Los Angeles Lakers vs Philadelphia 76ers Point Spread Picks

The Lakers have won eight of their last 10 games, are 9-3 on the road and Luka Dončić is expected to play after missing the previous games against the Raptors and Celtics to be with his wife for the birth of their second child. Dončić is heavily in the MVP discussion averaging an NBA-best 35.3 points a game and a fourth-best 8.9 assists per game. Spearheaded by Dončić, the Lakers are a top-10 offense and rank second in field goal percentage. Philadelphia has won three in a row, but those wins were against the Bucks, who are missing Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Warriors at home by one point as a 4-point favorite and versus the 3-19 Wizards. Joel Embiid could make only his ninth appearance of the season here. He has been limited by a sore knee and has not looked like the superstar he was when he was fully healthy. Philadelphia's depth remains down with Kelly Oubre Jr. and Trendon Watford both still sidelined. Take the Lakers.

The Philadelphia 76ers have a Joel Embiid problem. He has missed a lot of time with a chronic knee issue. The Sixers have a 17-27 record and have been the NBA's biggest disappointment this season. Joel Embiid is out for tonight's game, and he isn't alone. The Sixers will be missing 60 points worth of players for tonight's game. The Lakers are finally showing what kind of a team they can be, riding into this matchup on a four-game heater. They beat Golden St. and Boston in back-to-back games as part of the winning streak, and their healthy roster provides a nice edge against the beaten down Sixers. Make the play on the Lakers.

Philadelphia has won the past seven meetings, including a 44-point blowout on Nov. 27. The 76ers appear to finally have found ways to win without injured Joel Embiid as they have taken two of three although they do come off a 115-102 loss at Phoenix on Wednesday after defeating Charlotte and Miami. Los Angeles has split its past eight games and snapped a two-game skid with a 136-105 win over Atlanta. LeBron James seems to always be questionable with a sore ankle and Anthony Davis (Achilles) is probable. The Lakers have covered only two of seven as home favorites overall, four of 15 as home favorites of 5.0-10.5 points and three of 13 after winning by at least 10 points. The Sixers are 9-3 ATS on the road against teams with .600 home winning percentages. Philadelphia is 6-0-1 UNDER its past seven games, while allowing 100.0 points per game and they are 12-3-1 UNDER with one day of rest. Also, the 76ers are 15-5-1 UNDER as underdogs. Take the 76ers and the UNDER.