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The Los Angeles Lakers are finally back in La-La Land after a successful road trip, and waiting for them inside Crypto.com Arena are the lowly Brooklyn Nets. 

That’s a nice “Welcome Home” present.

Brooklyn sits near the bottom of the Eastern Conference and brings a nine-game losing skid to Los Angeles, which has bookies listing the Lakers as hefty home favorites.

With a tougher schedule ahead, this cake walk with Brooklyn has L.A. potentially resting some starters for the home stretch.

My Nets vs. Lakers predictions dig into how that opens up LeBron James’ potential as a playmaker.

Read more in my NBA picks for Friday, March 27. 

Nets vs Lakers predictionNets vs Lakers best bet: LeBron James Over 6.5 assists (-125)

With little threat of losing tonight, the Los Angeles Lakers are thinking about sitting Luka Doncic tonight. Doncic has put in a ton of minutes during the Lakers’ 10-1 SU run, and he's also been fighting through a tender hamstring.

He’s questionable against the Brooklyn Nets, which would leave a ton of touches on the table for Los Angeles. Doncic is a primary ball handler, and his absence slides LeBron James into that role. 

The veteran forward has averaged 67.5 touches during that 11-game span (Doncic is getting 90.5), with his potential assists sitting at 11.6. That’s produced 6.5 actual assists per contest during the streak.

An increase in ball-handling duties instantly juices LeBron’s playmaking prowess, which we see in his season production when Doncic is sidelined. In the past four games with Doncic out and James in, he’s averaged 10 assists per game. 

The Nets aren’t providing much in the way of defense as it tries to tank for a Top 3 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. Brooklyn has allowed more than 118 points against since the All-Star break and is among the worst teams in opponent assist-to-FGM rate (24th), with foes handing out over 27 assists an outing.

James’ projections all sit north of seven assists — and that’s with Doncic in the lineup. Should Luka sit, LeBron’s passing prop soars.

Nets vs Lakers same-game parlay

The No. 3 seed in the Western Conference is still up for grabs, so while Los Angeles may sit Luka, it doesn’t take the Nets lightly. Brooklyn is closing out a road trip in L.A. tonight, which probably has this losing team more concerned with off-court plans.

With James stepping up as a passer, Austin Reaves can be more of a scorer and pick up the slack with Doncic potentially out. Given the expected game script, Reaves could also get extra rest once L.A. pulls away in the second half.

Nets vs Lakers SGP

• Lakers +16
• LeBron James Over 6.5 assists
• Austin Reaves Under 5.5 assists

Our "from downtown" SGP: The King's Court

The possibility of a Luka-less Lakers rotation puts LeBron in the spotlight. He’s projected to top his assists, triples, and rebound props tonight.

In the last four games without Doncic, LeBron has pulled down 6+ boards in each game while hitting two or more 3-pointers in two of those outings.

Nets vs Lakers SGP

• Lakers +16
• LeBron James Over 6.5 assists
• LeBron James Over 1.5 threes
• LeBron James Over 5.5 rebounds

Nets vs Lakers odds

• Spread: Nets +16 (-110) | Lakers -16 (-110)
• Moneyline: Nets +900 | Lakers -1600
• Over/Under: Over 222.5 (-110) | Under 222.5 (-110)

Nets vs Lakers betting trend to know

Brooklyn is 5-24 SU and 11-17-1 ATS (39.7%) in non-conference games this season. Find more NBA betting trends for Nets vs. Lakers.

How to watch Nets vs Lakers Nets vs Lakers latest injuries

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