Los Angeles Lakers vs Philadelphia 76ers 1/27/22: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Betting Odds, Live Stream

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Philadelphia 76ers Matchup Preview (1/27/22)

Los Angeles will continue its east-coast road trip with a matchup in Philadelphia against Joel Embiid and the Sixers. The Lakers just finished beating a Nets team in rough shape: no Kevin Durant, Joe Harris, or Kyrie Irving. Still, they struggled to find an answer for James Harden, who posted a massive triple-double. One has to imagine that Joel Embiid will have similar results against this horrendous Lakers defense. Luckily, Anthony Davis is back, and that should help mitigate Embiid’s offensive impact at least a little. If Embiid only gets 35-40 points, then that should be a “win” for Los Angeles, in my opinion. Davis was able to register four blocks in his first game back against the Nets, so there is potential for defensive progression for this Lakers squad. Meanwhile, Philadelphia has slowly put together a strong season, especially considering it has been without Ben Simmons the entire year and has suffered several injuries and COVID setbacks. Currently, they are sixth; however, they are merely two games out of first place! This game should be a barnburner, so take a look below at which team I think will come out of it victorious.

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Philadelphia 76ers Betting Odds

The Sixers are currently 1.5 home favorites against the Los Angeles Lakers. While Los Angeles is fresh off a decisive road win against Brooklyn, we must remind ourselves that it was a Brooklyn team without Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Joe Harris. Meanwhile, Philadelphia has gotten MVP-caliber play from Joel Embiid who has appeared to be borderline unstoppable. I got lucky betting the Lakers ATS once on the road, and I only did it because they were playing Brooklyn. This time, I have to lean towards the Sixers ATS at home.

TV Schedule

Date: 1/27/22
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Arena: Wells Fargo Center – Philadelphia, PA
Channel: TNT

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Los Angeles Lakers Starting Lineup

PG: Russell Westbrook
SG: Avery Bradley
SF: Stanley Johnson
PF: LeBron James
C: Anthony Davis

Los Angeles Lakers Analysis

Anthony Davis finally returned to the starting lineup for Los Angeles, and while it was not a terrific debut, his presence was a significant boost. He only posted eight points, two rebounds, and two assists; however, Davis totaled four blocks in just 25 minutes of play. This is a much-needed addition to a Lakers defense that has been bottom-five in most key statistical categories. While they play at a higher tempo than most teams, Los Angeles still needs to resemble an organized defense on the other end of the floor. It also seemed that the morale was higher during its win against the Nets in Brooklyn. The Lakers may be moving in the right direction, but Davis will have to step up offensively eventually. He has been incredibly sub-par on that end of the floor this season, and for Los Angeles to have any chance at a title, he has to play like an MVP from this point forward.

Philadelphia 76ers Starting Lineup

PG: Tyrese Maxey
SG: Furkan Korkmaz
SF: Matisse Thybulle
PF: Tobias Harris
C: Joel Embiid

Philadelphia 76ers Analysis

Joel Embiid is having an MVP-caliber season, and we are all afraid it may go to waste because Daryl Morey thinks he can get two arms and two legs from Ben Simmons, who has made it clear he does not want to play in Philadelphia. That is not exactly the ideal situation you want to be in if you are negotiating. Even if Simmons is traded, it is hard to determine his motivation level, and I think this could be the hesitancy for many teams. Is he worth the trouble? Well, we may never know because Morey is more concerned with being right and getting what he wants than just moving on and focusing on the fact that Philadelphia is still a very solid team. It was a slow start to the season for Embiid; however, he has been an absolute force of nature in his past 18 games, averaging 34.2 points, 10.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game on a 55/39/84 shooting split, which is just ridiculous for a center. For Philadelphia to make any post-season run, it will need to be a better all-around offensive team outside of Embiid and make a trade for a quality, win-now player. Unfortunately, Morey does not seem to want to get with the program.

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Philadelphia 76ers Daily Fantasy Picks

Malik Monk has cooled off quite a bit after he dropped 20, 25, 15, 18, 22, 24, and 29 points in seven games; however, he is still liable to have big games if the matchup is right. This was evidenced by a terrific matchup with Brooklyn on Tuesday night when he had 22 points, five rebounds, and two assists in just under 28 minutes. Since he returned from his absence in the middle of December, Monk has averaged 16.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.4 assists. What is far more impressive, though, is the efficiency in which he’s putting up these numbers. During that span of 15 games, Monk has shot an incredible 52% from the floor and 48% from three. It would be in the Lakers’ best interest to continue to utilize him on the offensive end, but his volume is still around 11-12 field goal attempts per game. Ideally, they will allow him to expand his game, which Los Angeles desperately needs, and let him shoot 13-15 times per game. In the meantime, find beneficial matchups for Monk on the offensive end and plug him into your DFS lineups.

As mentioned above, Joel Embiid is an obvious candidate for your DFS lineup. Embiid has often led all DFS scorers, and thus, becomes a must-start if you want to compete with other lineups. Embiid’s lackluster start to the 2021-22 NBA season did not last very long, as he has averaged 34.2 points, 10.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game on a 55/39/84 shooting split in his past 18 games. Against the Lakers, a team that struggles so much on the defensive end, it is hard to imagine Embiid posting less than 40 points in this game. Additionally, this is a matchup between two potential MVP candidates, and I’m sure LeBron and Embiid are both very aware.