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SEASON FORECASTS AND FUTURES PICKS

Oddsmakers give them the 2nd best chance of winning the championship despite being 5th in the West in projected regular season wins. Their odds to win it all are 4/1, 20% (#2). If futures lines were not heavily juiced, the Lakers would be a good betting value. Their 17% chance to win the championship (based on simulations) is #2 in the league. In simulations, they win the West 26.4% of the time and are not a good value at 9/4, 30.8%. The Lakers are averaging 51.9 wins per sim which makes them a decent bet to win over 50.5 games. At -800 the Lakers are a good value to make the playoffs with a 99% chance. Their odds of winning their division are 3/1, 25%. They win the division in 30.2% of simulations. Their average wins per simulation puts them at #2 in the West.

For winning picks against the spread, total and money line for all NBA games by our proven computer model and leading handicappers visit SportsLine.com where you can also get fantasy basketball and daily fantasy optimal lineups from CBSSports' Top Experts.

REGULAR SEASON RECAP AND UPCOMING GAMES

They were expected to win 47% of their games last season so their 37-45 met expectations. They were not good against the spread going 35-46-1 (-1560 loss). More of their games came in under (49) than went over (32). Their next game vs the Clippers should be close. The Lakers are winning 49 percent of computer simulations. The table below shows their upcoming games, their simulation based win percentage and their recent head to head record (WL, ATS, OU).

TEAM STATISTICAL STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

SHOOTING (AVERAGE): Their true FG% is 55.5% (#16 in League). They average 111.8 pts per game vs an expected average (based on pre-game odds) of 113.4. On the road they average 112.5 (112.4 expected), and at home 111 ppg (114.4 expected).

DEFENSE (STRENGTH): They are an above average defensive team holding opponents to 55.1 true FG% (#9 in League). They allow 113.5 pts per game vs an expected value of 114.3. They are allowing 115.8 (115 expected) on the road, and at home 111.2 ppg (113.6 expected).

REBOUNDING (BELOW AVERAGE): They are slightly outrebounded by opponents by 0.1 per game (#15 in league).

TURNOVERS (WEAKNESS): Their average turnover margin is -1.9 per game (#28 in league).

TEAM FANTASY LEADERS

The table below show the most valuable fantasy players on the team led by LeBron James who is projected to be the #2 Forward. The Better Option column shows the player directly above him and the Better Than column shows the player directly below him in the projected position rankings.