The Los Angeles Lakers are coming off of an ugly loss that put the team in a bit of a tail-spin. The Lakers lost to the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday and not only was the loss ugly, but the fallout of the loss was ugly.
Frank Vogel is already on the hot seat and this loss made his seat even hotter. Meanwhile, Vogel benched Russell Westbrook in crunch time in the game in a bold move that Westbrook is not happy with.
The cracks are starting to show in Los Angeles and a disappointing season could turn straight ugly if the team does not get a grip in the coming weeks. The team looks to get back on track on Friday as they take on another former Frank Vogel-coached team in the Orlando Magic.
Los Angeles Lakers vs Magic odds, spread, over/under:
For the second game in a row, the Los Angeles Lakers are five-point favorites over one of Vogel’s former teams. The Lakers are a five-point road favorite over the Magic and are a -220 moneyline favorite as a result. Meanwhile, the Magic are a +180 moneyline favorite. The over/under for the game has been set at 219 points.
The Lakers are 18-27 against the spread this season while the Magic are 20-26 against the spread.
Los Angeles Lakers vs Magic prediction:
I correctly guessed that the Lakers would not cover against the Indiana Pacers, albeit I also picked the Lakers to win the game. As has been the case all season for the Lakers, it is nearly impossible to predict what version of the team is going to show up.
Are we going to see the team that held the top-scoring offense to under 100 points from Monday? Or are we going to see the team that we have seen more this season that doesn’t seem to care much about regular-season basketball?
The Magic are so bad. They are the worst team in the league and are the only team with under 10 wins this season. They are blowing everything up and from a talent standpoint, this should not even be close.
While I am not a fan of Russell Westbrook at all, this feels like a vintage Westbrook performance waiting to happen. After everything that happened against the Pacers, Russ is going to be mad and put on a huge performance against the worst team in the league so his fans can come out and reiterate that it is not his fault after all (spoiler alert: it is).
Heck, this might be his best game of the entire season. Either way, the Lakers win and cover. I am going with Lakers -5 and over 219 points with a final score prediction of Lakers 121, Magic 108.
Los Angeles Lakers vs Magic TV channel:
This is not a nationally televised game and it will not be on NBA TV for out-of-market fans. The game can be watched on Spectrum SportsNet. Tip-off is slated for 4:00 p.m. Pacific.
Los Angeles Lakers schedule and upcoming games:
The Los Angeles Lakers are officially on their Grammys road trip even though the Grammys ended up getting postponed to April and moved to Las Vegas. Regardless, it is the biggest road trip of the year for the Lakers.
After playing in Orlando on Friday night the Lakers will hop on a short plane ride to Miami to take on the Heat on Sunday. After that, they head north to take on the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday.