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The Philadelphia 76ers play the other Los Angeles team at Staples Center on Tuesday night, two days after losing to the Clippers at the same venue.
The Sixers have gone 2-3 in their last five games played and they will be missing Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Josh Richardson due to injury. Philly is coming off a six-point loss to the Clippers and although this is a road game, they won’t be traveling because they played at the Staples Center last Sunday. The Lakers bounced back from a poor performance against the Memphis Grizzlies. Anthony Davis rested a minor injury and the Lakers got a triple-double from LeBron James as they beat the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday night.
Eight Consecutive Road Defeats
The Sixers continue their Los Angeles trip with a date against the top team in the Western Conference. Philadelphia dropped a 130-136 game to the Clippers on Sunday night, their 8th consecutive defeat on the road. Philly played minus Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons who are both out with injury. Both will not play against the Lakers on Tuesday night.
Shake Milton took charge of the Sixers’ scoring by putting up a career-high 39 points, including seven three-pointers and 26 in the first half. Tobias Harris added 25 points and Alec Burks added 15 for Philadelphia which has dropped two out of its last three assignments while playing without their best players.
Philadelphia ranks 5th in the NBA in scoring defense at 107.0 points per game allowed. They are 8th in passing at 25.9 assists per contest and are 12th in rebounding at 45.5 boards grabbed per contest. The Sixers are scoring an average of 109.1 points per game, 22nd overall in the league.
LeBron’s Triple-Double Beats Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans provided the Anthony Davis-less Lakers a tough challenge but LeBron James’ triple-double help beat Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans 122-114 on Sunday night. Davis sat out the game against his former team with a sore right knee and the Lakers needed everything that James got to beat the stubborn Pelicans.
James scored 34 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and issued 13 assists after scoring a season-high 40 in his first meeting against Zion Williamson. Kyle Kuzma added 20 points while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 13. Javale McGee scored eight points and blocked six shots. The Lakers improved to 19-0 when James scores 30 or more points this season.
The Lakers are 7th in the league in scoring at 114.5 points per game this season. They are also 7th in scoring defense at 107.1 points per game allowed. The Purple and Gold are ranked 8th in rebounding at 46.1 boards grabbed per contest and 7th in passing at 26.1 dimes per outing.
Who Wins?
The Sixers are 6-3 SU in their last nine games played. They are 0-8 SU in their last eight games played on the road, and 4-1 SU in their last five games played against the Pacific Division. The Lakers are 8-1 SU in their last nine games played. Los Angeles is 5-1 SU in their last six games played at Staples Center. Head to head, the Sixers are 6-4 SU in their last 10 games played against the Lakers.
The Sixers are in a bad stretch right now as both Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons are out with injuries. Philly has dropped two out of their last three games played but what’s more concerning is that they have dropped eight straight games at home. Philly is just 9-22 on the road this season. They have been an entirely different team when playing away from home.
L.A. played minus Anthony Davis on Sunday night but his injury doesn’t look serious and he should be ready to play on Tuesday night. The Lakers are 21-7 SU at home this season and they have lost just once in their last five road games. LeBron James is having a solid season and if Davis plays, the Lakers are in a good spot here.
I’m not taking the Sixers here because they are without their top two best players. Sure, they still have some scorers left but without star power, I think the Lakers are too much for them in this game. LeBron and AD have been a terrific duo for L.A. and they should be able to help the Lakers beat a depleted Sixers team.
Prediction: Los Angeles Lakers
Other Bets to Make
Philadelphia is 5-2 ATS in their last seven games played. The Sixers are 1-3 ATS in their last four games played on the road, and 4-1 ATS in their last five games played against the Western Conference. Los Angeles is 6-2 ATS in their last eight games played. The Lakers are 3-2 ATS in their last five games played at home, and 1-5 ATS in their last six games played against the Eastern Conference. Head to head, the Sixers are 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games played against the Lakers. Philly is also 8-2 ATS in their last 10 road games against the Lakers.
76ers
+12 (-105)
Lakers
-12 (-115)
Odds from SportsBetting as of 03/03/20
The Sixers have beaten the Lakers in their last three meetings and have done so by an average margin of 18.67 points per game. Philly beat L.A. by 17 points when these teams met last January 25, 2020, but the stakes are different here. The Sixers will be without both Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons while the Lakers will likely get Anthony Davis back. I think that Philly won’t have enough firepower to counter the Lakers who have played big games at the Staples Center this season.
Prediction: Lakers -12
The total has gone over in six out of the last nine games played by the Sixers. The over is 7-2 in their last nine games played in March. The total has gone under in four out of the last six games played by the Lakers. Los Angeles has seen the total go under in four out of their last five games played at home. The under is 4-1 in their last five Tuesday games. Head to head, the total has gone under in six out of the last 10 meetings between these two teams.
Over
221.5 (-110)
Under
221.5 (-110)
Odds from SportsBetting as of 03/03/20
These teams combined to score 199 points last January and have combined to score an average of 214.1 points per game in their last 10 meetings. The Sixers have scored at least 115 points in three out of their last four games played. The Lakers have dropped at least 114 points in eight out of their last assignments and despite being a good defensive team, LA has seen the total go over 220 in four out of their last six assignments.
Prediction: Over 221.5
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