The Brooklyn Nets (21-9) will play the Los Angeles Lakers (16-17) at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA on Christmas Day. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 P.M. EST
The Nets have not played in nearly a week after having three games postponed for covid safety and protocol reasons. However, Brooklyn has announced that they are good to go and ready for action on Saturday.
The Lakers are in the midst of a four game slide and are in desperate need of a victory at home in this affair.
Nets at Lakers Betting Analysis
On the Brooklyn Nets side
The Nets are ready to actually play basketball once again. It has been a few days, but the players who are healthy should be ready to go. However, Kevin Durant is not expected to be active for this game.
On the brightside, James Harden has been cleared for basketball activities and is expected to be in the lineup against LA. This could be a tremendous opportunity for Harden to build back some confidence after struggling at times this year. He has played second fiddle in the scoring department for the majority of the campaign, so being the alpha scorer on Saturday could provide the spark for Harden we have all been waiting for.
Brooklyn has continued to play a quality brand of basketball as they remain in first place in the Eastern Conference. The Nets will look to further that lead on Saturday against the laboring Lakers.
On the Los Angeles Lakers side
The Lakers are clearly still trying to develop chemistry. There have been a number of times where players simply seem lost or distracted on the court this season.
LeBron James has still played well. James posted 36 points in Thursday’s loss against San Antonio. But as difficult as it may be to believe, LeBron James can not do it all on his own.
Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, and the rest of this team will need to find a way to step up and help LeBron especially with the absence of Anthony Davis.
But for now, Los Angeles is sliding down the Western Conference standings. They need to win as soon as possible and begin trending upwards once again.
Nets at Lakers Prediction
The majority of top sportsbooks project this contest to be decided in the final minutes of regulation. If the Nets were at full strength, Brooklyn would surely be the favorite despite playing across the country in Los Angeles. But the Nets are utilizing a fairly makeshift rotation right now behind James Harden which could lead to problems in this game.
But selecting the Lakers to win a game right now feels like an extremely risky pick. However, Los Angeles is in store for a breakout performance to snap their streak soon. I could see players such as Talen Horton-Tucker and Carmelo Anthony producing big numbers around LeBron James to guide the Lakers to a much-needed win on Saturday.
Take the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday with your betting selection. If you love sports betting subscribe to our Insiders Betting Digest mailing list and receive free betting picks weekly.
