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One of the best days of basketball is fast approaching, NBA Christmas! The Brooklyn Nets will hit the road and take on the Los Angeles Lakers. It's time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Nets-Lakers prediction and pick.
These two teams have had different starts to the season. The Brooklyn Nets come into this game 21-9, yet are coming off a disappointing loss. While the Los Angeles Lakers are 16-15 and have lost their last four games. The impact of COVID looms large in this match up, so this should be an interesting one to watch.
Here are the odds for the Nets-Lakers Christmas matchup, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Nets-Lakers Odds
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Brooklyn Nets: -1 (-110)
Los Angeles Lakers: +1(-110)
Over: 226 (-110)
Under: 226 (-110)
Why The Nets Could Cover The Spread
The Brooklyn Nets had been having a solid season. Through their first 30 games they managed to win 21 and only lose 9. However, the Brooklyn Nets team that has been successful will not be the one that takes the floor on Christmas day. The Nets are fresh off a 7 point loss to the Orlando Magic, where their leading scorer was Patty Mills. While Mills is a solid part of the Nets team, by no means should he be leading the team in scoring. This happened due to injuries and COVID. The Nets have been hit very hard and it should be interesting how they continue to respond to this adversity.
The Nets gave us a taste of what their team looks like when crippled and handicapped. Brooklyn's last game was on Saturday, December 18. They were supposed to play against the Portland Trail Blazers, yet they didn't have the mandatory 8 available players. In their loss to Orlando a few statistics stood out. First off, the Nets took an astonishing number of shots and converted them at a very low percentage. Brooklyn took 102 shots in that game and only made 39.
It's encouraging that they kept on shooting, but they need to start making more shots. On top of that, their three point efficiency was abysmal. The Nets only made 9 of 46 attempts from beyond the arc, less than 20% of their three pointers. Brooklyn will likely be severely handicapped o Christmas, so if they want to win that game they will need to improve on their performance from a week ago.
While many players will be out for Brooklyn, it has just been announced that James Harden has cleared the league's health and safety protocols and will make his return on Christmas. This is some consolation for this Nets team who is likely to be without 7 of their players due to COVID, including Kevin Durant. Fans are still eagerly awaiting updates on this team, but it's fair to say that without some key players Brooklyn will likely struggle in this game.
Why The Lakers Could Cover The Spread
The Los Angeles Lakers have been having a disappointing season. Expectations were very high for LA heading into this season and the Lakers have simply been underwhelming. They have struggled with injuries and chemistry and have yet to find a winning formula.
Through their first 31 games they barely have a winning record with only 16 wins and 15 losses. They are coming off a 28 point loss to the San Antonio Spurs. While COVID has impacted every team, there was no excuse for that loss. The Lakers were playing with both LeBron and Westbrook in that game, but they couldn't get the job done. They will look to bounce back against a vulnerable Nets team.
Two big discrepancies between the Lakers and the Spurs stand out from Thursday's game. First off, the Spurs completely dominated from beyond the arc. San Antonio made 18 of 39 three point attempts, while the Lakers only made 5 of 27 attempts. In today's NBA three pointers are key and LA's lackluster efficiency from beyond the arc proved to be detrimental in that game. On top of that, the Lakers struggled to make their free throws. Both teams shot 30+ free throws, however San Antonio made nearly 85% of their attempts while Los Angeles barely shot above 50% from the stripe.
The Lakers simply need to make their shots if they want to win games. They are struggling at the most basic level of the game and will need to step things up on Christmas. COVID has definitely impacted this Lakers team. The Lakers currently have five players in the league's health and safety protocols.
While Westbrook and LeBron remain active, Los Angeles will be without Trevor Ariza, Malik Monk, Austin Reaves, Avery Bradley, and Kent Bazemore. These key roster members help balance out this team and not having them on Christmas will make things difficult on LA.
Final Nets-Lakers Prediction & Pick
This is really going to be a game decided by COVID. While some teams have managed to dodge the COVID bullet, both the Nets and the Lakers have been severely impacted. What this game will likely come down to is which team will persevere and step up in the face of this adversity.
The Lakers still have LeBron and Westbrook, while this duo may have struggled in their last game, they could easily flip the switch on Christmas. The under isn't a bad pick here, but also the Lakers should have the edge in this game. Pick the under or the Lakers to win and cover.
FINAL NETS-LAKERS PICK: Los Angeles Lakers +1 (-110)
FINAL NETS-LAKERS SCORE PREDICTION: Lakers 102 – Nets 100
