The Denver Nuggets (41-26) vs. the Los Angeles Lakers (41-25) is the marquee matchup of a fun Saturday NBA slate, tipping off at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
With the teams neck and neck in the Western Conference standings, this game may have massive implications for playoff seeding and home court advantage. The series is split 1-1, with the Lakers winning the first game, 115-103, and the Nuggets nabbing the second, 120-113.
The Nuggets are 1.5-point favorites for the spread on PrizePicks Team Picks for the third and final head-to-head meeting of the season.
Below, we’ll break down our Nuggets vs. Lakers prediction and Saturday NBA picks for PrizePicks.
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Nuggets vs. Lakers Prediction, Spread, Over/Under
In a season marred by injuries, the Nuggets are finally getting close to full health. As a result, they have won back-to-back games vs. tough Western Conference opponents, the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets.
When healthy, the Nuggets are a legitimate threat to win it all and currently have the fourth-shortest payout to hoist their second Larry O’Brien Trophy (7.69x), per PrizePicks Team Picks.
Speaking of teams that are healthy and clicking again, the Lakers are on their fifth and final matchup of a five-game homestand. L.A. is a perfect 4-0 in its last four games in Crypto.com Arena.
Lakers PG Luka Doncic has led the charge for the Lake Show, topping the team in scoring for 12 consecutive games. During the team's four-game win streak, he's averaging an absurd 40.3 points per game. As a team, they have reached at least 110 points in nine straight games.
Nuggets vs. Lakers Spread, Over/Under
The Nuggets enter Saturday’s game as 1.5-point road favorites, returning a 1.63x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if they win outright.
The Lakers are short home underdogs with a 2.22x payout if they win, via PrizePicks Team Picks, where you can earn money with your picks in 35 states.
- Spread: Denver Nuggets -1.5 (1.72x payout)
- Over/Under: 244.5 (1.85x payout)
- Game Winner Payout: Nuggets 1.63x | Lakers 2.22x
Team Picks data is live as of writing and is subject to change.
Nuggets vs. Lakers Injury Report
Let’s dive into the full Nuggets vs. Lakers injury report for Saturday, via NBA.com.
Nuggets Injury Report
- F Aaron Gordon (hamstring): Probable
- PG Jamal Murray (ankle): Probable
- SF Peyton Watson (hamstring): OUT
Lakers Injury Report
- C Jaxson Hayes (back): Probable
- PF/C Maxi Kleber (back): OUT
Nuggets vs. Lakers Prediction on Spread – 3/14/26
Here are the key stats to know before locking in your Nuggets vs. Lakers prediction on the spread for Saturday, March 14, on PrizePicks.
- Denver is 23-13-0 (63.9%) against the spread (ATS) on the road, ranking as the second-best road covering percentage.
- The Nuggets still don’t seem properly valued with a healthy rotation. October was the last time they were fully healthy, and they boasted the second-best NET rating this month (+11.5).
- Despite the injuries, the Nuggets still have the league's best offensive rating (120.4) and lead the NBA in true shooting (61.3%) and effective field goal percentage (57.2%), per NBA Advanced Stats.
- As favorites, the Lakers are 27-13-0 (67.5%) ATS, by far the best covering percentage in the NBA. As underdogs, they are 10-16-0 (38.5%) ATS, ranking as the worst covering percentage.
- For the season, Denver has the seventh-best NET rating in the NBA (+4.2), and that's a full 3.2 points ahead of the Lakers (+1) at 16th.
Nuggets vs. Lakers Picks for PrizePicks Today: 3/14/26
Here are two of the top Nuggets vs. Lakers to consider for Saturday, March 14, on PrizePicks. Today’s NBA picks for PrizePicks are headlined by Nuggets C Nikola Jokic and Lakers PG Luka Doncic.
Nuggets C Nikola Jokic vs. Lakers Projection: 53.5 Pts + Rebs + Asts
- Jokic averages 51.8 points, rebounds, and assists (PRA) per game, but in March, that number's spiked to 53.9.
- Joker logged 28-12-13 (53 PRA) in his sole outing vs. Los Angeles this season. He shot the ball only 15 times — 2.6 less than his season-long average of 17.6.
- He faced the Lakers in two of the last three playoffs, and in those series, he averaged 54.2 PRA (2023-24 season) and 54.1 PRA (2022-23 season).
- Los Angeles has been a defensive sieve, ranking 20th in defensive rating (115.9).
- They also allow opponents to shoot 48.4% from the field (26th) and give up 27.5 assists per game (22nd).
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Lakers PG Luka Doncic vs. Nuggets Projection: 49.5 Pts + Rebs + Asts
- In March, Luka is averaging 34.7 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game (51.2 PRA).
- He's eclipsed this projection in three of his last four games. Doncic went for 38-13-10 (61 PRA) in his only outing vs. Denver this season.
- The Nuggets are equally as bad as the Lakers on the defensive end, ranking 21st in defensive rating (116.2).
- They allow opponents to shoot the eighth-most 3-point attempts per game (38.3) and sit 19th in assists allowed per game (27.2).
- Luka is on pace for the second-most 3-point attempts per game of his career (10.5). At home, he is shooting 39.0% from long distance, +4.9% better than he shoots on the road.
Make Nuggets vs. Lakers Picks on PrizePicks
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You can make your Nuggets vs. Lakers picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks to earn real money. Just pick players, predict More or Less on their projected stats, and cash in if you’re correct. With Team Picks, make predictions on winners, spreads, and over/unders, now available in 35 states.
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