Matt Ryan rises for the buzzer-beating, game-tying 3-pointer vs. the New Orleans Pelicans (Image Credit: Adam Pantozzi / National Basketball Association / Getty)
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In this 2022-23 NBA season, we here at Lakers Outsiders will be providing a weekly gambling blog to our readers! Donny McHenry (@donny_mchenry) and Alex Torres (@alextorres_11) will both provide two bets each week, with each bet including our reasoning for why we like it. One bet will be related to a Lakers game, while the other one will be related to a random other NBA game going on that week.
Last week, we combined to go 2-2, which bring us to 5-3 for the season. That’s not bad actually! We are batting over 50%, which is much better than the Lakers’ current record. Ouch, but at least they’ve actually won some games and are looking to get their third win in a row against the Utah Jazz.
The Lakers and Jazz were rumored to have had extensive talks this off-season, but a deal never came to fruition. Instead, the Jazz dealt Bojan Bogdanović to the Detroit Pistons and he’s playing really well for them. What could have been?
Now, the Lakers have to focus on Lauri Markkanen, Jordan Clarkson, and familiar face Talen Horton-Tucker. While the Jazz are 6-3 in the regular season so far, this is a very winnable game for the Lakers, which they have to take advantage of if they have any dreams of being competitive this season.
Donny’s Bets
Lakers -2.5 (-110) vs. Utah Jazz
I’ve bet against the Lakers a decent amount to start this 2022-23 season.
I’m sorry! I’ve just had my doubts about this team from the get-go and all of those doubts were on full display in the first couple of losses. However, I did not recognize this team trending upwards last Friday in their road loss vs. the Timberwolves, incorrectly betting against them on Sunday against the Nuggets. Betting is about learning though, and I did just that by betting on their +3 spread against the Pelicans on Wednesday while also sprinkling some cheddar on the moneyline. Now, I’m ready to bet on them again even against a surprisingly formidable foe in the 6-3 Utah Jazz.
There are a few things I like about the Lakers in this one. To start, they’ll be playing their third straight game at home where Lonnie Walker, Russell Westbrook, and other Lakers players have been able to get the crowd in on the mix to really affect the game. Second, Utah’s 6-3 record includes only a 2-3 record on the road. And lastly, the Jazz have been slightly above average on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball, but that 15th-ranked offensive rating has been boosted by two games against the 28th-ranked Memphis Grizzlies defense. I’m expecting the Lakers’ defense to shut down this Jazz offense and on the other end, the Lakers should easily be able to take advantage of a team that gives up the most points in the paint.
Lakers win their third game in a row and cover the spread while doing so.
Anthony Davis over in points total vs. Jazz
Coming into this game, Anthony Davis will be listed as “questionable” on the injury report due to that same lower back soreness/tightness that has hindered him all season. I do think he plays in this one as he grabbed at the back less vs. the Pelicans than he did Sunday vs. the Nuggets. It should also be noted that he was questionable heading into both of those games before ultimately playing.
And with the fact that the Jazz give up the most points in the paint, I think AD could have a big night with guys like Lauri Markkanen and Kelly Olynyk guarding him down there.
And yes, I’m cheating by using two Lakers bets. Usually I don’t like to touch ANY Lakers-related bets, but I feel confident in the way I’m seeing this game. Because of that, I’m bending the rules of this series of posts in week three. Sue me.
(Anthony Davis’ points prop has not been released at the time of this publishing. Check back later and we will hopefully update it with the specific total. But whatever it is… bet the over)
Donny’s record on the year: 2-2
Alex’s Bets
Talen Horton-Tucker over in points total vs. Lakers
Devin Booker cost me my perfect season last week, so I need to redeem myself with betting the over on Talen Horton-Tucker.
I legitimately don’t know if the Lakers will win this game. Anthony Davis has been amazing when he is not grabbing his back in pain. If AD can lace them up and play, then the Lakers will be competitive. It’s actually been LeBron James who hasn’t looked great to start the season. We can still call it rust, but a couple more games like that and we won’t help but wonder if Father Time is finally catching up to him.
One thing I am confident in is that this will be the THT revenge game. After not trading him for Kyle Lowry, Horton Tucker ends up in Utah as they go through a rebuilding process, he has to be a little salty. Granted, he won’t have the pressure of performing under the bright lights of Los Angeles, but Utah is rough, just ask Vernon Maxwell.
You better believe THT will be very motivated to remind the front office and Laker fans why we once were excited about his potential.
Give me his over.
Jayson Tatum’s over in points total vs. Knicks (Saturday, November 5th)
The Knicks will be on the latter end of a back-to-back and they get to host the Boston Celtics and Jayson Tatum. Admittedly, I’ve been a Tatum fan for quite some time and I believe he is a big-time player. The type of player that goes to Madison Square Garden and puts on a show. The great ones go to the Garden and usually deliver historic performances and at the very least he will drop 30.
The Knicks have been much better at home this season, so it should be a competitive game that requires Tatum to score the ball a lot. The Celtics will also be playing a second consecutive game, so neither team will have fresh legs. That jumper is pretty enough to get us a 30-ball.
Alex’s record on the year: 3-1
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All odds taken from DraftKings Sportsbook at 6:30 a.m. PT on 11/04/22 unless otherwise noted.
NOTE: Gambling involves risk and neither Lakers Outsiders itself or the writers of this article are liable for any losses or damages incurred by the reader, either directly or indirectly, as a result of the use or misuse of its information and/or recommendations.
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