Lakers News: History Against Los Angeles For Opener Vs Nuggets

These are not good odds.

With just 15 minutes until your Los Angeles Lakers open their season on the road against the reigning champion Denver Nuggets, let's take a look at what the history suggests about this matchup. 

Lakers have lost their last six season openers...

Nuggets are 21-0 at home vs. WC when Jokić, Murray, AG, and MPJ play

(h/t: @katywinge) pic.twitter.com/QvofYriKzp

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 24, 2023

Unfortunately, neither of these figures really favor the Lakers' odds of winning at all.

Having lost their last six season openers, a few of which by double figures and multiple of which at home, it's possible they just have a tendency to come out lethargic and without the best game plan for their first contests. 

That said, LA has also had extremely difficult opening matchups, taking on Golden State each of the past two seasons, and the Clippers the two seasons prior to that. 

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The Nuggets are a tougher draw than any of those matchups, however, as coming off of a title and per Bleacher Report's tweet, they're 21-0 at home against the Western Conference when their core 4 players play. 

That stat is arguably more of a red flag for the Lakers' odds of winning than their opening day record over the past 6 seasons, as Denver may just be too well-oiled of a machine to take down on the road. 

The altitude in Denver, along with the travel time and loud home crowd definitely plays a role in what gives the Nuggets an advantage over seemingly every Western Conference opponent at home. 

For the Lakers, playing without Jarred Vanderbilt could end up being costly as well, as they'll be without a critical defensive piece against one of the top offensive systems of the past few years. 

Two long-term statistical trends disfavor the Lakers tonight, and one of which (Denver's success at home with their core 4) is completely out of their control. Let's see if they can overcome the odds. 

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