Our ratings lean toward the Lakers at home against the Nuggets on Wednesday, December 23, at about 62%. That is a real edge, but the Nuggets are far from out of it.
How the Win Meter reads
The Win Meter reads the Lakers 62%, with a projected score of Denver Nuggets 110, Los Angeles Lakers 113. The rating gap is 15 points in favor of the Nuggets, and home court and rest add about 100 rating points for the Lakers on top of that.
Readings in this range leave plenty of room for the other side. About 38 times in 100 games like this, the Nuggets would win.
Recent form
The Nuggets are 0-1 this season and 1-4 in their last 5 games, with an average margin of -9. The Lakers are 1-0 this season and 1-4 in their last 5 games, with an average margin of -8.4.
The Nuggets were beaten 113-96 on the road by MIN not long ago.
The Lakers' best recent win was 127-105 at home against GSW.
The Lakers were beaten 131-108 at home by OKC not long ago.
Injuries to watch
Out: Spencer Jones (DEN), expected back Oct 26, 2026, Julian Strawther (DEN), expected back Nov 29, 2026, Cameron Johnson (DEN), expected back Oct 26, 2026, Cameron Carr (LAL), expected back Oct 25, 2026, and Adou Thiero (LAL), expected back Oct 25, 2026.
Day to day or questionable: Alpha Diallo (DEN) and Walker Kessler (LAL). Their status can change before tip-off.
The season series
In our records of recent meetings, the Lakers lead 4-3, with the Lakers outscoring the Nuggets by an average of 1.1 points per game. The last meeting was DEN 125, LAL 127.