Philadelphia 76ers vs Los Angeles Lakers betting tips and predictions for Friday’s NBA game on ESPN. The Sixers are aiming to end a 3-game losing streak as they host the Lakers who are also coming off back-to-back losses. Read on for all our free predictions and betting tips.
Philadelphia 76ers
It wasn’t the result James Harden envisioned when he decided to return from his injury, as the 76ers fell in double OT against the Houston Rockets. Harden shot just 4-for-19 from the field in the loss, turning the ball over 7 times and failing to record a single shot from the field other than his 4 threes.
Philadelphia wasted a 39-point effort by Joel Embiid, losing to one of the worst teams in the West wasn’t a good look for them. Now they return back home to face a team they’ve beaten 8 times in the last 10 meetings, in hopes of getting a better performance out of Harden. Philly has been consistent covering the spread in home games, they are 8-4 ATS in 12 games played. Against the Lakers they’ve covered in 6 of the last 8 meetings, with a healthy Embiid and Harden they are optimistic about getting a result tonight.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers ruined a lot of bets in their last game as they decided to sit both Anthony Davis and LeBron James in Toronto. The oddsmakers had them as 12.5 point underdogs, they still lost by 13 failing to cover the spread for the 8th time in 12 road games this season. Luckily for them though, both AD and James have been upgraded to probable ahead of tonight’s game, so we can expect LA to be competitive here.
Pressure is on this team to get back to winning ways, they are outside of the playoff picture in the West right now, ranking only 13th, 2 games behind the Warriors who are in 10th place. With just 1 win in 8 meetings against Philly, tonight’s game will be a really tough challenge, but the Lakers should be up for it.
There are question marks surrounding AD after his recent illness and what kind of status he will be in. Joel Embiid should outmuscle him down low, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Sixers big man dropped 40 points here. Take Philly to finally bounce back at home.
Philadelphia 76ers vs Los Angeles Lakers Predictions & Odds
The Lakers love to run, we saw 239 points scored in their last game at Toronto even with their two main guys out of the line-up. Traditionally, their games against the Sixers have favored the under, with that bet landing 6 times in the last 7 played at Wells Fargo Center, however I can see tonight’s game staying away from those trends. Lakers are 5th in pace of play this season averaging 102.6 possessions per game, the total has gone over in 14 of their last 18 games vs Eastern Conference opponents.
Getting back Harden should be beneficial to the Sixers offense, but also detrimental to their defense. At this stage of his career, the Beard is a defensive liability and opposing teams are exposing him, as we saw in the game against Houston. On the other hand, Philly should benefit from his playmaking and his shooting once he figures that out. All in all, I’m expecting a fast paced game, so it would be wise to back the points here.
