It’s a big day in the NBA, as the trade deadline will come at 3:00 pm ET on Thursday afternoon. The on-court festivities should be entertaining, as well, with an eight-game schedule headlined by the Philadelphia 76ers visiting the Los Angeles Lakers at 10:00 pm ET on Amazon Prime. Philadelphia (29-21) is riding a five-game winning streak, while Los Angeles (30-19) is coming off a routine victory at Brooklyn on Tuesday.
Let’s dive into my 76ers vs. Lakers predictions.
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Los Angeles Lakers odds
Money line: 76ers +135 / Lakers -160
Spread: 76ers +3.5 (-110) / Lakers -3.5 (-110)
Total: Over 232.5 (-110) / Under 232.5 (-110)
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Los Angeles Lakers best bet #1: Under 232.5 (-110)
The 76ers’ current winning streak can largely be attributed to their defense. Opponents are scoring 115.3 points per game against Philly in 2025-26 and all five during this stretch have been held under that number — including Golden State with only 94 on Tuesday. Neither Philadelphia nor Los Angeles plays at a particularly fast pace. The 76ers rank 14th in possessions per game and the Lakers are 23rd in that department. The Sixers have really been slowing things down of late, averaging a mere 96.4 possessions over the last three outings — 28th in the association during this stretch.
L.A. has been all over the place offensively of late and cannot be trusted to post a big number — not even with Luka Doncic running the offense. The Lakers have scored 100 points or fewer in two of their last four games. Austin Reaves is finally back from a calf injury that had sidelined him since Christmas, but he got a mere 21 minutes of court time on Tuesday and will presumably remain on a minutes restriction for the time being. With Paul George suspended for 25 games, only two players on Philadelphia’s active roster (Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey) are averaging more than 15.1 ppg. The under is 3-1 in Philadelphia’s last four on the road, 6-3 in L.A.’s last nine overall, and 3-1 in the last four head-to-head meetings. Look for those trends to continue.
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Los Angeles Lakers best player prop bet: VJ Edgecombe Over 1.5 made threes (-146)
Edgecome has impressed in his rookie season. The former Baylor standout is averaging 15.1 points per game and is coming off a 25-point performance against Golden State in his most recent outing. Edgecombe has drained multiple three-pointers in two of the last games and in three of the last five. He has forked up 15 attempts from downtown over the past two contests.
The No. 3 overall pick in last year’s draft now faces a Los Angeles squad that is giving up the 12th-most three-pointers per game (13.7). It has allowed 79 successful long-distance dials over the past five contests (an average of 15.8). Edgecome should be able to capitalize.