SEASON FORECASTS AND FUTURES PICKS

Oddsmakers have the Lakers as the favorite to win the championship. They are not a good bet to win the championship. Their 26.7% chance is #2 in the league. In simulations, they win the West 38.8% of the time and are not a good value at 11/10, 47.6%. Their pre-season futures line was 48.5 wins so they have hit the over. They are making the playoffs. Their chances of winning the division stand at 97.9%. They were a -650 'favorite' to make the playoffs in the preseason. Their preseason chances to win the division were 25.8% at 11/5, 31.2%. Based on wins per simulation they are projected to have the best record in the West.

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REGULAR SEASON RECAP AND UPCOMING GAMES

After 63 games, their expected win percentage is 70% based on the money line odds. At 49-14 they ahead of expectations. Money line betters would be up big taking them in every game (+882 units). They are one of the best teams against the spread (35-27-1) for a 530 profit. Their under-over record is 33-30. They are heavy favorites in their upcoming game vs the Houston Rockets. 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 (STRENGTH): This is an above average shooting team with a true FG% of 57.7% (#6 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): This is an elite defensive team holding opponents to 54.7 true FG% (#5 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 (STRENGTH): They significantly outrebound opponents by an average of +3.8 per game (#2 in league). However, the team has recently been outrebounded by 1.7.

TURNOVERS (ABOVE AVERAGE): They have an Average turnover margin of 0.4 per game (#14 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 #1 Forward the rest of the season. 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.