The Los Angeles Lakers (29-19) and Brooklyn Nets (13-35) will face off in the NBA tonight. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The game will broadcast live on YES.
The Lakers are 8-point favorites over the Nets on the spread (Lakers -8), with the over/under set at 222.5 total points. Los Angeles is a -350 favorite to win outright on the moneyline, while Brooklyn is +275 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Lakers vs. Nets predictions and NBA picks for Tuesday, February 3.
Lakers vs Nets Prediction, Picks
- Lakers vs Nets pick: Over 222.5 (-110)
My Nets vs. Lakers best bet is on the Over at 222.5 total points. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NBA odds page.
Lakers vs Nets Odds
| Lakers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-8 -110 | 222.5 -110o / -110u | -350 |
| Nets Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+8 -110 | 222.5 -110o / -110u | +275 |
Lakers vs Nets NBA Preview
Wait to see if Austin Reaves plays. If he plays, great, love it. If he doesn’t play, I’m still in, but it’s not as strong of a play.
Reaves was upgraded to questionable last Friday and seemed on track to play, but then went through warmup and was a late scratch.
Then, he didn’t play on Sunday vs. the Knicks, either. Maybe he misses this one. He's listed as questionable again tonight.
However, it seems very probable that he will play, and if he does, the trend is incredible:
The Over is 16-8 this season when Reaves plays for the Lakers.
The Nets' defense was good for a month and has fallen back to the absolute depths of hell. They are still an Under team thanks to their offense, but the Lakers’ defense is bad enough to help them through it.
Brooklyn will switch in pick-and-rolls vs. Luka Doncic, but he absolutely loves attacking switches. He’s not methodical enough about it; he leaves meat on the bone vs. weaker matchups in order to show off.
However, Luka is still incredibly comfortable against switches and will body smaller players.
Lakers vs Nets Predictions, Betting Analysis
These two teams are slow, that matters. But efficiency trumps pace when it comes to totals, and both offenses should find ways to score here.
Deandre Ayton’s role is a bit up in the air. He didn’t close the last game for the Lakers, but the Nets are dead last in opponent rim rate. He’ll feast on lobs.
The Lakers struggle defending handoffs, and that’s where Michael Porter Jr. does most of his damage; firing threes behind screens. The Lakers give up the 9th-highest percentage on those shots in the league.
This is just the fifth time a Lakers total has been below 225, and the Over is 3-1 in those games so far.
I project this total at 228, and will feel comfortable taking the Over no matter where this lands, with the caveat that you need assurance that Reaves plays.
Pick: Over 222.5 (-110)
Spread
I'm not betting either side of the spread in this game.
Moneyline
No play on the moneyline as well.
Over/Under
My Nets vs. Lakers betting prediction is on the Over at 222.5 total points.
Nets vs Lakers Betting Trends
