The Los Angeles Lakers continue their East Coast road trip on Tuesday as they take on the Brooklyn Nets in the Barclays Center. The biggest storyline for this game is not that Kyrie Irving won’t play (because it is a home game) but that the Lakers could be getting Anthony Davis back in action.
Davis was upgraded to probable to play in this game and while it has not yet been made official (at the time of writing this) the writing is on the wall for AD to return to action and hopefully give the Lakers a much-needed boost.
If the team is ever going to put any kind of run together and garner some momentum it is now. A win over a team like the Nets, even if they are short-handed, would be a great way to kickstart the Lakers into gear to pull away from the .500 record they have been hovering around.
Let’s dive into the odds and give our prediction for this matchup.
Los Angeles Lakers vs Nets odds for Anthony Davis’s return:
The Anthony Davis effect is real as the Lakers are 2.5-point favorites on the road against the Nets this season. Even though the Nets are short-handed, the Lakers would not have been the favorites in this game without AD’s game status being changed to probable.
The Lakers are a -140 moneyline favorite in this game while the Nets are a +115 moneyline underdog. The over/under for the game has been set at 226.5 points.
Los Angeles Lakers vs Nets prediction for Anthony Davis’s return
While I would be very wary in actually wagering on this game, if you are going to pick one side of this game I would go with the Lakers. Yes, the Lakers have been pretty bad this season and have burned me more than I would like to admit. The difference here is AD is back and the Nets are as short-handed as it comes.
If the Lakers were not struggling so much this season then this line would be up in the five point range. I think it is going to be a close game that comes down to the closing moments, but I like the Lakers’ chances of winning by more than two.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis have only played together 15 times this season and LeBron was not 100% (nor playing like he is right now). The team’s depth is also much better now than it was earlier in the year, although the depth is still not great from a defensive standpoint.
Russell Westbrook needs to get out of the way and let the two men who won a title in 2020 go to work. I am going with Lakers -2.5 and under 226.5 points with a final score prediction of Lakers 109, Nets 104.
Los Angeles Lakers vs Nets TV Channel:
This is a nationally televised game that can be watched on TNT. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Pacific.
Los Angeles Lakers schedule and upcoming games:
The Lakers have an even bigger test on Thursday as they head to Philadelphia to take on Joel Embiid and the 76ers. That is actually the first night of a back-to-back, which the Lakers have not had in quite some time.
After taking on the 76ers on Thursday the Lakers will take on the Charlotte Hornets on Friday. They then complete the three in four (and the road trip) against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday in a game that tips off at 10:00 a.m. Pacific.