The Brooklyn Nets (6-7, 3-3 Away), one of the league’s top shooting defenses, head to face the Los Angeles Lakers (2-10, 2-5 Home) on Sunday. Brooklyn is playing on back-to-back days after topping the Los Angeles Clippers 110-95 at Crypto.com Arena yesterday. Kevin Durant was the key player with 27 points. The Nets are the 11th seed in the Eastern Conference.
Los Angeles lost their fifth in a row on Friday at Crypto.com Arena, falling to the Sacramento Kings 120-114. Anthony Davis had 24 points, 14 rebounds, and three blocks in the loss, carrying the team. The Lakers are the 14th seed in the Western Conference.The teams are meeting for the first time this season.
Brooklyn and Los Angeles split their matchups last season, each team taking one game. The Lakers triumphed in the last meeting 106-96 at Barclays Center on January 25. LeBron James led the Lakers with 33 points, seven rebounds, and six assists.
James Harden had a triple double with 33 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists in the losing effort. The Nets have been led this season by Durant, who is averaging 30.5 points per game, best in the league. Meanwhile, Nicolas Claxton is grabbing 9.4 rebounds per game, most in the league, and Ben Simmons is dishing 5.3 assists (1st).
James (24.9 ppg) and Davis (23.1) have been the primary providers of the Lakers’ offense. James leads the league in scoring, while Davis is first.
Davis also has averaged 10.5 rebounds per game, most in the league, while James has doled out 6.9 assists per game, most in the NBA. The Nets are holding the opposition to one of the NBA’s worst FG%, ranking second at 43.6%.
The Nets have had the advantage in recent trips to Crypto.com Arena, winning six of the last 10. Los Angeles has lost three straight at home this season.
Meanwhile, the Nets are 1-2 when playing on consecutive nights this season and 0-2 in such games against rested opponents. Brooklyn is 5-5 in the last 10 games with an average margin of +6.0 (109.7-103.7). Los Angeles has gone 2-8 over the last 10, allowing 117.1 points per game on average while scoring only 109.3 (-7.8 margin).
NETS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Cameron Thomas: 19.4 | 12.5 | +6.9
Kyrie Irving: 0.0 | 33.0 | -33.0
Points per game:
Kyrie Irving: 0.0 | 23.9 | -23.9
Assists per game:
Ben Simmons: 2.3 | 5.3 | -3.0
LAKERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Rebounds per game:
Russell Westbrook: 3.4 | 5.5 | -2.1
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
LA Lakers (+115)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
