Los Angeles Lakers at Brooklyn Nets Betting Preview/Prop Pick

The Los Angeles Lakers head out to Brooklyn to take on the Nets on Tuesday night. Struggling is one word you can use to describe the Los Angeles Lakers. Through their last seven games, they’ve gone 2-5, mostly because of injuries.

However, we can’t ignore the fact that, as a team, they don’t have much chemistry. The good news for the Lakers is Anthony Davis could return.

With Anthony Davis potentially making his return, the Brooklyn Nets will have their hands full. They come in as the underdog here, and for a good reason, the Nets are missing multiple players.

The biggest names out of the lineup are Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, but they aren’t the only players out. Can James Harden pull off a win at home alone? Or is he destined to lose this one?

Los Angeles Lakers: Anthony Davis’ return is huge for the Lakers

If Anthony Davis is cleared to play, the Lakers are going to perform much better. It’s become obvious that without Anthony Davis, the Lakers can’t win games. Russell Westbrook will likely not be with the team by the end of the season, either.

For now, the Lakers have fallen victim to their own plan. However, with Anthony Davis back, they’re in much better shape than they were.

The Lakers offense has the No.7 scoring offense in the NBA, averaging 111.32. Taking on the beat-up Brooklyn Nets shouldn’t be much trouble for them. The key to winning this one is stopping James Harden, who will likely be guarded by Westbrook.

Although Westbrook is one of the worst shooters in the NBA, he can play defense. Good defense always helps to win games.

Brooklyn Nets: Are there too many injuries to overcome?

The Nets have essentially traded positions with the Lakers in terms of injuries. It’s not just star players they’re missing either, but integral pieces to depth. The players missing from this game are, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Joe Harris, Nic Claxton, and Paul Milsap.

This essentially leaves James Harden on his own to win this game. A tough task, but James Harden doesn’t shy away.

What the Nets will likely do is force Russell Westbrook of the Lakers to take shots. As long as Westbrook takes the shots, the Nets can keep it close.

Unfortunately, the Lakers will catch onto this early and get the ball to Anthony Davis. Considering the Nets don’t have a dominant presence down low, expect Davis to dominate. We just don’t see the Nets pulling this one-off.

Our pick for the Los Angeles Lakers at Brooklyn Nets

The injuries dealt to the Nets roster are what will cause them to lose this game. Even adding Kevin Durant back into the lineup would shift the game immensely. They come in as 3.5-point underdogs here, but we feel the margin is much larger.

Neither of these teams has been good against the spread recently, but the Nets have been worse. They’re 4-10 ATS in their last 14.

That being said, we’ll take the Lakers to win this one, especially with Anthony Davis back. Davis’ ability to score is going to put the Lakers over the top in this one. After their loss to the Heat, take Los Angeles to win this one on the road. 

Dunkel Index Free Pick: Los Angeles Lakers -3.5, OVER

Prop Pick

LA Lakers (-110) OVER 114.5 Points

Scores have gone OVER in each of the Lakers’ last four road games and five of their last six games as a favorite. Scores have also gone OVER in four of the last five games that the Nets’ have been Vegas underdogs.

With Dunkel predicting an LA victory by the score of 124-111, take the Lakers (-110) to finish OVER their Vegas team total of 114.5 points against Brooklyn.

LeBron James (EVEN) OVER 6.5 Assists

With the return of Antony Davis to the lineup, the Lakers offense will look a bit different tonight. Look for James to get AD involved and push his assist numbers over his season average of 6.3 assists per game. LeBron has averages 7 apg in wins this season and tonight should be more of the same. Expect James to go over the 6.5 assist line set against Brooklyn.

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