LeBron Has Led The Lakers (-5) In Scoring 14 Games In A Row

Shoutout to Luke and Lucas who trailed our Celtics parlay a few nights ago — appreciate everyone reading and following along with our picks 🙏. Let’s talk Pacers vs. Lakers 👇

Pacers @ Lakers Preview

While the NBA rumbles towards the February 10 trade deadline, a lot of rumors continue to heat up. Tonight, potential partners in a mega-deal will face off at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles 👇

Pacers @ Lakers Odds

• Spread: Lakers -5

• Moneyline: Pacers +175 (bet $100, win $175), Lakers -210 (bet $210, win $100)

• Over/Under: 223

Despite an even 12-12 home record, the Pacers have been the NBA’s second-worst team on the road, clearing just three wins in their first 20 games away from home. While the Lakers have been inconsistent, they’ve been much better than Indiana, and are coming off of perhaps their most impressive win of the season against the Utah Jazz

Still, history is on the Pacers’ side, as the Lakers’ game before the Jazz (a 37-point loss to the Nuggets), was the largest margin of defeat in LeBron’s career…EXCEPT for a 2019 loss by 42 points to…you guessed it, the Indiana Pacers 🤷‍♂️

Pack It In Or Ship ‘Em Out

With two near-All-Star-caliber bigs and a handful of shot-creating wings all in their prime, the Pacers have some big decisions to make. At 15-29 under new head coach Rick Carlisle, it’s imminently clear that this isn’t working. If they want to rebuild, will it be around Myles Turner, Domantas Sabonis, both, or neither? 👀

Sabonis reportedly wants out, but it’s Turner whose name has been floating around the most often in trade rumors. However…

• News of a stress fracture in Turners’ foot broke yesterday

• He’ll be out until well past the deadline, likely undermining any potential deals that might have been on the table

Perhaps, the most likely player to leave Indiana before the end of the season is Caris LeVert

• They just acquired LeVert last season as the third-team in the trade that sent James Harden to Brooklyn

• He’s owed about $35M over the remainder of this season and next

• The Pacers are asking for a first round pick and a young player in return

Or, maybe they find a buyer for T.J. Warren, who is still recovering from a foot injury he suffered after playing in just four games last season

If they simply stand pat, the Pacers will still have a lottery pick in the upcoming draft and another chance to reshape their roster this offseason. They’re probably waiting for a Godfather offer to force them to make a move immediately 🙏

Trivia question: where did Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis go to school, and what years were they drafted? (answer below)

Still A Superstar

Despite the Lakers’ up-and-down season, LeBron’s been nothing short of consistent, even as rumors that Frank Vogel’s job is in jeopardy fly around

• He’s averaging his most points per game (28.8) since he was 25

• He’s averaging at least 25 points per game in his 18th straight season (all but his rookie year)

• LeBron has led the Lakers in scoring in 14 straight games. Over the past quarter-century, the only other Lakers with streaks as long are Shaq and Kobe

Surprisingly though, LeBron putting up numbers hasn’t necessarily led to Laker victories

• LeBron has 19 30-point games, more than anyone else in the league

• He’s scored 30+ in 11 of his last 12

• But, the Lakers are just 10-9 when he’s dropped at least 30

Counterintuitively, it might actually just be that LeBron picks up the slack when the rest of his team is struggling, leading to higher point totals for him in losses 😢

For My Parlay Gurus

The Lakers should win this game at home, but the question is can they cover spread? I’m saying yes and riding the under in today’s parlay 👇

• Lakers -5 vs. the Pacers: -110

• Under 223 total points: -110

$100 on this bet would win you $264 — if we hit, make sure to email [email protected] for $100**. First come, first serve 😉

Trivia answer: Turner played at Texas and was picked 11th overall in 2015, while Sabonis played at Gonzaga and was also picked 11th overall the following year in 2016