Denver @ Los Angeles

Current Records: Denver 43-21; Los Angeles 36-28

The Los Angeles Lakers are getting right back to it as they host the Denver Nuggets at 10 p.m. ET May 3 at Staples Center. Coming off of a loss in a game they were expected to win, the Lakers nows face the more daunting task of proving themselves against unfavorable odds.

Los Angeles came up short against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday, falling 121-114. This was hardly the result Los Angeles or its fans were betting on, as they were favored by 10 points over Toronto heading into this contest. Los Angeles' defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of small forward Kyle Kuzma, who shot 6-for-11 from beyond the arc and finished with 24 points, and center Andre Drummond, who posted a double-double on 19 points and 11 rebounds.

Meanwhile, Denver didn't have too much breathing room in their game with the Los Angeles Clippers this past Saturday, but they still walked away with a 110-104 victory. The Nuggets' center Nikola Jokic did his thing and dropped a double-double on 30 points and 14 boards in addition to seven dimes.

The Lakers are now 36-28 while Denver sits at 43-21. A pair of stats to keep an eye on: Los Angeles ranks second in the league when it comes to points allowed per game, with only 106.7 on average. But Denver enters the matchup with 115.5 points per game on average, good for fourth best in the league. We'll see which of these strengths -- offense or defense -- will win out.

The Nuggets are a 4.5-point favorite against the Lakers, according to the latest NBA odds.

The line on this game has moved quite a bit since it opened, as it started out with the Nuggets as a 1.5-point favorite.

Over/Under: -110

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Los Angeles have won 13 out of their last 25 games against Denver.