Analysis:1* Take Brooklyn (#704)
This is a particularly bad spot for the LA Lakers, playing
their fourth game of a ‘five games in seven days’ stretch on the East
Coast. It’s an early start afternoon
game for a West Coast team. The Lakers
have lost by double digits twice in their last three games on this trip. Head coach Byron Scott is in full-on tank
mode, getting ‘projects’ Ryan Kelly and Tarik Black into the starting lineup at
the expense of Jordan Hill and Carlos Boozer, both of whom got ‘DNP – coaches decision’
in each of the first three games on this trip.
And while the betting markets have upgraded the Lakers in
recent weeks thanks to a 12-5 ATS run, the majority of that success came at the
Staples Center and their only SU win on the road in the last seven tries came
in OT at equally hapless Minnesota. LA
isn’t any better now than they were a month ago, and the betting markets are
giving them a good notch or two too much respect.
The Nets have fought their way back into the playoff picture
with six wins in their last eight games; now trailing Boston by just a half
game for the final spot in the East. That
includes wins over fellow playoff contenders Milwaukee, Indiana, Charlotte and
a huge upset over Cleveland in their last five games alone. And the quotes coming out of Brooklyn these
days are nearly universally positive.
Center Brook Lopez: “We
haven’t given up. As bad as it got in the lowest points, we still were in the
race. It was just baffling to us, crazy. We knew we could always make a push
and we had an opportunity and we’re taking advantage of it. We’re focused on
going one at a time, but we all feel like we’re in a really good place. In the
playoffs, we’d get a fresh light to kind of start over and the way we’re
playing now, I’d definitely take that. … The confidence continues to grow every
day.”
Head coach Lionel Hollins: “I’ve
felt good about the way we played since the All-Star break. We have a renewed
spirit. We’ve played hard, together. We’ve
overcome adversity. We had some tough losses, we’ve bounced back from them, and
we’ve had some big wins. I’ve been proud of the way the group has been playing….We’ve come together as a team and we’re playing
better. We’ve learned what our strengths
are, what our weaknesses are, and we try to play to them every game and good
things are happening.
We’re getting a pointspread
bargain because the Nets have not played well at the Barclays Center for
extended stretches this season, while the Lakers have been cashing underdog
tickets since the All Star break. I’m
not convinced in the slightest that either one of those recent trends will
continue unabated this afternoon. Take
the Nets.
Pick Made: Mar 29 2015 8:29AM PST