NBA: Brooklyn Nets vs. LA Lakers Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Brooklyn Nets are in LA, and after the Clippers, they take on the Lakers, on the second of back-to-back nights. Kevin Durant and his teammates are playing better without Kyrie Irving, who is currently serving a suspension. It appears that Uncle Drew was just a destructive force on the field for the Nets who have had four wins in the past five events. Meanwhile, the Lakers are 2-10 and look terrible. The chemistry is ruined, the players are without a motive, and on top of that, AD and LBJ struggle with injuries.

Preview

Brooklyn Nets (6-7, TBA) beat the Clippers last night, in Saturday’s opening game. The Nets looked pretty good against the Clips, rebuffing their surge in the fourth period, and getting away to a 10-point lead before securing a 110-95 victory. 

It was Seth Curry who did this, with four threes in the crucial moments, despite him missing all of his previous downtown attempts. He had 22 points off the bench, with three boards and assist, but was there on time to push away the Clippers. 

Kevin Durant had 27 points with six boards, while Nic Claxton once again did a very good job, scoring 13 points with 14 boards, taking responsibility in certain situations when nobody expected that. The Nets made 16 threes and were 45.7% from deep, which is something that significantly increases their chances of winning the game. 

LA Lakers (2-10, TBA) lost at home to the Kings two days ago, 120-114. The LAL had a double-digit lead in the second period, but managed to waste that, as so many times this season. There wasn’t any creativity for the Lakers in the latter stage of the event, and it’s no wonder why they lost. 

LeBron was out, which was a great blow for these guys, but to be honest, even with King James on the field, the Lakers are terrible this season. Anthony Davis had 24 points and 14 boards and tried to contribute on both ends of the floor, but that wasn’t enough.

Russell Westbrook is chasing the Sixth Man of the Year award, and he had 21 points and 11 assists off the bench, hitting four threes. His new role on the team apparently isn’t that bad, but the team overall is simply weak. We need to mention Austin Reaves, who had 19 points, also off the bench.

Head to Head Games

The Nets and the Lakers played two games last year, the first in LA, where Brooklyn won, 122-115, and the second at Barclays where LAL managed to take down the Nets, 106-96. 

Prediction

LeBron’s appearance is questionable, though, we think that he will probably play. Yet even with him, the Lakers are one of the worst teams in the league on the offensive side of the ball. Given the fact that the Nets are much better in defense without Kyrie, we are taking under 212.5 points which is currently the limit here. We’ve seen KD and the boys tightening up things on that side following Kyrie’s suspension, not allowing more than 95 in the previous five events. 

Pick: Under 212.5 points