Los Angeles Lakers vs. Brooklyn Nets Predictions, Picks, Odds

Michael Crosson Sports Betting Expert

5 minute read

Nationally televised NBA coverage will resume Tuesday night with a riveting non-conference showdown between the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets. Coverage begins from Barclays Center at 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT.

SCORE PREDICTION

Lakers 117, Nets 110

BEST BETS

Lakers -3.5 (-110) at WynnBet

LOS ANGELES LAKERS VS. BROOKLYN NETS PREDICTIONS

After finishing seventh in the West with a record of 42-30 SU last year, Los Angeles kept that same ball rolling with another pedestrian start to this season, as the Lakers opened with a lackluster 10-11 SU and 7-14 ATS skid – which was primarily chalked up to growing pains from the groundbreaking acquisition of Russell Westbrook.

Los Angeles has maintained a similarly deficient pace in January as well though, considering the Lakers enter Tuesday’s contest sitting just 13-13 SU and 12-14 ATS across the last 26 games – yet still seemingly retain the confidence of the oddsmakers, considering L. A. was favored in 19 of those affairs.

On the other hand, Brooklyn stormed out to a triumphant start to the season, as the Nets kicked things off with a sturdy 26-14 SU run – with 15 of those victories coming by eight points or more.

Brooklyn has been a mess since Kevin Durant’s latest injury though, considering the Nets have surrendered 117.5 PPG defensively across their current 3-3 SU skid – despite Kyrie Irving participating in four of those contests (2-2 SU).

I’ll back L. A. here, as the Lakers have played solid basketball recently, averaging a lofty 115 PPG across their current 6-5 SU run – likely presenting a steep uphill battle for an ailing Brooklyn squad that will be without Kyrie and K.D. yet again on Tuesday night.

LOS ANGELES LAKERS VS. BROOKLYN NETS BETTING ODDS

More Odds | Futures Odds

LOS ANGELES LAKERS VS. BROOKLYN NETS BETTING RESOURCES

• Matchup: Pacific vs. Atlantic
• Date: Tuesday, January 25, 2022
• Venue: Barclays Center
• Location: Brooklyn, New York
• TV-Time: TNT - 7:30 p.m. ET
• Injury Report

LOS ANGELES LAKERS ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 23-24
• ATS: 19-28
• O/U: 26-20-1

Regardless of the circumstances, hovering below .500 is a disappointment for this new-look Lakers’ squad, but to be fair, they’ve been banged up from the start, so it’s tough to write them off completely, considering LeBron James has already missed 12 games this season – while AD has missed 20, and still slated to miss additional time with an MCL sprain.

Despite their shortcomings, the Lakers tread at eighth in the West with a record of 23-24 SU, positioning them in the middle of a tight cluster with the Mavericks (27-20), Nuggets (24-21), Clippers (23-25) and Timberwolves (23-23).

There’s still plenty of time for the Lakers to turn things around and push for higher seeding; they just need to get healthy first – and ultimately, shoot the ball better, considering L. A. currently ranks 23rd in offensive efficiency and 15th in three-point percentage (1.056 OE, 35% 3FG) – which are especially crippling marks for a squad that also ranks 17th in defensive efficiency (1.068 DE).

BROOKLYN NETS BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 29-17
• ATS: 19-27
• O/U: 22-24

After stumbling out to a surprisingly pedestrian start to the season, Brooklyn quickly settled into a rhythm during the early stages of November, as the Nets now boast a sturdy record of 29-17 SU – yet still rank near the bottom of the barrel ATS at 19-27.

Brooklyn hasn’t played well since Durant’s recent injury though, considering the Nets are just 3-3 SU across their last six games, which includes frustrating losses to the Thunder, Cavaliers, and Timberwolves – with Irving participating in two of those losses.

LOS ANGELES LAKERS VS. BROOKLYN NETS HEAD-TO-HEAD

The Nets and Lakers split a two-game regular-season set last year, with Brooklyn’s victory coming in a low-scoring battle at Staples Center (109-98) – while L. A.’s win came in a shootout at Barclays Center (126-101).

The most recent meeting between these teams took place on Christmas Day of this season though, which actually served as a decent representation of the matchup to come, considering James Harden and Patty Mills teamed up for 70 PTS in the absence of Kyrie and K.D. to takedown a short-handed Lakers squad at Staples Center.

KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH

• LAL: LeBron James - SF (29 PPG, 7.7 REB, 6.3 AST)
• LAL: Russell Westbrook - PG (18.6 PPG, 8.1 REB, 7.8 AST)
• BKN: James Harden - PG (22.7 PPG, 8 REB, 10.1 AST)
• BKN: Patty Mills - SG (13.5 PPG, 2.2 REB, 2.5 AST)

LOS ANGELES LAKERS VS. BROOKLYN NETS BETTING CONCLUSION

After posting an 11-point loss to the Wolves on Sunday night, the Nets return home for Tuesday’s contest as narrow underdogs against the Lakers at Barclays Center – marking the fourth time Brooklyn has been an underdog across the last five games.

I’ll back L. A. here, as the Nets have surrendered 117.5 PPG defensively across their current 3-3 skid, which includes discouraging losses to the Thunder, Cavaliers, and Wolves – setting the stage for a somewhat lopsided matchup without Irving at their disposal as they face a Lakers squad that’s averaging 115 PPG across the last 11 games.

LOS ANGELES LAKERS VS. BROOKLYN NETS BETTING TRENDS

• The Lakers are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games.
• The Nets are 4-10 ATS in their last 14 games.
• The Lakers are 2-5 ATS in their last seven matchups against Brooklyn.
• The Nets are 1-7 ATS in their last eight home games.
• The total has gone OVER in seven of the last nine Lakers' games.

Michael Crosson

Michael Crosson began his time at VegasInsider as a freelance NBA writer back in 2019 while he continued to study Psychology and Biology at James Madison University. Following his graduation in 2021, Michael joined the team full-time, and he's been with VI ever since. Michael still writes NBA, NFL, and MLB for VI, as well as gambling industry news. He's also become a crucial part of our editorial production team. More from Michael Crosson