The Los Angeles Lakers are, according to the NBA games betting odds, 7½-point road dogs against the Philadelphia 76ers, but they wouldn’t be if they’d just listened to Lonzo Ball’s daddy LaVar, who seemingly has adopted a verbal version of Hunter S. Thompson’s gonzo writing style who had no claims of objectivity and made profuse use of exaggeration, but obviously lacking the social critique, self-satire, sarcasm, and humour that made Thompson one of the forefathers of the new journalism movement. Oh, and CBS Sports, LaVar and Paul E. Dangerously are in as different leagues as Brock Lesnar and Lonzo are.
- Date: Thursday, 7th December
- Time: 8:05 PM
- Venue: Wells Fargo Center
Sportsbook odds for fans betting on NBA games:
Lakers +7½ (-110) 221½ (-110) +265
76ers -7½ (-110) 221½ (-110) -325
Protecting the ball (Ball is already overprotected)
The Lakers have lost five games straight, and failed to cover in four of them, and that skid comes down to two things; turnovers and defense. LA has turned the ball over at least 16 times in each of those five games, leads the NBA with 17.5 per game, and four players literally drop the ball between two and three times per game. The Lakers score second-most fast-break points but 18.1% of their transition possessions end in turnovers. Additionally, they have allowed an average of 118.6 points per game during losing streak, including Sunday’s 118-95 home loss to the Houston Rockets, in which “calf soreness limited [Lonzo Ball]” to 22 minutes and 0-for-4 from the field. Yeah, calf soreness, that’s what’s the matter with him. The Lakers are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games following back-to-back ATS losses, 1-6 ATS in their last seven road games, 0-4 ATS in their last four games after losing by more than 10 points, 8-2 ATS in their last 10 trips to Philly, and 1-4 against the NBA games betting odds spread in their last five games overall.
Keeping a lid on Embiid
Sixers center Joel Embiid went ballistic on the Lakers at Staples Center three weeks ago, scoring 46 points, the most by a Philly player since Allen ‘BIG3’ Iverson more than a decade ago, plus 15 rebounds, seven assists and seven blocks. The Lakers used all three rotation centers against the Cameroonian, but Embiid was, sometimes literally, head and shoulders above Julius Randle, Brook Lopez and Andrew Bogut. Meanwhile, point guard Ben Simmons is pacing all rookies in points, rebounds, assists and steals, and also averages the most touches in the NBA. Lonzo who? Simmons had 20 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and six steals in Monday’s 115-101 loss to the Phoenix Suns.
#HereTheyCome, Philadelphia. pic.twitter.com/xOw6t5k6h6
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) October 17, 2017
The 76ers are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 home games, 0-4 ATS in their last four games after a double-digit loss at home, and 1-4 ATS in their last five games overall. Furthermore, the road team is 14-4 against the NBA games betting odds spread in the last 18 meetings in this matchup, while the favorite is 29-11 SU in its last 40 games.