Posted at 10:15 AM EST. Odds subject to change.

Pinnacle -3½ -105 BET365 -3½ -110 Sportsinteraction -3½ -110 888Sport -3½ -110

Denver -3½ over L.A. Lakers

Best Odds: -105 at Pinnacle

8:40 PM EST. If the Nuggets didn't take the Lakers' soul in game two, they certainly seemed to do so in game three. In all three affairs between Denver and LAL in this 7-game series, the Lakers have been the aggressor at the start of the contest. Winning every first quarter, the Lakers own a +7.3 average margin in the first 12 minutes of action, but from there things tend to devolve. Aaron Gordon eventually imposes his will under the rim, a guy that looks built for the NFL more than the NBA. Jamal Murray can't be kept down for long, almost always finding his stride when Denver is down and needs a boost. Michael Porter Jr. has been an absolute sharpshooter from the perimeter in big playoff spots before and this series has been no different; he's 11/23 (48%) from beyond the arc through 3 games. Depth pieces like Christian Braun, Reggie Jackson, Peyton Watson and others all step up when they need to.

And oh yeah, there's Nikola Jokic. Here's the thing folks - we're not in the business of blowing smoke up your ass. In this case we couldn't blow smoke even if we tried. Darvin Ham admitted it after game two, saying there's really no way to stop Jokic, and his team is proving him right. The two-time MVP, who's still only 29 years old we might add, is one of the most consistently dominant players the NBA has ever seen. In three battles he has averaged 28.3 points, 15.6 rebounds, and 8.6 assists against LeBron James and the Lakers. At times a hyped up Anthony Davis limited Jokic for short stretches, but the big-man always finds a way to produce or elevate his offense in some other way when he can't. Right now he's the biggest cheat-code in the association, and there's just simply no evidence that the Lakers will be able to limit his effect on this series.

The Nuggets just know how to beat the Lakers. LeBron James and Anthony Davis exploded with energy in game three, and for one quarter it looked like we might finally see a Lakers' win. But just when the L.A. faithful found some hope, Jokic and Murray and the reigning champs took it away just as quickly. Beating a team 11 straight times, mostly by margin, is not something that happens by accident. Oddsmakers are forced to put out a spread that gives the home team some respect, since the desperation and motivation just doesn't get any higher than an elimination game at your own arena. We'll zig one more time while they zag, because there's simply no reason to support the Lakers at this short of a number.

Farley

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