Lakers: Betting Big On Los Angeles To Bounce Back Against New York
Tonight, in another early East Coast game (4:30 p.m. PT on Spectrum SportsNet and TNT), your Los Angeles Lakers are hoping to nab their first win in game three of a five-game road trip, against a solid New York Knicks club.
LA is looking to bounce back from a 121-104 blowout loss to the Brooklyn Nets yesterday, but tonight it should have at least one big asset, and probably two, that it lacked yesterday. 38-year-old All-Star forward LeBron James is expected to play after sitting out Monday's game, while Anthony Davis is also probable to suit up.
So how does that affect today's betting odds and lines? Let's find out, via Action Network.
The Game Spread
The Knicks are favored to win, but the margin is significantly slimmer (two points) than it was yesterday ahead of the Brooklyn bout (nine points). Given that the Lakers are hungry following a bummer of a loss on Saturday to the Boston Celtics and now this Nets defeat, I'd take the Lakers to cover (and win).
LeBron James's Total Points
LBJ has been on a scoring tear since turning 38 on December 30th, with former Lakers champ Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time regular season scoring mark set to be surpassed by The Chosen within the next few games. His projected over/under for points scored tonight is 28.5. Take the over.
Anthony Davis's Total Combined Rebounds + Assists
Assuming AD does play, his projected total combined rebounds and assists is listed at 12.5. Given that he's averaging 12 rebounds a night for the year (and 2.6 assists), and that New York will be without starting center Mitchell Robinson as he recovers from a surgery, it would behoove you to once again take the over here.