Philadelphia 76ers vs Los Angeles Lakers 12/9/22 NBA Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Los Angeles Lakers invade the Wells Fargo Center to take on the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night.

The Los Angeles Lakers have been in good form as they’ve won eight of their last 12 games and they will be hoping to avoid a third straight defeat after getting thrashed by the Raptors in a 126-113 road loss on Wednesday. Dennis Schroder led the team with 18 points, Thomas Bryant and Russell Westbrook each scored 16 points while Kendrick Nunn chipped in with 15 points off the bench. As a team, the Lakers shot just 42 percent from the field and seven of 33 from the 3-point line as they struggled to keep up with the Raptors right from the start and they were never in the contest after allowing 70 points in the first half. The Lakers trailed in this one by as many as 27 points before they made a late run to keep the final scores respectable.

Meanwhile, the Philadelphia 76ers have been in decent shape as they’ve split their last eight games, but they will be hoping to put a halt to a three-game skid after falling to the Rockets in a 132-123 double overtime road loss on Monday. Joel Embiid led the team with 39 points on 12 of 21 shooting, Tobias Harris drained seven 3-pointers to finish with 27 points while James Harden chipped in with 21 points and seven assists. As a team, the 76ers shot 44 percent from the field and 17 of 36 from the 3-point line as they rallied back from a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter, only to get blown away in the overtime period where the Rockets poured in 24 points. Harden had himself a rough shooting night as he shot just four of 19 from the field while committing seven turnovers.

Looking at the betting trends, the Lakers are 4-10 ATS in their last 14 games following a loss and 0-8 ATS in their last eight games following a loss of more than 10 points. The 76ers are 7-0 ATS in their last seven home games, 6-2 ATS in their last eight games playing on three or more days rest and 1-7 ATS in their last eight home games against a team with a road record below .400.

Head to head, the under is 6-1 in the last seven meetings in Philadelphia, the Lakers are 0-4 ATS in the last four meetings in Philadelphia and the Lakers are 2-6 ATS in the last eight meetings overall. The Lakers should have all their key players available as Anthony Davis and LeBron James are both listed as probable, while the 76ers are again missing Tyrese Maxey and Georges Niang. Both teams are coming into this meeting in similar form and it should be a real battle of the bigs with Davis going up against Embiid in this one. It’s hard to split these two squads at the moment as the 76ers’ James Harden is still working himself back into shape while the Lakers are relying heavily on Davis who can’t stay healthy for long these days. You can make an argument for either side, but with the line so short, I’ll stick with the 76ers to get win and cover at home.