3rd Quarter Report

Only one more quarter stands between the Lakers and the win they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They have jumped out to a 95-90 lead against the Nets.

If the Lakers keep playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 22-17 in no time. On the other hand, the Nets will have to make due with a 14-28 record unless they turn things around (and fast).

Who’s Playing

Brooklyn Nets @ Los Angeles Lakers

Current Records: Brooklyn 14-27, Los Angeles 21-17

How To Watch

• When: Friday, January 17, 2025 at 10:30 p.m. ET
• Where: Crypto.com Arena — Los Angeles, California
• TV: Spectrum SportsNet
• Follow: CBS Sports App
• Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
• Ticket Cost: $38.00

What to Know

Nets fans better hope the squad plays one heck of a game on Friday as the odds are decidedly against them. Their road trip will continue as they head out to face the Los Angeles Lakers at 10:30 p.m. ET at Crypto.com Arena. The Nets might want some stickum for this one as the team gave up 20 turnovers on Wednesday.

The Nets are headed into this one after the oddsmakers set last week’s over/under low at 213.5, but even that wound up being too high. There’s no need to mince words: the Nets lost to the Clippers, and the Nets lost bad. The score wound up at 126-67. The contest marked Brooklyn’s lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.

Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, the Nets struggled to work together and finished the game with only 15 assists. That’s the fewest assists they’ve managed all season.

Meanwhile, the Lakers had to suffer through a three-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They walked away with a 117-108 win over the Heat on Wednesday. Los Angeles was down 64-50 with 2:12 left in the second quarter but they still came back for the handy nine-point victory.

The Lakers’ success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but LeBron James led the charge by almost dropping a double-double on 22 points and nine assists. James had some trouble finding his footing against the Spurs on Monday, so this was a nice turnaround. Another player making a difference was Austin Reaves, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 14 assists.

Brooklyn has been struggling recently as they’ve lost six of their last seven games, which put a noticeable dent in their 14-27 record this season. As for Los Angeles, their win bumped their record up to 21-17.

The Nets came up short against the Lakers when the teams last played back in March of 2024, falling 116-104. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of James, who went 9 for 10 from beyond the arc en route to 40 points plus seven rebounds and five assists. Back with a vengeance, will the Nets be able to stop him this time around? Check CBSSports.com after the match to find out.

Odds

Los Angeles is a big 10.5-point favorite against Brooklyn, according to the latest NBA odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Lakers as a 11-point favorite.

The over/under is 216.5 points.

See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.

Series History

Los Angeles and Brooklyn both have 5 wins in their last 10 games.

• Mar 31, 2024 – Los Angeles 116 vs. Brooklyn 104
• Jan 19, 2024 – Brooklyn 130 vs. Los Angeles 112
• Jan 30, 2023 – Brooklyn 121 vs. Los Angeles 104
• Nov 13, 2022 – Los Angeles 116 vs. Brooklyn 103
• Jan 25, 2022 – Los Angeles 106 vs. Brooklyn 96
• Dec 25, 2021 – Brooklyn 122 vs. Los Angeles 115
• Apr 10, 2021 – Los Angeles 126 vs. Brooklyn 101
• Feb 18, 2021 – Brooklyn 109 vs. Los Angeles 98
• Mar 10, 2020 – Brooklyn 104 vs. Los Angeles 102
• Jan 23, 2020 – Los Angeles 128 vs. Brooklyn 113