NBA Playoff Schedule 2020: Lakers vs. Nuggets Game 3 Odds, TV Info, Predictions

The Los Angeles Lakers have weathered everything the Denver Nuggets have thrown at them through two games in the Western Conference Finals.

In the first two playoff rounds in Orlando, Florida, the Nuggets were able to split the first two games with the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Clippers.

Despite the best efforts from Michael Malone's team, it sits in an unfavorable spot after Anthony Davis' game-winning shot captured Game 2 for the Lakers Sunday night.

Sunday marked the third time the Lakers have won a Game 2 this postseason, but the difference between the Western Conference Finals and the other two series is that they used the victory to create a 2-0 advantage.

If Davis, LeBron James and Co. continue to find answers for whatever Denver fights back with, they could be in good shape to secure the conference crown within four or five games.

Western Conference Finals Game 3 Information

Date: Tuesday, September 22

Start Time: 9 p.m. ET

TV: TNT

Odds (via FanDuel Sportsbook): Los Angeles Lakers (-7) vs. Denver (Over/Under: 214.5)

Prediction

Lakers Hold Off Nuggets Again in Game 3, Finish Series by Game 5 At Latest

Game 2 may have been the best chance for the Nuggets to take a win in the series and force the Lakers to work six or seven games for an NBA Finals berth.

Nikola Jokic went head-to-head with Davis down the stretch and finished with 30 points, nine assists and six rebounds. Jokic and Jamal Murray accounted for 55 of Denver's 103 points, and the Serb produced 12 of the team's 23 fourth-quarter points.

Although Jokic had two more points than Davis in the final period, he did not do enough to outduel the Lakers big man. Davis knocked down the most memorable shot of the Lakers' postseason run to date from the left wing as time expired to seal the victory.

The Nuggets deserve plenty of credit for sticking with the Lakers in both contests, but they have not been able to deliver the final blow once they get within a few points.

That could end up being the difference-maker in the series over however many games take place.

Davis has been able to go head-to-head with Jokic in the scoring column to take away that advantage Denver had in its first two series, and Murray has 46 points in two games. Murray is shooting 48.4 percent from the floor in the series, but if the Lakers keep his number of shots under 15 or 20 in the next few games, his impact could be neutralized.

If the Lakers stifle Murray's volume of attempts, led by Davis, they could open up space for runs of their own in the second half. In Game 2, Davis produced 22 second-half points, while no other Laker player—including James—had more than six.

While James did not score in bunches, he still chipped in seven rebounds, three assists and a block in the third and fourth quarters. The situation was similar in Game 1, when Davis put up 20 second-half points and James scored all 15 of his points in the first half.

If Jokic finds a way to contain Davis for stretches of the second half in Games 3 and 4, the Nuggets could pull off one victory in the series. As we saw in Game 2, Denver could play well down the stretch and still be denied a victory.

Denver has proved it is more than capable of taking a victory off the Lakers, but with the way Davis is playing in the second half, it seems like a difficult task for the Nuggets to take more than one game off the Lakers.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from Basketball Reference.