The NBA season is finally upon us! The reigning NBA Champions Denver Nuggets host Lebron James and the Los Angeles Lakers for the first action of the year. Continue with us for our NBA odds series with a Lakers-Nuggets prediction and pick.

There is no better matchup to start the season. A rematch of last year's Western Conference Finals with some of the best talent in the world will take place tonight. For the Lakers, a solid offseason puts them in a great position to contend in LeBron's 21st NBA season. It's clear they have one of the deepest rosters in the league and if they stay healthy, we will see them deep in the postseason once again.

The Nuggets will have their ring ceremony tonight and all eyes are on the former MVP and current Finals MVP Nikola Jokic. Jokic is at the top of the player leaderboard at the moment as the best player in the world. You could have made a case for him to have won his third MVP in a row and winning the Finals with the numbers he puts up is just out of this world. As of now, the Nuggets are favored to win the West once again according to FanDuel.

Here are the NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NBA Odds: Lakers-Nuggets Odds

Los Angeles Lakers: +5.5 (-114)

Denver Nuggets: -5.5 (-106)

Over: 228.5 (-112)

Under: 228.5 (-108)

How to Watch Lakers vs. Nuggets

Time: 7:30 ET/4:30 PT

TV: TNT

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Lakers Could Cover The Spread

Make no mistake about it, the Lakers are loaded with veteran talent. The biggest signing of the offseason was Gabe Vincent. He was a major piece for the Miami Heat the last few seasons as they made a playoff run in the East. In addition to Vincent, LA signed Christian Wood (after his fallout with Dallas), Taurean Prince, Cam Reddish, and Jaxon Hayes. Resigning Austin Reaves and D'Angelo Russell were major moves as well … so the roster is deep and ready to help out Lebron and Anthony Davis.

Reaves averaged 16 points, 2.7 assists, and 1.7 steals per game during the preseason. He certainly took advantage of the season preparation and is turning into a star for LA. Fans talk about “Big 3's” all the time and Reaves is very close to giving the Lakers a  Big 3 along with James and AD. Not only can he score the rock, but his defense is elite as well. The Lakers will be one of the top defensive teams in the NBA with Reaves, AD, Jared Vanderbilt, Jaxon Hayes, and of course, one of the best defensive players of all time, LeBron James. If their defense shows up in Denver tonight, LA will cover this spread.

Why The Nuggets Could Cover The Spread

The Nuggets will have a majority of last year's roster intact for this next campaign. Bruce Brown took his talents to Indiana but outside of his departure, they didn't lose any other key pieces. The offense will run through Jokic and Jamal Murray as it should. There is no reason why they should try and do anything different after their dominant season. However, they will need to try and find a way to get Julian Strawther minutes. The former Gonzaga Bulldog can score the rock. The rookie averaged 17.8 points per game during four preseason games while shooting 51%. With Christian Braun also expected to increase his role, the Nuggets are once again deep and ready to repeat.

Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon are two of the best in their respective positions when they are on their game. We have seen Gordon and Porter Jr. both excel in this offense with Jokic running the show. What makes it tough for opposing teams is that the Nuggets can hurt you in so many different ways. Denver can pass the ball better than most teams and the way the offense motions around with back-door cuts and high screens for threes, there is really nothing you can do at times. If Denver covers this spread, it's because their offense is very tough to contain.

Final Lakers-Nuggets Prediction & Pick

Denver was 56-45-1 against the spread last season (including postseason). As for LA, they were 50-48-1 including the playoffs.

This game has the chance to be very good. There is drama between these two squads heading into this matchup that dates back to last year's playoffs. AD expects the Lakers to play very well against Denver tonight and to be honest, I believe him. I expect the Lakers to show up to Denver and cover the 5.5 points on the road.

Final Lakers-Nuggets Prediction & Pick: Lakers +5.5 (-114); Over 228.5 (-112)