LA Lakers vs Brooklyn Nets Odds, Spread and Picks

• Anthony Davis is expected to return to the Lakers’ lineup as they visit the Brooklyn Nets
• Brooklyn is a home underdog and will be without Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving
• Find the odds, betting analysis, and prediction below

After watching LeBron James do much of the heavy lifting to keep them afloat, the Los Angeles Lakers may be getting their next most valuable addition back to the lineup Tuesday night.

Anthony Davis, who’s been out with a knee injury since Dec 17, is probable to take the court.

Brooklyn, meanwhile, is just four games into its odyssey minus Kevin Durant, who is out with a knee injury. As it’s a home game, they’ll also be down Kyrie Irving for this one, which tips off at 7:30pm ET from Barclay’s Center and can be seen live on TNT.

The Lakers are 3.5-point road favorites for this one – a prime opportunity to try out New York sports betting, which has just recently launched in the state.

Lakers vs Nets Odds

Odds as of January 24th at BetMGM

With the expected return of Anthony Davis to join LeBron & Westbrook who are desperate for a win, the Lakers are being heavily backed by sharp money in the NBA betting trends.

AD Return Improves Lakers’ Odds

Davis has missed the last 17 games since spraining a ligament in his left knee in the third quarter of the Lakers’ 110-92 road loss to the Timberwolves.

Anthony Davis is expected to play tomorrow at Brooklyn, and is listed as “probable.”

Davis looked good playing 2-on-2, full speed, before the game at Miami, and clearly responded well to it.

— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) January 24, 2022

LA’s mad science experiment of brining in Russell Westbrook and a bevy of veterans was always a risk, but hinged on Davis, in the prime of his career, masking over the roster questions with all-NBA level play.

He got off to an uneven start by his standards, as the Lakers were mixing and matching lineups to find chemistry early on in the year. AD was averaging 23.3 points– the fourth-lowest of his career — along with 9.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 27 games before going down.

LeBron James on hand FORCE!!!
💪 pic.twitter.com/OavUzuWGVP

— LakeShow (@LakeShowCP) January 24, 2022

The Lakers went 7-10 in Davis’ absence, and James was their offensive hub. The 36-year-old scored at least 25 points in 17 straight games, including 13 performances of 30+.

The most recent was last game against the Heat, when he went for 33 points and 11 rebounds in a 113-107 loss.

Offense hasn’t been the problem for LA, who average 111.3 points a game. It’s on the defensive end, where they are surrendering 112.7 a night. That’s 4th-worst in the NBA.

Brooklyn Nets Recent Results

The Nets’ two-game win streak came to a screeching halt in Minnesota Sunday night, when they were blasted 136-125, the most points Brooklyn has allowed in a game this season.

JAMES HARDEN.

pic.twitter.com/czGm9hf9wy

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) January 22, 2022

Coming off a 37-point triple-double against the Spurs, James Harden struggled in the follow up, shooting just 4-for-13 from the field for 13 points, though did add a game-high 13 assists.

That loss was significant because with the Heat’s win over the Lakers that same night, Brooklyn fell out of top spot in the East, now in second looking up at Miami.

Ant hits a three & tells the Nets to call a time-out!

Anthony Edwards (20 years – 171 days) is now the youngest player in NBA history with 300 threes. pic.twitter.com/yxUcJacGDN

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) January 24, 2022

Brooklyn is 2-2 since Durant — at one point neck-and-neck in the 2022 NBA MVP odds with Steph Curry — went down, and like the Lakers, offense hasn’t been their problem, as they’re drilling 50.1% from the field and averaging 117 points a game.

The problem is they’re surrendering 117.5 points per game. Small sample, but that would rank as dead last in the NBA.

Lakers vs Nets Prediction

This a rematch from Christmas, with the Nets handing the Lakers a 122-115 L. Harden had 36 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Without KD or Kyrie, Patty Mills filled the scoring void, potting a season-high 34 points, including an 8-for-13 mark from downtown.

LeBron had 39, nine boards, six assists and three steals, while Westbrook had a triple-double, but shot a brutal 4-for-20 from the field for 13 points.

Despite the Lakers sitting a game under .500 and in the 8-spot in the West, they still have the 6th-best 2022 NBA Championship odds. They’re that talented — but wildly inconsistent and haven’t actually been fully healthy all year.

Brooklyn is 16-4 in their last 20 against Pacific Division opponents, but they are a bettors nightmare, an NBA-worst 18-27-1 against the spread and an even worse 5-17-1 ATS at home.

LA is just 11-21 ATS as a favorite, so they haven’t exactly been a sure thing, but with Davis returning, that should make things a lot tougher for Harden to get to the tin at will.

The pick: Lakers -3.5 (-112)