Game: Los Angeles Lakers @ Philadelphia 76ers
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Odds: Lakers +2.5, Sixers -2.5
Total: 220
The Philadelphia 76ers host the Los Angeles Lakers in the midst of a run that has seen the Sixers win five of their last seven games and 12 of their last 15. The Lakers are fortunate to have Anthony Davis back in the lineup after missing 18 games with a knee injury. LA beat a shorthanded Nets team on Tuesday night. Can the Lakers win again on the road?
LeBron James has been picking up the slack for the Lakers in the absence of Davis. With Davis back in the lineup on Tuesday, James still scored 33 points. Davis was limited to just 25 minutes and scored just eight points. Malik Monk had another big game off the bench for Los Angeles scoring 22 points in 28 minutes.
On the other side, it’s been Joel Embiid who has been tearing it up for Philadelphia. Embiid scored 42 points and had 14 rebounds in Tuesday night’s victory over New Orleans. In the 15 games Philly has played since Christmas, Embiid has led the Sixers in scoring in every single one. He’s also averaging over 33 points per game during that span. Embiid, who was the runner-up for last year’s NBA MVP, is certainly making a case for the award this season.
He isn’t the only Sixer who is playing well as of late. Tobias Harris had 33 points and 11 rebounds in the win over the Pelicans on Tuesday. Harris is averaging close to 20 points a game over the Sixers’ last ten and he could have another big night against a Lakers team that doesn’t defend very well.
The Lakers have had trouble all year long on the defensive end. They rank 26th in the league right now in points allowed per game (112.3). The Sixers rank in the bottom third of the league in scoring, but they have been known to pile on the points. In their last two games – both wins – the Sixers scored 117 against New Orleans and 115 against San Antonio.
In addition to winning 12 of their last 15, the Sixers have also done well against the spread. Philly is 9-4 ATS in their last 13 games. The Sixers are just 8-13 ATS in their 21 home games thus far this season. The Lakers haven’t been good against the number for much of the season. They are 20-28 ATS overall and 10-11 ATS in road games so far this season. LA is 3-2 straight up and ATS in its last five games. In their last six games against the Sixers, the Lakers are 1-5 ATS.
The Lakers are a top-10 scoring team and with their lack of defense, the Over has hit in seven of the last ten games. Philadelphia, on the other hand, is a top-10 defense and they lean Under. The Under is 27-19-1 in Sixers games this season. In the last seven Lakers-Sixers games, the total has gone Under five times.