NBA: LA Lakers vs. Brooklyn Nets Preview, Odds, H2H, Prediction

In another prime-time NBA clash, LeBron and the LA Lakers visit the Brooklyn Nets. This game will be broadcasted nationwide through the NBA TV network and might be one of the most watched this year. The Lakers had the same honor two nights ago when they visited the Celtics, and the Nets, too, appeared in front of the whole country, only their rivals were the New York Knicks.

Preview

LA Lakers (23-27, +105) lost in Boston to the Celtics following the overtime, 125-121. Now, what needs to be said here is that the LAL experienced pretty bad officiating, with the referees doing lots of damage to the team from California. 

This was only the second defeat in the past five for the purple and gold, who look better with AD onboard. Davis played 34 minutes in Boston, scoring 16 points and ten boards, with four assists. James had 41 buckets, being very close to the triple-double with nine boards and eight assists. James also made six threes. 

Rui Hachimura still didn’t adjust, contributing with just six points, four boards, and all four three-point attempts missed. Russell Westbrook was 4-for-14 from the field and had 12 points. All in all, the Lakers didn’t deserve to lose this event, and the referees weren’t up to the task.

Brooklyn Nets (30-19, -115) are highly unstable these days, playing in waves and presenting massive oscillations. After two defeats, they had two wins, then again two losses, before a win at home over the New York Knicks, 122-115.

This victory was of big significance for the Nets’ locker room, as they beat the local rivals. Defeating the Knicks is always positive, especially if it comes with an excellent offense. NYK dominated the glass with 45 boards, and the hosts had only 35. Though, that’s why their shooting percentage was 52.9%, hitting 22 threes in 40 tries, 55%. 

Kyrie dropped five of them and had 32 points in total, along with six boards and nine assists. Joe Harris had 16, and Nic Claxton had another double-double with 13 points and 12 boards. He had six dimes without a single miss from the field. 

Head to Head Games

The Lakers won the first meeting of the year in November when they routed the visiting Nets 116-103. Anthony Davis was in the mood with 37 buckets and 18 boards, and he simply demolished the Nets’ frontcourt defense. Loonie Walker IV scored 25, and Russell Westbrook scored 14 off the bench with 12 assists. On the other side, the Nets were without Kyrie. Durant had a team-high 31 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. There weren’t any other players with notable stats among the Nets.

Head to Head Games

The Lakers are still frustrated because of all the things that happened to them in Boston. But the latest news are suggesting that neither LeBron and AD won’t appear at the Barclays Center, which is in our opinion a massive setback for the purple and gold. Simply, these two are the pylons of the entire crew, and there is no way for the rest of the team to cover up their absence. Nets too have problems, but they will win and also, cover a nine point margin.

Pick: Nets -8.5 -110