So what are the odds that the defending champions can become that Orlando bubble team and repeat the glory tonight?

Lakers vs Nuggets: Injury updates and Lineup prediction

For the Nuggets, Jamal Murray lost his seat for the season after tearing his ACL. As another blow to the squad, point guard Monte Morris (hamstring) will stay out after already missing eight straight games. Will Barton (Hamstring), another addition to the list, is also sitting out against the Lakers, while Zeke Nnaji will be a day-to-day decision. 

Probable line up: Michael Porter Jr. (F), Aaron Gordon (F), Nikola Jokic (C), PJ Dozier (G), and Facundo Campazzo (G)

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For the Lakers, finally, after 1.5 months, their injury list is clean as a slate. They have small forward Jared Dudley (Knee) on the list since March 17. As a new addition, Dennis Schroder (calf) might miss the game against the Nuggets.

Possible line-up: Anthony Davis (F), LeBron James (F), Andre Drummond (C), Wesley Matthews (G), and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (G)

Read Also – Former NBA Champion Believes Nikola Jokic Is the Clear MVP Over Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid

Who wins?

The Nuggets are 9-1 in the last ten games that they played without their second-best offensive player Jamal Murray. In the star’s absence, Michael Porter has uplifted his game to the next level.

Playing in his sophomore year, the star is averaging 18.9 points, 7.6 boards, and 1.1 assists. He has been a great complimentary hand to center Nikola Jokic. Then, their hiring from Orlando Magic, Aaron Gordon, is also averaging in double figures with an FG% of 51.9. The MVP favorite in Joker already adds enough winning potential to the team.

The Lakers are still catching up with their lost form, as they must fine-tune themselves to become that champion side. Though there is no time restriction on LeBron James, his comment suggesting that he will never again be 100% fit is alarming. Also, Anthony Davis is far from the player he was in the preceding season and that is harming the Lake Show. Add a struggling Marc Gasol and the unit is yet to get their acts straight.

After the Lakers’ defeat against the Raptors in their recent game, we predict a win for the Nuggets by a close margin.