Draymond Green says Lakers will close out Nuggets in 6 games in Western Conference Finals

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green believes that the Los Angeles Lakers will beat the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals.

Green and the Warriors lost to the Lakers in six games in the second round, and he believes that is all the Lakers will need to beat the No. 1-seeded Nuggets.

Prior to giving his pick, Green explained what the Lakers need to do to beat the Nuggets, focusing mainly on how they can slow down two-time MVP Nikola Jokic.

“It’s going to be on the Lakers to – you either gotta stop Joker (Jokic) from passing or stop him from scoring,” Green said. “The easier one to do is stop him from getting assists. Can’t allow him to get both. If he gets both, you lose. It’s very simple.”

The Nuggets star center dominated the Phoenix Suns in the second round of the playoffs, posting a triple-double in three of the final four games of the series.

“Denver ready man,” Green said. “I think Denver is ready. Denver taking that next step. They doing it. We watching it. But, I think we’re gonna have a rerun of 2020.”

The Lakers played the Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals in the 2019-20 season in the NBA’s Orlando, Fla. bubble and knocked them out in five games on their way to an NBA title.

“I think the Lakers will take it,” Green said of this season’s Western Conference Finals. “I got the Lakers. I got the Lakers in six – closing out at home in six. That is my prediction. That’s what I’m rolling with. And I’m sticking to it.”

The Lakers have won each of their first two series in the playoffs in six games, closing things out at home.

Including the team’s play-in tournament win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Lakers are a perfect 7-0 at home in the postseason.

Denver is certainly a tough test for the Lakers, as the team is realizing its full potential now that Jamal Murray is back healthy after tearing his ACL in the 2020-21 season.

However, Anthony Davis is one of the few players in the NBA who may be able to slow down Jokic in the post.

The Lakes have impressed in their playoff run this season, getting contributions up and down the roster from LeBron James and Davis all the way down to Lonnie Walker IV.

The Western Conference Finals begin on Tuesday, May 16. Game 1 will take place in Denver at Ball Arena at 5:30 p.m. PST.