Denver Nuggets vs Los Angeles Lakers Prediction, 3/14/2026 Preview and Pick

Game: Denver Nuggets vs Los Angeles Lakers

Date: Saturday, March 14, 2026

Location: crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA

TV: ABC

The Denver Nuggets (41-26) are hitting the road to crypto.com Arena on Saturday where they will attempt to beat the Los Angeles Lakers (41-25).

The Nuggets played the Spurs and went home with a win by a final score of 136-131 in their last contest. Denver ended the contest having earned a 50.0% FG percentage (44 out of 88) and converted 12 of their 36 3-pointers. From the charity stripe, the Nuggets buried 36 of their 38 shots for a percentage of 94.7%. When discussing hauling in boards, they compiled 47 with 7 of them being offensive. They also recorded 27 assists in this contest in addition to forcing the other team into 10 turnovers and earning 8 steals. Concerning defending, Denver allowed the other team to shoot 45.3% from the field on 43 out of 95 shooting. San Antonio doled out 34 dimes and had 8 steals in this matchup. Moreover, San Antonio collected 49 rebounds (12 offensive, 37 defensive) and added 4 rejections. San Antonio finished the contest at 81.3% from the free throw line by making 26 of their 32 attempts. They made 19 out of their 47 attempts from beyond the arc. Concerning fouls, the Nuggets left the arena with 20 and the Spurs recorded 25 fouls.

Jamal Murray is someone who was a contributor for the contest. He left the arena with 39 points on 11 of 21 shooting. He saw the court for 40 mins and also grabbed 2 rebounds. Murray finished the contest at 52.4% from the field and also distributed 7 dimes.

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Denver heads into this matchup with a record of 41-26 for the season. They have an average of 120.6 pts per game (1st in the league) on 49.3% from the field. The Nuggets are shooting 39.1% on three-point shots (918 of 2,350) and 80.8% from the free throw line. As a unit, Denver is grabbing 43.3 rebounds per contest and has accumulated 1,884 dimes on the campaign, which is 6th in the league in terms of passing the rock. They lose possession by turning the ball over 13.0 times per game and as a basketball team are committing 18.9 personal fouls every game.

When they are on defense, the Nuggets are forcing 12.0 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 21.7 fouls. They are currently ranked 23rd in the NBA in giving up assists to the opposition with 1,824 conceded on the campaign. The Nuggets are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 47.0% (2,853 of 6,074) and they relinquish 42.7 rebounds per game as a basketball team. They are conceding 35.2% on 3-pointers and they are 19th in the league in PPG allowed (116.5).

In their last game, the Lakers got the win with a final of 142-130 when they faced the Bulls. When discussing rebounding, Los Angeles permitted Chicago to get 41 in all (12 offensive). They shot 41.7% from 3-point land by going 15 out of 36 and walked away from this one shooting 13 out of 16 from the free throw line (81.3%). The Lakers permitted the Bulls to make 51 out of their 95 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 53.7% for the game. Overall, the Lakers shot 55 for 99 from the floor which had them shooting 55.6%. When discussing 3-point shots, Los Angeles made 17 out of their 36 attempts (47.2%). They were able to bury 15 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 71.4%. The Bulls earned 18 fouls in this matchup which took the Lakers to the free throw line for a total of 21 attempts. They turned it over 10 times, while getting 9 steals in the matchup. The Lakers earned 27 defensive rebounds and 14 offensive boards totaling 41 for the contest.

Luka Doncic was important for the Lakers in this matchup. He made 17 out of 31 in this contest for a field goal percentage of 54.8%, and accounted for 10 rebounds. Doncic earned 51 points in his 37 mins of playing time and accumulated 9 assists for this game.

Los Angeles has a record of 41-25 so far this season. As an offense, the Lakers are connecting on 49.9% from the field, which is ranked 1st in the NBA. Los Angeles has totaled 7,678 points so far this season (116.3 per contest) and they snag 41.0 boards per contest. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 25.6 times per game (18th in the NBA) and they lose possession via turnover 14.5 times per game. The Lakers are committing 18.7 fouls per game while shooting 76.9% from the free throw line.

The Los Angeles defense surrenders 35.7% on three-point shots (858 of 2,403) and opponents are converting on 79.3% of their shots from the free throw line. They concede 27.5 dimes and 41.1 total boards per game, which has them ranked 22nd and 3rd in the league. The Lakers defensively are ranked 14th in basketball in PPG given up with 115.1. They are forcing their opponents into 14.6 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 48.4% from the field (26th in the NBA).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Los Angeles

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