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The Janus Report: New Orleans Hornets at LA Lakers Free Pick

Written by Steve Janus on January 6, 2009

janus-report-010609 The Los Angeles Lakers try to defend a six-game winning streak and their 15-game home winning-streak tonight against the 20-10 New Orleans Hornets. The two squads have met twice this year already, both times in the Hornet’s Nest, but with the Lakers walking away from New Orleans with convincing victories in each contest. Steve Janus offers you his free NBA picks all season long with the Janus Report!

The Lakers are 7-point favorites tonight, and it’s not hard to see why. In their 18 wins at the Staples Center this year, Kobe and company have won 12 of those games by double-digits. On offense, the Lakers have been money at home, scoring 109.1 points per game and shooting 47.9 percent from the field. It’s not as if they aren’t playing defense, either, though they are giving up 97.1 points per game at home, those numbers are certainly inflated because of the number of possessions that opposing teams get due to L.A.’s rapid scoring. NBA odds are constantly changing. Be sure to check out our comparative lines to make sure you are getting the best edge for your NBA betting today.

The Hornets just ended a 4-game winning streak at Denver with a 5-point loss to the Nuggets. New Orleans has been pretty solid on the road this season at 9-6 as the visitor, but, as you’ll see, their numbers just don’t stack up with the Lakers at all. On the road this year, the Hornets are posting a respectable, but modest, 94.6 points per game, while allowing 92.8 points per game. It’s still a winning margin, but New Orleans also hasn’t been playing in Los Angeles against the Lakers all season.

The Lakers get the edge as they’ve won 5 straight against the spread and currently have the best overall record in the NBA. The Hornets have failed to cover the spread in 6 of their last 8 games, and they’ve obviously already had problems against L.A. The two times the Hornets hosted the Lakers this season, the Lakers won 100-87 and 93-86. If you buy into the advantage of playing on your home court being worth 6 points (give or take), then this number is far to low. Look, I like the Hornets as a solid team in the NBA and I hope to see them be successful this year, but not tonight against a superior team. The Lakers get the job done again and maintain their reputation as the most feared team in the West.

Take the Los Angeles Lakers -7

Predicted Score: Los Angeles Lakers 108, New Orleans Hornets 92

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