The Los Angeles Lakers have a small bit of momentum behind them as they have won three of their last four games behind incredible play from LeBron James. On Tuesday, the Lakers look to make it three in a row against the Sacramento Kings.
The Lakers have turned to a small-ball lineup with LeBron James (and eventually Anthony Davis) primarily playing the five. This is what Laker fans have been asking for all year as DeAndre Jordan’s play has been less than ideal. However, while it worked against Minnesota, the Lakers’ small-ball lineup might not hold up against the top contenders in the league.
The Lakers won’t test that on Tuesday as the Kings are not one of the contending teams in the league. However, it does provide a chance for the Lakers to get back above .500 and hopefully gain some momentum to stay above .500 for the rest of the year.
At least… we hope.
Los Angeles Lakers vs Kings odds, spread, over/under:
The Los Angeles Lakers are 6.5-point favorites at home over a Kings team that has split with the Lakers this season. The first time these two teams squared off the Kings won in triple-overtime and the second time the Lakers blew them out of the water with a 25-point win.
The Lakers are a -260 moneyline favorite while the Kings are a +210 moneyline underdog. The over/under for the game has been set at 230.5 points.
Los Angeles Lakers vs Kings prediction:
The Kings are not dealing with any COVID-19 surge at the moment as most of the team’s players will play in this game. It is not like the Kings are very talented, but that does make a huge difference in picking against the spread.
Conventional wisdom might say to take the Lakers as 6.5-point favorites. The Lakers’ offense has been humming with LeBron James at center, scoring over 130 points in each of the last two matchups. However, the defense continues to be a problem and the offense is not going to be able to drop 130 points in every game.
The Kings rank 12th in the NBA in scoring and 28th in points per game. With the Lakers’ poor scoring, this has all the makings of a really high-scoring game. And if we are predicting both teams to score a lot of points, I don’t like taking the Lakers with that many points attached.
I am taking Kings +6.5 and over 230.5 points. The Kings will cover but the Lakers will win. Final score prediction: Lakers 122, Kings 118.
Los Angeles Lakers vs Kings TV channel:
This is not a nationally televised game so local fans can watch it on Spectrum SportsNet as well as on NBA TV.
Los Angeles Lakers schedule and upcoming games:
The Los Angeles Lakers have two more games in this homestand as they take on the struggling Atlanta Hawks on Thursday and the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday.
The Lakers then hit the road for a short two-game road trip as they take on the Kings again next Wednesday and the Denver Nuggets next Saturday.