Best Lakers vs Nuggets NBA First Basket Scorer Prop Bets for Today 5/18: James comes out strong

The Los Angeles Lakers will once again be visiting the Denver Nuggets for Game 2 of the Western Conference finals. While they struggled to stay competitive for much of Game 1, they will be confident that they can take on a build on a strong performance in the 4th quarter. The Nuggets will be hoping to show that it was nothing more than a blip.

Check out my first-basket scorer pick for Lakers vs Nuggets below and you can also read our NBA predictions on the sides and total.

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Lakers vs Nuggets first basket best bet: LeBron James (+500)

Anthony Davis looks set to jump for the opening tip one more for the Lakers. He has helped his team win the opening possession in 6 of their last 10 games. They will have a great chance of gaining the first ball here too against the Denver Nuggets. The hosts have only won 4 of their last 10. They have also lost 4 of the 5 opening tips against the Lakers this season. Davis overcame Nikola Jokic in 3 of those contests. That includes Game 1 of the series. Look for that trend to continue tonight. The Lakers also have the 3rd best defensive rating of all playoffs teams so should be well positioned to get a stop if they do not convert on first go.

Do not be surprised to see LeBron James take over from there. Over the last 10 Games he has opened the scoring for the Lakers on 5 occasions. The Nuggets do not have great deal of rim protection with Nikola Jokic in the paint. Expect James to have success driving and finishing at the rim. The Nuggets were not afraid to switch smaller defenders onto James, with Jamal Murray often finding himself matched up against the forward. That should allow him to attack in the post, where he would have a great chance of overpowering his matchup. He managed a joint postseason high in free throw attempts for him in Game 1. Do not be surprised to see him get to the line to open the scoring tonight.

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