The struggling Los Angeles Lakers continue their road trip with a game in Brooklyn against one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference, the Brooklyn Nets.
When the schedule was set at the beginning of the year, this game probably looked more interesting and enticing than it does now. The Lakers are under .500, the Nets never know who will be in the lineup, and these two teams are ready to battle it out.
The Lakers come in losers in three of their last five and hover around the play-in spot in the Western Conference. They are a very streaky team, with a lot of streaky players.
Los Angeles has a group of older, veteran players and a group of young players trying to find their way. The mix between the two has not worked well this season.
The Brooklyn Nets are currently in first place in their division with a two-game lead over Philadelphia. Kevin Durant has been bouncing in and out of the lineup, along with Kyrie Irving.
We are starting to see Irving play road games that are not strict on vaccine mandates and things of that nature. That has been a struggle so far this season, seeing the Nets play without Irving.
Los Angeles Lakers Preview
I was not the first to say it, and I won’t be the last, but the Russell Westbrook experiment in Los Angeles has been a complete disaster. Everyone seems to see it that way except Lebron James and Westbrook.
It does not matter if they don’t know it, because we all do. Westbrook needs to be traded or somehow let go because this is a disaster for Los Angeles.
Now, can we blame everything on Westbrook for how this season has gone? Absolutely not. The problem is that Westbrook was brought here with the idea that he would win games.
The Lakers have not done that a lot so far this season. They are currently one game under .500, and they look lost on the basketball court. Lebron James needs to be taking some heat for this roster.
Whether you think so or not, James has a lot of say with general manager Rob Pelinka on what he thinks the roster should look like. How can you expect to be a competitive team with Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, Trevor Ariza, Avery Bradley, Dwight Howard, DeAndre Jordan, and so many other not-so-good players?
Brooklyn Nets Preview
It is clear this team may not be able to win without Kyrie Irving. In the seven games that Irving has played in, he is averaging 23.4 points per game.
The three stars of this team are all averaging over 20 points per game and will be a big part of this team’s success. It will be unfortunate for the Nets if they are not able to get Irving for every game.
The Nets have had to rely on some unlikely players this season. Joe Harris and Paul Millsap are both out currently.
Harris has played an influential role in the offense this season for Brooklyn. LaMarcus Aldridge has been a huge help down low for the Nets as he is averaging double digits as well.
A lot of the success is around James Harden and Kevin Durant. Those two have played most of the games and, when it comes to clutch time, are usually the ones trying to finish the job. The Nets will need help down the stretch of this season if they want to make it to the finals.
Lakers at Nets Betting Lines & Pick
- Spread: Lakers -3
- Money Line: Lakers -150 | Nets +130
- Over/Under: 226
The Nets are the team to bet on tonight. The Lakers have too many issues going on currently, and they continue to play a bad brand of basketball. Most of the money in this game should be around Brooklyn.
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