Brooklyn Nets at LA Lakers Christmas Day Best Bets

Brooklyn Nets (21-9 SU, 12-17-1 ATS) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (16-17 SU, 12-21 ATS)
When: Saturday December 25 2021, 08:00 PM (ET)
Where: Staples Center: Los Angeles, California
TV: ABC

Point Spread: BRO 1.5/LAL -1.5 (Opened at LAL -.5 at MyBookie)
Total: 224.0 (Opened at 233)
Money Line: Brooklyn 105/Los Angeles -125)
Power Rating: LAL -1.5

Probable Starting Lineups

Nets: PG Patty Mills, SG James Harden, SF Bruce Brown, PF DeAndre’ Bembry, C Nicolas Claxton
Lakers: PG Russell Westbrook, SG Isiah Thomas, SF Talen Horton-Tucker, PF Lebron James C, C Dwight Howard

Key Injuries

Nets Bruce Brown: illness (OUT) Nicolas Claxton: wrist (PROBABLE) David Duke Jr.: illness (OUT) Kevin Durant: ankle (OUT) Kessler Edwards: illness (OUT) Joe Harris: ankle (QUESTIONABLE) Kyrie Irving: personal (QUESTIONABLE) James Johnson: illness (OUT) Day’Ron Sharpe: illness (OUT) Cameron Thomas: illness (OUT)

Lakers Trevor Ariza: ankle (OUT) Avery Bradley: hip (OUT) Anthony Davis: knee (OUT) Malik Monk: illness (OUT) Kendrick Nunn: ankle (QUESTIONABLE) Austin Reaves: illness (OUT)

Recent Form

The Brooklyn Nets enter today’s game, having won seven of their past ten games. When playing away from home, Brooklyn is an above .500 team, having gone 11-3. As the road team, the Nets travel to Los Angeles with a positive plus-minus rating of 5.7 points. Overall the team is ranked 6th among NBA teams in point differential (4.8). Among NBA teams, they have played the 27th toughest schedule.

For bettors, taking the Brooklyn Nets to cover the spread has been a losing bet as they are covering in 41.40% of their games. Their season-long plus-minus against the spread is -1.5. On offense, Brooklyn will need its supporting cast to step up as they will be without Kevin Durant and his 29.74 points per game. One candidate to play a more significant role is the team’s top three-point shooter in Patty Mills. So far, Mills is knocking down 3.17 shots from downtown per game. James Harden has been in charge of cleaning up the glass, hauling in 7.92 boards per game.

The Los Angeles Lakers enter today’s game, having lost four straight games. This streak has moved their record over their past ten games to just 4-6. As they take on the Nets at home, the Lakers have a negative home plus-minus of -2.3 points. Overall, Los Angeles is ranked 22nd among NBA teams in point differential (2.1) while playing the league’s easiest schedule.

For bettors, taking the Los Angeles Lakers to cover the spread has been a losing bet as they have covered in just 36.40% of their games. Their season-long plus-minus against the spread is -4.2.

On offense, the team’s leading scorer is SF LeBron James. So far, James is averaging 26.81 points per game while hitting 2.62 shots from downtown per game. Russell Westbrook has been in charge of cleaning up the glass, hauling in 7.76 boards per contest.

An Eye On Pace

The Brooklyn Nets come into this game ranking 7th in pace at 99.3 possessions per game. So far, the team has done an excellent job drawing fouls, sitting 9th in the league in free-throw attempts per game. On the others side, the addition of Russell Westbrook has played a significant role in moving LA to fasted paced team in the NBA. With this increased number of possessions, the Lakers have attacked the basket, ranking 8th in two-point field goal attempts and 4th in free-throw attempts per game.

Key Matchups

Coming into this game, the Lakers rank 27th in points allowed per game (112). However, some of this has to do with their fast-paced style of play. When digging into their defensive efficiency, the team ranks 11th at 108.3 points per 100 possessions, compared to Brooklyn at 106.7.

The Historicals

Tonight’s matchup between the Nets and Lakers will be their first meeting of the year. Last season, the two teams met up for two games, with each team picking up a win on each other’s home court.

How the Public is Betting the Nets vs. Lakers

55% are betting the Nets against the spread.
69% are wagering on the game to go Under the posted total of 2224

Betting Trends Worth Noting

• Brooklyn is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games on the road
• Brooklyn is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
• The total has gone UNDER in 7 of LA Lakers’s last 9 games
• The total has gone UNDER in 5 of LA Lakers’s last 7 games when playing Brooklyn

Joe’s Pick To Cover The Spread

Seemingly, every game across the league is heavily influenced by a high number of players missing time from COVID or injury. This Christmas matchup between Brooklyn and Los Angeles is no different. Out of the two teams, I expect the Lakers to handle the absence of Anthony Davis better than the Nets without Durant. Look for Lebron James and Russell Westbrook to carry the load on their way to a significant win over the Nets.

Prop Bets Worth Wagering

My favorite prop bet of the night is to take Russell Westbrook to rack up a double-double. Without Anthony Davis, Westbrook will be relied upon to pick up the slack on the boards while also having a strong game scoring the ball.