NBA 2022/23, Monday, 14.11.2022
In our NBA picks category, of course, the match-up between two such illustrious franchises as the Los Angeles Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets could not be missed. But a successful start to the season has been recorded neither on the East nor on the West Coast.
Nevertheless, in my Lakers Nets tip, the guests are the clear favourites in this prestigious duel. For the Californians, one of the best players of all time is injured “again”, while on the other side another NBA icon is celebrating his comeback.
Now it’s official: LeBron James will miss tonight’s match against the Nets. Fortunately, “The King” did not suffer a serious adductor injury, but at 37 years old, the aged superstar is now more injury-prone than ever.
Still, James has been his team’s most productive player, averaging 24.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game. Nevertheless, even he could not change the fact that the Lakers have the second worst record in the league (2-10).
Without their icon, Los Angeles will be even worse on the floor from now on!
Because besides a mediocre Anthony Davis, the purple and gold simply don’t have enough good bench players like they did a few seasons ago, when they even managed to win the title in the end.
By the way, the Nets also have a negative record. With 5 wins to 7 losses, this is at least a little better than that of the upcoming opponent, but the tensions off the floor are much greater.
For example, there is the fact that a new coach, Jacque Vaughn, has just been hired. He was not even the first choice, as the NBA seems to have put pressure on the New Yorkers to refrain from signing Ime Udoka.
On the court, however, Brooklyn just had arguably their best game of the season. In the 112-86 win over the Knicks, Kevin Durant put in his usual strong performance with 29 points. Now “Durantula” is getting some big-name reinforcement on top of that.
The return of Kyrie Irving – the enfant terrible of US sports – has been announced for tonight. This is because he was taken out of action by the franchise itself for at least 5 games on 3 November.
The reason? Irving had endorsed a documentary that allegedly propagated anti-Semitic content. However, since the presumption of innocence applies for the time being, Irving is provisionally eligible to play.
Meanwhile, on the court, “Mr. 4 Viertel” remains one of the best basketball players of his generation, as he continued to produce good stats this season until his suspension, averaging 26.9 points per game.
Both teams don’t impress me as a collective, but for the Nets, the combined power of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant alone should generate enough offensive pressure to overcome the Lakers, who are shorthanded.
In addition, Los Angeles is currently allowing far too many free throws from beyond the arc – and as is well known, no one in the league punishes this as severely as the “Bad Boy” of the Brooklyn Nets.
As for the head-to-head matchup, I remain confident in my Lakers-Nets prediction as well – and for good reason!
Brooklyn has won two of the last three direct duels against the Californians, but lost the last meeting – but here it is worth taking a closer look.
For the – as already mentioned – injured LeBron James was once again the “Man of the Match” with 33 points in his Lakers’ 106-96 victory over the New Yorkers in January this year.
On the other hand, both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were missing that night on the black and white side.
By the way: The providers with PayPal as a payment function also seem to sense that this will not be the night of the boys in the purple and gold jerseys again!
Consequently, the Californians’ odds of victory are currently hovering around 2.10 on the markets, while those of the New Yorkers, on the other hand, are gravitating around the incomparably lower value of 1.62.
Conclusion: The turmoil surrounding Kyrie Irving is weighing on the Nets, of course, but against these shorthanded Californians, the concentrated power of individual players like Kevin Durant alone should make the difference.
The very convincing performance against the Knicks, meanwhile, also makes me confident about my Lakers Nets bet – especially as Kyrie Irving is looking to prove his basketball skills once again tonight.
The purple and gold are a sorry bunch as it is, but without LeBron James, the current five-game losing streak could be extended by at least one more defeat.
My Lakers Nets prediction: Brooklyn dismantles L.A.
