Article courtesy OddsShark (@OddsShark)
The Los Angeles Lakers are 1-4 straight up and against the spread in their last five games against the Brooklyn Nets. Those struggles could continue when the injury-hampered Lakers take on the Nets on the road on Saturday night.
Los Angeles is a 12.5-point underdog on the NBA odds in Brooklyn at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. The Nets are 9-0 SU in their last nine games at home.
Lakers vs. Nets | OddsShark Matchup Report
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope went 6-for-11 from 3-point range to lead the Lakers in scoring with 28 points on Thursday night, but it wasn’t enough to get the job done in a 110-104 loss to the Miami Heat. Andre Drummond was significantly better against the Heat than he was in his first game with the Lakers as he recorded 15 points and 12 rebounds in 27 minutes of play.
Los Angeles enters the weekend sitting two games behind the Denver Nuggets for fourth place in the Western Conference and seven games behind the conference-leading Utah Jazz.
The Lakers are going off as a double-digit underdog for just the third time this season on Saturday. Los Angeles is 0-2 SU and ATS in its previous two games as a double-digit underdog this season and is 4-7 ATS in its last 11 games as one per the OddsShark NBA Database.
LaMarcus Aldridge went off for 22 points in Brooklyn’s 139-111 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night. The Nets already had an embarrassment of riches with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden, but the additions of Blake Griffin and Aldridge without having to give up any assets has elevated the Nets up to clear favorites to win the NBA championship.
The team has taken a hit with the news that Harden will be out indefinitely with a hamstring injury, but Brooklyn clearly has the depth to pick up the slack until he returns.
Saturday night’s total is set at 223.5 points at online betting sites. The UNDER is 5-1 in Brooklyn’s last six games against Los Angeles.
Despite their respective injury issues, the Nets and the Lakers are still the two favorites on the betting board to win the NBA championship this season. This would make for an incredible series in the finals with a handful of great storylines. But here in the regular season with LeBron James and Anthony Davis both sidelined, it doesn’t make for a very compelling game.
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