After a 1-2 start, the Lakers (18-12) look to salvage a .500 record on their current road trip when they take on a red-hot Brooklyn Nets (13-18) squad at the Barclays Center at 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday evening. LeBron James is coming off perhaps his worst game as a Laker in a 128-110 loss to Washington as he shot just 5 of 16 from the floor on his way to a quiet 13-point night on Sunday. Oddsmakers are looking for a tight game with Los Angeles listed as a two-point favorite in the latest Lakers vs. Nets odds, while the over-under for total points is set at 227.5, down two points from the opening line. Before locking in any Lakers vs. Nets picks of your own, be sure to check out the projections from SportsLine's proven computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every game 10,000 times and is on a hot streak on its top-rated NBA picks, entering Week 10 of the season on a strong 43-25 run. Anybody following it has finished way, way up. Now it has set its sights on Lakers vs. Nets on Tuesday.
We can tell you the model is projecting 229 total points in this game, meaning it has a slight lean to the over. But its stronger play is against the spread, saying one side hits in well over half of simulations. You can only see that pick at SportsLine.
A year after finishing 12th in the Eastern Conference with a 28-54 record on the season, the Nets look to be taking a big step forward in 2018-19. They enter Tuesday night with five consecutive wins and in 10th place in the East, just two games out of the final playoff spot. Only the Pacers (7) are currently on a longer NBA winning streak.
And this recent success for Brooklyn has caught Vegas off guard as the Nets have covered in six straight games, moving them to over .500 on the year against the spread. With the Lakers likely worn down from a four-game road trip and missing Brandon Ingram on Tuesday, Brooklyn has a great chance to pull off this upset, or at least cover the spread.
But the level of competition steps up a notch Tuesday evening when James and the Lakers converge on the Big Apple.
The Lakers bring a top-10 scoring offense to town with an average of 113.4 points. They've also been strong on the glass with 46.1 rebounds.
It remains to be seen if James (27.7 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 7.0 apg) has enough of a supporting cast for the Lakers to be a true contender in the West, but L.A. certainly has plenty of firepower. The model says James scores 31 points in 37 minutes on the floor and nearly hits a triple-double with eight rebounds and nine assists.
Who wins Lakers vs. Nets? And which side of the spread hits in well over half of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to get the strong against-the-spread pick for Lakers vs. Nets, all from the advanced computer model on a 43-25 roll on top-rated picks, and find out.
