NBA 2021/22 on Friday, 28.01.2022
Basketball fans can rejoice, because not for nothing DAZN is broadcasting today’s NBA clash between the Philadelphia Sixers and the Los Angeles Lakers! We will focus more on the players and less on the outcome of the game itself.
In my 76ers-Lakers tip, two names in particular will be in our sights: LeBron James and Joel Embiid. Both are currently smashing everything, but my betting decision falls on the Cameroonian for a good reason…
One thing first: Those hoping for a monster trade with Ben Simmons just before the deadline will most likely be disappointed. Because the Sixers will probably postpone their big purchases until next summer, when players like James Harden are available.
In the upcoming game, the first thing to do is to continue the strong series of the last few weeks. With twelve wins from the last fifteen NBA games, Philadelphia is right on course for the playoffs.
Los Angeles, for its part, has managed far fewer wins over the same period. However, it looks like that has come to an end, as Anthony Davis finally made his comeback in a purple jersey yesterday after more than seventeen games out.
The Lakers beat none other than the Brooklyn Nets yesterday with 106:96. LeBron James, who has been outstanding for weeks, finally got the support that Los Angeles needed with Davis to win a close game.
Both opponents are in good shape for tonight. However, there are good reasons why I will clearly prefer a player bet to a classic 1X2 tip.
Because games between Sixers and Lakers are historically extremely difficult to bet on – the best example of this is that since 2001, a total of 41 direct duels have been played, of which the Lakers have won 21 and the 76ers 20 – it simply doesn’t get more balanced than that!
In addition, there is no reason to take the risk of a win bet, because both sides have a centre in their ranks who simply delivers consistently at the moment and never misses an opportunity to excite the masses.
For the Lakers, this is LeBron James, against whom teams have been unable to find a recipe for weeks. The Lakers may have lost a few games recently, but no one has been able to keep The King down.
James has scored more than 25 points in ten games in January alone – in 70% of these games he even managed to break the 30-point mark. Even against the 76ers, the brawny centre could end up above that mark again!
But more than James, a player bet on his counterpart on Philadelphia’s side seems to be the better solution. Joel Embiid, after all, has the slightly more capable teammates and is simply off the charts in terms of his performances!
Granted, the Sixers have not defeated a top-class player in recent weeks, but the Cameroonian still showed no mercy. Like LeBron on the other side, he consistently scored 25 points upwards in January.
But especially in the last few days, the Embiid Express has been up and down: 50, 40, 38, 42 – that’s the tally from the last four appearances, all of which – with the exception of the game against the Clippers – resulted in a win.
The reason I’m going for Embiid in the end has to do with the fact that he’s harder to cover. Namely, the Lakers have a problem in man-to-man coverage, as LeBron’s age makes it hard for him to shut down the Cameroonian in a head-to-head matchup.
Conclusion: This game promises a lot of entertainment. But even die-hard NBA experts cannot give a reliable tip on the outcome of this game. Especially since in head-to-head duels, laws of their own usually seem to prevail.
On the other hand, a player bet on one of the two centres seems more promising to me. Both LeBron James for the Californians and Joel Embiid for Philadelphia have been in outstanding form since the New Year.
However, I opt for the Cameroonian because he seems to be more difficult to cover by Los Angeles. Moreover, Embiid has averaged 42.5 points during his last four appearances alone – which is a real house number!
So my Sixers Lakers tip is officially: Joel Embiid +33.5 points!
