Philadelphia 76ers vs Los Angeles Lakers 3/23/22: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Betting Odds, Predictions

Philadelphia 76ers vs. Los Angeles Lakers Matchup Preview (3/23/22)

As part of ESPN’s Wednesday slate, the 76ers will go coast-to-coast from Philadelphia to Los Angeles to battle the Lakers in a non-conference showdown. The Lakers have their backs against the proverbial wall right now as they need to hold off the New Orleans Pelicans or San Antonio Spurs to ensure a spot in the play-in games for a right to go to the postseason. Los Angeles will need every win that it can get as the Spurs are not out of the picture; they are merely three games out of tenth place. It will take more heroism from LeBron James for the remainder of the season to will this team into the playoffs, but he has accomplished amazing feats before, so it is not impossible.

Meanwhile, the Philadelphia 76ers seem to be in a position that requires deep thought and strategy. Philly likely does not want to play the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the NBA playoffs, so it may want to punt a few games and use “rest” as an excuse to ensure that it will play either Toronto or Cleveland. Keep an eye on the injury report for this game to see if Joel Embiid and James Harden are playing or not, as that can greatly alter the outcome of this matchup!

Philadelphia 76ers vs. Los Angeles Lakers Betting Odds

Whether or not Joel Embiid and James Harden play does not matter to me; I will be on the Philadelphia 76ers against the spread for this game. I will stand by my rule of never betting on the Los Angeles Lakers, regardless of who the Sixers put on the floor. That concept has been profitable all year long as the Lakers are merely 30-42 ATS this season and one of the worst teams covering the spread in the NBA. Still, LeBron has been playing ridiculously well recently, so there is always the possibility that he spoils the party. I will have to take my chances; I have no faith in the supporting cast.

How To Watch

Date: 3/23/22
Time: 10:00 PM ET
Arena: Crypto.com Arena – Los Angeles, CA
Channel: ESPN

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Philadelphia 76ers Starting Lineup

PG: Tyrese Maxey
SG: James Harden
SF: Matisse Thybulle
PF: Tobias Harris
C: Joel Embiid

Philadelphia 76ers Analysis

Philly is in a tough position. I know that is not something that we often say about a second-place team in a conference, but this may be one of those cases. The Sixers do not want to play the Brooklyn Nets in the NBA playoffs’ first round; it does not take a genius to figure that out. The last time those two teams played, Philly got dusted at home in front of its fans. To make matters worse, Ben Simmons was in the house! At the moment, the Sixers would be lined up to play Toronto, which would be fine with them. Even if they drop to third in the Eastern Conference, they would be matched up with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who they should be able to beat. It will be a weird few weeks with some teams punting obvious games to feel better about who they play in the first round. This should be similar to a team tanking for a better draft pick; that seems the most likely reason why Embiid and Harden were held out of the last game against the Miami Heat. Unfortunately, they won anyway because Miami may be playing the same game.

Los Angeles Lakers Starting Lineup

PG: Russell Westbrook
SG: Austin Reaves
SF: Malik Monk
PF: Wayne Gabriel
C: Dwight Howard

Los Angeles Lakers Analysis

How many more vintage LeBron James games will we get before the end of the season? At age 37, James has been insanely good this season with historic eye-popping stats. He has averaged 30 points, eight rebounds, and six assists per game this season in what has been one of the best season-long offensive outputs in a decade. Unfortunately, the Lakers are irredeemably bad as a team, and the likelihood of them actually winning play-in games and getting to the postseason is quite slim, in my opinion. Los Angeles is 2-4 in its past six games and will need much better results than that if it wants to get into the playoffs. Assuming that the Lakers want to make the postseason, they need to win some games to ensure that the San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Pelicans go on a late-season run and knock them out of a play-in opportunity. If they can secure a play-in spot, then Anthony Davis may be able to make a return and give them some semblance of hope. However, it all starts with games like this against the Sixers that they need to win.

Philadelphia 76ers vs. Los Angeles Lakers Daily Fantasy Picks

Everyone who has watched the NBA this year knows how incredible LeBron James has played, even though the Los Angeles Lakers are a terrible team beyond saving. James has averaged roughly 30 points, eight rebounds, and six assists on a 52/35/76 shooting split this season. As if that was not enough, he has been even more impressive recently, averaging 36 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists on just shy of 55% from the field. LeBron is as dangerous as he has ever been, despite being 37 years old; matchups on national television, like this one, are definitely games that he should want to get up for. Obviously, LeBron’s salary in DFS is extremely high, but I would always give him a look when he is playing on ESPN, TNT, or ABC.

In another world, Tyrese Maxey would definitely be in the running for the Most Improved Player award this season. Unfortunately for Maxey, it is fairly clear that the award is going to Ja Morant and nobody else, regardless of what happens the rest of the 2021-22 NBA season. Still, Maxey’s accomplishments and improvements should not go without mentioning, and there is no better time to mention it than when having a DFS conversation. On the season, Maxey has averaged 17.4 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game on a 49/41/87 shooting split. While Maxey’s great play has been largely recognized, it is hard for me to figure out why his shooting split is scarcely talked about; he is almost as close to 50/40/90 as a player can get. Regardless, Maxey has been amazing, and in his last game, he posted 28 points. Keep an eye on the injury report because if Joel Embiid and James Harden (or even just one of them) cannot play, then we could see another massive game from Maxey!