If it was all about LeBron James the Los Angeles Lakers would be leading the NBA. Unfortunately for him it’s a team game and the Lakers have struggled just to maintain a spot in the play-in tournament. James became the league’s second-leading all-time scorer surpassing Karl Malone, and like a majority of outcomes this season it came in a loss. It was LA’s 10th setback in 13 games since the All-Star break moving them closer to being a postseason afterthought. The Lakers enter the week with a slim lead over San Antonio for the 10th seed in the Western Conference and have a massive game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night.
The NBA game between the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers will air live on ESPN with tip off at 10 p.m. ET on March 23, 2022 from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. BookMaker.eu will have betting options for every game on the NBA schedule.
NBA Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Odds Analysis
The Sixers saw their NBA championship odds improve with the acquisition of James Harden and while the pairing with MVP candidate Joel Embiid hasn’t been perfect, it has been exciting. Harden made his team debut on Feb. 25 scoring 27 points with 12 assists in a 133-102 beating of Minnesota. Harden played in 11 of 12 games since making his debut with the Sixers going 8-3 SU and 5-5-1 ATS. Harden wasn’t needed in Philly’s 105-87 payout win over the Lakers back in January with Embiid scoring 26 points and Tobias Harris adding 24.
Not only have the Lakers been atrocious on the court they’ve cost backers a lot of money this season. They had another chance at their first winning streak since early January but lost Saturday at Washington, 127-119, as a 1.5-point favorite. One night earlier they ended a three-game slide by beating Toronto outright in overtime ending a three-game ATS skid. They fell to 3-9-1 ATS in their last 12 with the loss to the Wizards. This certainly isn’t the team that played stingy defense during its championship run a few seasons ago. The Lakers allow 114 points per game with the OVER 7-3 in their last 10.
Philadelphia 76ers
Sometimes teaming superstars doesn’t have the desired effect; so far so good in the case of the Sixers. Harden has fit in seamlessly averaging over 22 points, 10.2 assists and 8.0 rebounds in 10 games since making his debut. And the Sixers won eight of the 11 games he played. Harden missed a showdown with Miami earlier this month and the offense struggled scoring just 82 points while shooting 34 percent from the field in the loss.
They aren’t going to win all their games, but it’s important for the Sixers to find some common ground with the recent acquisitions. Harden and Embiid combined to shoot 11 of 32 from the field and 0 of 7 from three-point range in Sunday’s 93-88 loss to the Raptors. You certainly don’t expect both of them to have poor games at the same time, and considering defense is just a suggestion for the Lakers, it probably won’t happen on Wednesday.
Los Angeles Lakers
The only title James is chasing is for the NBA scoring lead because he certainly isn’t getting the Lakers close to a championship. In fact, the Lakers could very easily find themselves out of the play-in tournament if they continue to flounder. They enter the week just 2.5 games ahead of San Antonio for the 10th seed with a post All-Star break that’s been among the worst in the league. They came out of the break losing four straight and are just 3-10 SU and 3-9-1 ATS following a loss to Washington on Saturday.
The first two wins after the All-Star game saw James score at least 50 points. He dropped 56 against Golden State and had 50 in a home win over the Wizards. James slipped to 36 points in a win over the Raptors and it’s not a good sign when he has to average over 47 points to get a win. The surge moved James into second in the scoring race behind only Embiid with an average of 29.8 points.
76ers at Lakers NBA Odds Pick
You have to hand it to LeBron for trying to carry the Lakers. He just hasn’t received much help and as a result they are struggling to win games. And I don’t expect Harden and Embiid to both struggle again with plenty of points for the taking against a leaky LA defense.
NBA Odds Prediction: Philadelphia 76ers / OVER
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