Fresh off of a last-second win over the Boston Celtics, the Los Angeles Lakers finish their seven-game road trip against Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night.
The Lakers escaped Boston with a victory thanks to a nice fourth-quarter run as well as a missed jumper by Kemba Walker and a missed putback attempt by Daniel Theiss. The Lakers are now 15-6 on the season with the third-best record in the Western Conference.
The Hawks have taken a fairly big step forward this season. Atlanta is currently sixth in the Eastern Conference with a 10-9 record and by the advanced metrics, are above league-average this season.
Atlanta ranks 10th in points per game, 12th in points allowed per game, ninth in simple rating system, seventh in offensive rating, 10th in defensive rating and eighth in net rating. By the numbers, the Hawks are around the 10th-best team in the league this season, which is strange to say.
The Hawks are getting more love in Vegas as a result. According to the Bet MGM odds on The Action Network, the Hawks are 5.5-point underdogs against the Lakers with a point total set at 218.5. That has to be the lowest spread among the two teams since LeBron James became a Laker.
As part of the Lake Show Life Podcast, I have been picking both against the spread and against the point total for Laker games this season. I went 0-2 against Boston but am still 11-3 in my last 14 and have a 22-16 record on the season.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Atlanta Hawks betting picks:
- Los Angeles Lakers -5.5, over 218.5 (Final score: Los Angeles Lakers 118, Atlanta Hawks 108)
The betting model that I have been using to go on an 11-3 run has the Lakers winning by two points. However, even though I went 0-2 by going against the model against Boston, I am going against the model yet again against Atlanta.
You can hear my reasoning for why I love the Lakers so much in the podcast player above. Personally, I think this is a bonafide lock.
I also start the podcast talking about the fact that Marc Gasol needs help at the center position and give the one guy that I think makes the most sense and is the most probable for the Lakers to bring in.
After that, I quickly recap the Boston Celtics win before jumping into the Hawks preview, including the betting picks and my purple and gold players for the game.
If you enjoyed the Lake Show Life Podcast we would really appreciate it if you left us a review! We appreciate any and all feedback and as always — go Lakers!