LA Lakers vs Brooklyn Nets Prediction: The Lakers are dismal

The NBA Regular Season has brought in various memorable battles and has been a riveting start to a promising season. There are teams that have been raising their level while others have yet to figure out their game. Some units have deeper issues that look unresolvable at this point. One of those squads is the Brooklyn Nets and will face the Los Angeles Lakers. 

Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers come into this game after a 114:120 loss against the Sacramento Kings despite a 24 points outburst by Anthony Davis. This is not a surprise considering that the Lakers have lost ten games and have won just two battles. The Lakers have been looking even worse than last season where they at least held to a 50% win record for most parts after imploding later and coach Darvin Ham’s system isn’t working out for the team at all. A bulk of the Lakers fanbase wasn’t much motivated to begin the season anyway.

What is it then? Is it Russell Westbrook? Is it LeBron James? Is it Anthony Davis? The Lakers have built two different types of units around these two and the results have been abysmal. Their three-point shooting has been in terrible shape and they are the worst three-point shooting in the league surprisingly, it is not Russell Westbrook who has misfired from there lately. Patrick Beverley has been an offensive liability and the team is bound to have two to three players shooting below-par. Their defense has also taken a hit and nothing seems to flow for the deteriorating Lakers.

Brooklyn Nets

The Nets come into this game after a spirited 110:95 win against the LA Clippers as Kevin Durant slipped in 27 points. The Nets have now won four of their last five games. They have overcome a horrendous 1 win and five losses start. This one is like the repeat of last season as Kevin Durant is carrying the major load again on the scoring end. He has received major support from Nic Claxton who is amazing as a paint scorer and gives solid rebounding. To be honest, Durant has been carrying a rather average/below-average unit on the offensive end but surprisingly, the team has done better in the absence off Superstar scorer Kyrie Irving.

In the last two games, Seth Curry has launched 20 points or more and has been a key factor. Ben Simmons is a shell of himself and is coming off the bench as the former All-Star continues to underwhelm. The Nets have been playing some solid defense and the acquisition of Royce O’Neale has helped them in this regard. Overall, the Nets have a lot of work to do but KD has been carrying the team somehow. Truly, he has been playing like an MVP thus far.

Injuries

• Nets: OUT: Yuta Watanabe, TJ Warren, Kyrie Irving. QUESTIONABLE: Seth Curry;
• Lakers: OUT: Cole Swider, Dennis Schroeder, Thomas Bryant. PROBABLE: Anthony Davis. DOUBTFUL: LeBron James.

Player Props

• Expected Leading Scorers: Kevin Durant(25+ Points), Anthony Davis(22-28 Points);
• Expected Leading Rebounders: Nic Claxton(10-14 Rebounds), Anthony Davis(9-13 Rebounds);
• Expected Leading Playmakers: Russell Westbrook(7-10 Assists).

Expert Betting Tips

While the Nets are overdependent upon Kevin Durant, they have been more cohesive on the defensive end than the Lakers. The Lakers have just played poor basketball especially to close out affairs and they look like a lottery team. Even when they go on runs, they don’t have the edge required to shut off their opposition. Therefore, KD and co. will come with a clear advantage here and a win for them won’t surprise many people. I believe the total points range will be 218-228.