I don't understand the linesmakers, please explain

[fearless]

The Lakers were a 10 point favorite at home against a very respectable Portland team. They lost a close game.

In the next game the Lakers will be playing a horrible Boston team that's lost 20 out of 21 (in the historically bad Leastern Conference no less), the same Lakers are only a 7.5 point favorite in the early line.

To make it even more inexplicable, the Lakers have to be looking at this like a must-win, the situation is summed up in the first two sentences of the game's preview:

Phil Jackson is suffering through his longest losing streak in 16 years as a head coach in the NBA.

Jackson and the Los Angeles Lakers will look to snap their skid when they host the Boston Celtics on Friday.

Someone please explain this to me.

[durito]

Portland played the night before, which should add about 1.5 pts to a rested home team as the Lakers were.

That doesn't explain the whole differential, but a little bit of it.

[Dark Horse]

Boston has Pierce back. They're no longer the same terrible team, and kept PHX close until the final minutes in their last outing.


And the SU loss at home to Portland would factor in.

[fearless]

Boston has Pierce back. They're no longer the same terrible team, and kept PHX close until the final minutes in their last outing.


And the SU loss at home to Portland would factor in.

The way the oddsmakers handicapped this game, they seemed to rate Boston as equal to or better than Portland. BS!

This game was an example of how deceptive the oddsmakers are, lol. Do you think they didn't know that Boston had virtually no chance?