The Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets face off in a key Christmas night showdown at Crypto.com Arena, formerly Staples Center. The Lakers (16-17) have lost four in a row, while the Nets (21-9) have not played in a week because of COVID-19 protocols. 

Los Angeles is favored by 1.5 points in the latest Nets vs. Lakers odds from Caesars Sportsbook, and the over-under is set at 223.5. Before making any Nets vs. Lakers picks or predictions, you'll want to see what the SportsLine Projection Model is saying.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit on its top-rated NBA picks over the past three-plus seasons. The model enters Week 10 of the 2021-22 NBA season on a stunning 46-23 roll on all top-rated NBA picks, returning almost $1,900. Anyone following it has seen HUGE returns.

Despite having COVID hit the team hard, Brooklyn is more than ready to get back on the court. Add in the fact James Harden will be back, and the Nets could pose big problems for Los Angeles. In 26 games this season, Harden is averaging 20.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, 9.6 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Harden has scored 20 or more points in three consecutive games, and 14 times on the year. He has reached 30 points three times, including a season-high 39 points at New Orleans on Nov. 12 and he'll look to carry a big load again with Kevin Durant among the players out due to medical protocols. 

Superstar LeBron James leads the Lakers in scoring at 26.8 points per game, and is also averaging 6.7 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.7 steals. He has been red hot of late, scoring 30 or more points in the last three games and six times in the past nine. James has an NBA-record double-digit scoring streak that has reached 1,061 games.    

Now, it has simulated Nets vs. Lakers 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Under, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in over 60 percent of simulations. You absolutely need to see it before locking in your own picks.

So who wins Nets vs. Lakers? And which side of the spread hits more than 60 percent of the time? Join SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has crushed its NBA picks.