Lakers, LeBron Returning Or Not, Will Destroy Jazz

Jazz vs. Lakers, 10:30 ET

The NBA can be quite the grind with sports betting. There are a lot of times you get locked into a bet and then find out that a player is sitting out for whatever reason. There are other times when you think a player is out and he decides he is going to play. Availability is often times the best ability for a team. Unfortunately for us as sports bettors, we are the absolute last to know. There are a number of guys that have a questionable tag for tonight's game between the Jazz and Lakers, but I'm not going to be scared away from this bet I have locked in.

The Jazz, if you squint hard enough, actually look like a decent team. They are 5-8 for the season, but just 1-5 away from Utah, which is a fairly regular record for them over the past few years. The Jazz are a team that has a few pieces that could be enticing trade pieces if they want to go full blown rebuild, but they also do a good job late in the season of tanking enough to still keep lottery picks. This year, they selected Ace Bailey who looked really unhappy about having to head to Utah. Bailey is playing around 20 minutes, but averaging just 8.4 points per game. He did have a couple of really nice games in a row against the Pacers and Hawks, putting up 20 points in both of them, but he only saw the floor for 10 minutes against the Bulls in a double overtime win. He fouled out in that game. Fouling out in 10 minutes is hard to do. Let's take a look at the road win and the losses for the Jazz. They lost by one point, 22, 23, 11, 40, and the win was by two points. Essentially, they've been blown out in half of the road games. 

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - MARCH 27: Lauri Markkanen #23 of the Utah Jazz in action during the second half of a game against the Phoenix Suns at Vivint Arena on March 27, 2023 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)

The Lakers are actually looking like a force this season. Weight Watchers Luka seems to be even better than chubby Luka, which is supposedly a reason that Dallas traded him away. Yes, I'm still that guy bringing it up… mostly because I can't believe someone would trade him, and now they are going to trade what they got for him. The NBA is a soap opera. In any case, the biggest concern with the Lakers and their lineup is if LeBron James returns tonight or not. I personally hope he doesn't. The Lakers are playing good basketball at 10-4, and while James is good enough to help any team, this could disrupt the rhythm a bit and throw off guys. He likely will have a minutes limit and some restrictions, but either way, I hope he sits out. The Lakers haven't been great at home, but they've only had five games here. At home, they are just 3-2. They lost the season opener by 10, then beat the Timberwolves by 18. They lost to Portland by 14, then beat the Heat by 10, and the Spurs by two. 

This is a home-and-home, back-to-back for both teams, but the Lakers have had time to relax a bit after their five-game road trip. Their last game was on Saturday, the second half of a back-to-back which saw them win both games with ease. They also played a Bucks team coming off of an overtime contest in that one. Now they face another team coming off of an extended game. The Jazz are not going to be up for this game. Even though people like playing in front of the celebrities in LA, this is a game the Lakers should dominate and have a good advantage in with the Jazz playing in double overtime in their last one. LeBron could throw the chemistry off a bit if he plays, but I still think the Lakers cover the big number. 

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