Fresh off winning their first-ever championship, the Denver Nuggets will look to start the 2023-24 NBA season on a high note when they take on the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night (00:30 Wednesday morning UK time).

The Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat in last year’s finals to win the title, sweeping Los Angeles along the way. The Lakers have said they “have the game circled” which makes the matchup feel more personal on both sides.

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Denver will be led by arguably the best player in basketball in Nikola Jokic, while Jamal Murray helps power the offense.

The Nuggets lost a couple of key members of their bench during the offseason including Bruce Brown, meaning the likes of Zeke Nnaji and Braxton Key will need to step up.

The Lakers come into this season highly motivated following last year’s exit from the conference finals at the hands of the Nuggets, and improvements have been made on the depth side of things with Gabe Vincent, Jaxson Hayes and Taurean Prince joining, with no significant departures so far.

Denver Nuggets (-5.5) @ 10/11

I tend to think that usually the defending champions can come out a bit flat on opening night, but as I’ve mentioned above, this game feels a little bit more personal between the two teams.

There has been some back-and-forth between the Lakers and Denver coach Mike Malone via the media, since the Nuggets swept Los Angeles in the playoffs last season, so I’m expecting a highly-charged contest here.

I’m siding with Denver to take the victory as while LA will want to take revenge, the Nuggets will want to bask in the celebratory atmosphere, as it’s the first game in front of their own fans since lifting the title.

For me, there’s no answer to stopping Jokic, and if he’s in the mood, he can orchestrate Denver to victory. In addition, the last time Los Angeles won their season opener was 2016.

Under 228.5 points @ 10/11

The Lakers had the second-best defensive rating in the NBA after last year’s trade deadline, and that level of performance will be crucial if they want a deep postseason run this term.

I also think it will take LeBron James and this new-look Lakers outfit some time to start clicking – let’s not forget that they went 2–10 at the start of last season.

The Nuggets had the third-best defensive rating in last year’s playoffs so if both teams bring the intensity that we know they can off the ball, it could be a low-scoring contest.