Basketball betting features two of the best team in the NBA on Wednesday as the Atlanta Hawks host the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers have pretty much wrapped up the top seed in the Western Conference while the Hawks are still in the mix for the number three seed in the Eastern Conference. The NBA betting line on this game between the Lakers and Hawks is near a pick.
Basketball betting could point to the Hawks in this game because they are at home and because the Lakers are playing the last game of their five-game road trip. Going against the Lakers in a pick’em situation is dangerous though as rarely do you find Los Angeles where they are not a big favorite. The Lakers have won six of the last ten against the Hawks in this series although the teams have split the last ten games against the point spread. The teams played earlier this year in Los Angeles and the Lakers pulled out the 118-110 victory. The teams have split the last four games in Atlanta.
The Lakers have a losing record this season vs. the basketball betting odds and it has not mattered whether they are at home or on the road. Los Angeles is usually overvalued and they are laying too many points. That is not really the case in this game though since the Hawks are one of the best teams in the league. The Lakers are led by Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol on offense and they are also solid on defense led by Ron Artest. Los Angeles has had a good road trip but sometimes in the last game of a trip a team can feel the effects and become tired. That could be an issue late in this game in Atlanta against a tough Hawks team.
Atlanta has a very good record this season at home both straight up and against the spread. The Hawks still don’t get the attention that the Lakers get but Atlanta is a very good team. They have a balanced lineup led by Joe Johnson and their defense is ranked 11th in the league. Jamal Crawford is one of the leading candidates to win the Sixth Man of the Year award this season. The Hawks might even be able to challenge Cleveland and Orlando in the playoffs this season in the Eastern Conference.