Atlanta Hawks vs. Los Angeles Lakers Predictions, Odds, Picks

VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert

4 minute read

Jan. 7, 2022

Michael Crosson
VI Betting Expert
VegasInsider.com

Nationally televised NBA coverage will conclude on Friday night with a compelling non-conference matchup between the Atlanta Hawks and Los Angeles Lakers. Coverage begins from Staples Center at 10:00 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Score Prediction

Lakers 119, Hawks 112

Best Bets

Lakers -2 (-110) at DraftKings

Atlanta Hawks vs. Los Angeles Lakers Predictions

After finishing fifth in the East with a record of 41-31 SU last year, Atlanta posted a similarly average start to the new season, as the Hawks kicked things off with a pedestrian 11-9 SU and 9-11 ATS run – while getting tagged as favorites in 13 of those matchups.

Health issues quickly caught up with Atlanta in December though, considering the Hawks are just 6-11 SU and ATS across their latest 17-game stretch – which has been plagued by a rotation of absences between Trae Young, John Collins, De’Andre Hunter, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Clint Capela, and others.

On the other hand, Los Angeles posted a disappointing start following the groundbreaking acquisition of Russell Westbrook, as the Lakers opened with an underwhelming 8-9 SU and 6-11 ATS skid – despite getting tagged as favorites in ten of those matchups.

Los Angeles has maintained a similarly unsettling pace into the new year too, considering the Lakers are just 12-10 SU and 10-12 ATS across the last 22 games – yet the oddsmakers still won’t give up on them, considering they’ve been favored in 16 of those affairs.

I’ll lay the points with L. A. here, as the Lakers are 4-1 SU and ATS in their last four games, while averaging 120 PPG offensively across that span – which sets the stage for a favorable matchup against a Hawks squad that has surrendered 119.7 PPG defensively across their current 2-4 SU and ATS skid.

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Atlanta Hawks vs. Los Angeles Lakers Betting Resources

• Matchup: Southeast vs. Pacific
• Date: Friday, January 7, 2022
• Venue: Crypto.com Arena
• Location: Los Angeles, California
• TV-Time: ESPN - 10:00 p.m. ET

• Injury Report

Atlanta Hawks Betting Analysis

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 17-20
• ATS: 15-22
• O/U: 19-18

Atlanta was somewhat of an afterthought heading into last year’s playoffs, considering the Nets (+105), Sixers (+270), Bucks (+350), and Heat (+1300) were all given drastically better odds than the Hawks (+3000) to win the conference.

They ended up falling just short in the ECF, but the Hawks still undeniably blossomed into legitimate contenders along their impressive playoff run, considering Atlanta dominated the Knicks in a five-game first-round set – and then stunned the top-seeded Sixers in the second.

Atlanta quickly reverts to mediocrity without its core group of guys on the floor though, considering the Hawks enter Friday riding a rocky 5-10 SU and ATS skid – which includes discouraging losses to the Magic, Rockets, Hornets, and Knicks.

Los Angeles Lakers Betting Analysis

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 20-19
• ATS: 16-23
• O/U: 20-18-1

Regardless of the circumstances, hovering just above .500 is devastating for this new-look Lakers’ squad, but to be fair, they’ve been banged up from the start, so it’s tough to write them off completely, considering LeBron James and Anthony Davis have already missed 12 games apiece this year – while AD is still slated to miss an extended period of time with an MCL sprain.

Despite their downfalls, the Lakers tread at sixth in the West with a record of 20-19 SU, which lands them in the middle of an incredibly tight cluster that includes the Clippers (19-19), Nuggets (18-18), Mavericks (20-18), and Timberwolves (16-20).

So, there’s still plenty of time for the Lakers to separate from the pack and avoid the Play-In Tournament; they just need to get healthy first – and ultimately, shoot the ball better, considering L. A. ranks 23rd in offensive efficiency and 16th in three-point percentage (1.050 OE, 34.9% 3FG).

The Lakers are 4-1 ATS in their last five games. (AP)

Atlanta Hawks vs. Los Angeles Lakers Head-to-Head

The Hawks and Lakers split a two-game regular-season set last year, with both matchups staying well under the total set for Friday’s affair at an average of 199.5 PPG.

Key Players to Watch

• ATL: Trae Young - PG (28.4 PPG, 3.9 REB, 9.5 AST)
• ATL: Clint Capela - C (11.9 PPG, 13.1 REB, 1.5 BLK)
• LAL: LeBron James - SF (28.6 PPG, 7.4 REB, 6.5 AST)
• LAL: Russell Westbrook - PG (19.5 PPG, 8.1 REB, 8.1 AST)

Atlanta Hawks vs. Los Angeles Lakers Betting Conclusion

After posting a third straight victory on Tuesday night, the Lakers enter Friday’s contest as narrow home favorites over the visiting Hawks – marking the seventh time Atlanta has been an underdog across the last eight games.

I’ll back L. A. at home here, as the Hawks have proven far too difficult to trust lately, sitting at 5-10 SU and ATS across the last 15 games – while the Lakers might be onto something, as L. A. sits at 4-1 SU and ATS while averaging 120 PPG since sliding LeBron down to the center position.

Atlanta Hawks vs. Los Angeles Lakers Betting Trends

• The Hawks are 5-10 ATS in their last 15 games.
• The total has gone UNDER in five of the last six matchups between the Hawks and Lakers.
• The Hawks are 4-2 ATS in their last six matchups against the Lakers.
• The Lakers are 4-1 ATS in their last five games.

VegasInsider Staff

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