L .A. Lakers AT Atlanta Hawks
Mar 8, 2011 at 7 PM EST
Opening Line: LA -3.5
Current Line: LA -5
Opening Total: 185.5
Current Total: 183.5
Opening Moneyline: LAL -200 / Atl +170
Current Moneyline: LAL -210 / Atl +175
The Lakers entered the All Star break struggling. They were coming off an embarassing loss to the NBA’s worst team in Cleveland and were riding yet another three game losing streak, their second of the season. Things turned around directly after the all star break against Atlanta, and they’ve been steamrolling since.
They’ll meet up against the Hawks again tonight and see if they can continue the streak against the team it began against. Their win streak is currently at 7 games and tonight would tie a record for the best win streak following an all star break by the Lakers.
The change for the Lakers has been the improved defense and Phil Jackson attributes that to the coaching Laker assistant coach Chuck Person. “He’s really been good with the guys and has handled it pretty well,” Jackson said. “We’ve taken the extra time defensively in practice rather than doing as much execution offensively as we have in the past.”
Some betting trends:
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the Lakers’ last 5 games and they are 5-0 SU in their last 5 games. The total has gone UNDER in 7 of their last 10 on the road and they are 4-1 SU in their last 5 on the road. The Lakers are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games against the Hawks and they are 2-5 SU In their last 7 road games at Atlanta. The Lakers are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 road games against the Hawks.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Atlanta’s last 6 games and Atlanta is 3-6 SU in their last 9 games and they are also 3-6 ATS in those games. Atlanta is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 home games and 1-4 SU in their last 5 home games. Atlanta is 15-6 SU in their last 21 at home and they are 2-4 SU in their last 6 against the Lakers. Atlanta is 5-2 in their last 7 games at home against the Lakers.
Key Matchups:
Pau Gasol vs. Al Horford
Horford averages his career low of any team against the Lakers, a mere 8.3 points per game. While much of that can be attributed to Gasol, the bulk of the credit goes to the Lakers’ team defense. Odom and Bynum contribute in equal measures as Gasol at controlling the interior players of other teams. Horford is a fair match defensively, but finds himself out numbered on offense by the Lakers’ trio of big men. Last time the teams met, Gasol outscored Horford 14 to 4. While 14 is a bit below Gasol’s season average, the difference is made up for of course in holding Horford to such an atrocious total.
Kobe Bryant vs. Joe Johnson
The two high scorers for both teams square off at shooting guard. Johnson is putting up 19.2 points per game this season, down slightly from his 21.3 average over the past two seasons, mainly because he is playing a tad bit less minutes and consquently attempting a few less shots. His percentages are roughly the same. Kobe’s minutes are way down this year as Jackson is beginning to rest Kobe more for when it counts, as is often done with aging veterans. Despite playing 5 minutes less per game this season, Kobe’s scoring average is down only 1.9 points. He’s shooting more frequently to compensate for the fact he is playing less minutes. Johnson will present a good challenge for Bryant on both ends of the court, though, and he did hold Kobe to 20 last time the teams met. For his career against the Hawks, Bryant averages 22.5 points per game, which is well below his career average of 25.3
Tonight’s game should be a pretty good one. The Lakers are a superior team but the Hawks are always tough at Philips Arena. Look for the Lakers to try to strike early and put the Hawks in trouble early in the game, as if Atlanta is able to get off to a good start they are very difficult to beat at home.
