The Los Angeles Lakers are set to host the Brooklyn Nets in a cross-conference showdown on Friday at Crypto.com Arena. Los Angeles is 21-21 overall and 15-7 at home, while Brooklyn is 16-24 overall and 6-14 on the road. The Lakers are looking to win their third straight after knocking off the Dallas Mavericks 127-110 in their last outing. The Nets are aiming to snap a four-game losing streak after falling 104-102 to the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday. LeBron James (ankle) and Anthony Davis (ankle) are both going to be game-time decisions for the Lakers. Mikal Bridges (shin) is a game-time decision and Ben Simmons (back) is out for Brooklyn.
Tip-off is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET. The Lakers are favored by 7 points in the latest Lakers vs. Nets odds, and the over/under is 227 points. Before making any Lakers vs. Nets picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from the proven computer simulation model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 13 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 42-23 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,000. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Nets vs. Lakers and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for the game:
Lakers vs. Nets spread: Lakers -7
Lakers vs. Nets over/under: 227 points
Lakers vs. Nets money line: Lakers: -274, Nets: +221
Lakers vs. Nets picks: See picks here
What you need to know about the Nets
The Nets’ recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Wednesday after their fourth straight loss. They lost 105-103 to Portland on a last-minute jump shot From Anfernee Simons. Mikal Bridges led the way for Brooklyn, scoring 21 points to go with four rebounds and dour assists. Spencer Dinwiddie added 19 points and seven assists.
The Nets enter this matchup with a 19-19-2 overall record and a 7-13 road record against the spread this season. The Nets have a strong backcourt nucleus led by Bridges (21.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists per game), Cam Thomas (20.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists per game), and Spencer Dinwiddie (13.3 points, 6.1 assists, 3.6 rebounds per game). The Nets may be without Bridges, who is listed as a game-time decision with a shin injury. See which team to pick here.
What you need to know about the Lakers
Even though the Lakers have not done well against the Mavericks recently (they were 2-8 in their previous ten matchups), they didn’t let the past get in their way on Wednesday. Los Angeles strolled past Dallas with points to spare, taking the game 127-110. The win made it back-to-back wins for the Lakers. It was another big night for Anthony Davis, who almost dropped a triple-double on 28 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists.
The Lakers have played at a high level when their full starting five is healthy and available to play. Davis (25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.5 blocks per game) and LeBron James (24.7 points, 7.6 assists, 7.2 rebounds per game) are both again having All-Star caliber seasons. Point guard D’Angelo Russell adds 15.7 points, 6.1 assists, and 2.8 rebounds per game. The Lakers are 6-6 against the spread in their last 12 games vs teams that win less than 45 percent of games. See which team to pick here.
How to make Lakers vs. Nets picks
The model has simulated Lakers vs. Nets 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Over on the point total, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that hits in well over 60% of simulations. You can only see the model’s pick at SportsLine.