New Orleans Hornets AT Los Angeles Lakers
Mar 27, 2011 at 9:30 PM EST
Opening Line:  LA -9
Current Line:  LA -8.5
Opening Total:  189
Current Total:  189.5
Opening Moneyline:  LA -450 / NO +370
Current Moneyline:  LA -450 / NO +375

With All Star forward David West going down with an ACL injury for the rest of the season, the Hornets knew they would need someone to step up.  That person it turns out might end up being Carl Landry, who stepped up with 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals in 30 minutes of action in the Hornets’ 6 point victory over Phoenix on Friday night.

Landry is a proven capable NBA starter and should be able to fill in admirably for West, but the problem is that it probably won’t be enough.  Starting Landry will weaken the bench and now there are no legitimate scoring threats on the bench at all.  Jarrett Jack is going to have to take a large load onto his shoulders for the Hornets to succeed, in addition to having Chris Paul play absolutely out of his mind basketball when on the court with the starters.  The prospects for the Hornets aren’t good, but certainly with a player like Chris Paul at the helm, the others will have trouble throwing in the towel.  Tonight against L.A. should prove to be a real challenge, but even with the Hornets’ anemic frontline (compared to the Lakers), they should be able to keep it close and challenge for a victory.

Some betting trends:

The total has gone OVER in 4 of New Orleans’s last 6 games and they are 5-2 SU in their last 7 games.  New Orleans is 1-3-1 ATS in their last 5 games and the total has gone UNDER in 10 of their last 15 games.  New Orleans is 4-1 SU in their last 5 games on the road and the total has gone OVER in all 5 of the Hornets last 5 games against the Lakers.  New Orleans is 1-6 SU in their last 7 games against the Lakers and the total has gone OVER in 9 of the last 11 games on the road against the Lakers.  New Orleans is 1-5 SU in their last 6 games on the road against the Lakers.

The total has gone UNDER in 8 of the Lakers’ last 12 games and they are 5-0 SU in their last 5 games.  The Lakers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games and the total has gone OVER in all 5 of the last 5 games against the Hornets.  The Lakers are 6-1 SU in their last 7 games against the Hornets and the total has gone OVER in 9 of the last 11 home games against New Orleans.  The Lakers are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games at home against the Hornets and the Lakers are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games at home against New Orleans.

Key Matchups:

Emeka Okafor / Carl Landry / Aaron Gray vs. Andrew Bynum / Pau Gasol / Lamar Odom

The interior matchups here are downright laughable.  Comparing these players is so absurd I won’t even try.  Bynum, for all his injury problems has reemerged as what he once was, a burgeoning NBA star at the center position; Pau Gasol continues to steamroll as probably the most offensively talented center in the league, and Odom is averaging more points per game than he has in the past 4 seasons.  Okafor was at one point regarded as a potential star, but has shown about all he has for his NBA career and is remarkably average for a #2 overall pick.  Landry, as mentioned earlier, is solid, but he’s no David West.

The Hornets, while they may not want to admit it, have been absolutely crippled by the loss of West, even if they did win their first full game without him.  When you have a team with as few offensive options as the Hornets, losing the second best one on the team definitely doesn’t help.