Charlotte Bobcats at Los Angeles Lakers Fri. March 4, 2011 10:30 p.m. EST

With five straight wins, the two-time defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers seem to be back to championship form as they have flipped the switch and are ready to compete for yet another three-peat. Even though there are about 20 games left in the NBA regular season, the Lakers will be aiming to take over the second seed in the Western Conference ahead of the Dallas Mavericks.

With that being said, they will be trying to get every win they can in the final stretch of the regular season starting with the Charlotte Bobcats at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

In their last meeting just before the All-Star break, the Lakers fell to the Bobcats 109-89 and a lot of people started to ask questions about whether or not the defending champion were actually still a contender in the Western Conference. Since then they have been able to prove their doubters wrong with big wins over playoff teams like the Atlanta Hawks, Portland Trail Blazers and most recently against Kevin Durant’s Oklahoma City Thunder.

Now the Lakers will look to prove that even though they have a losing record against the Bobcats all-time, they are ready to make another run at an NBA title with big win over Charlotte. Not only are most of the NBA analysts convinced that the Lakers are back to form, but the odds makers are as well as they have the Lakers as big favorites to come out on top in this matchup on Friday night.

As of right now, the spread is -12 in favor of the defending champs. This spread is a bit too high as I believe the Bobcats will put up a bit more of a fight than that, but ultimately the Lakers should win their sixth straight.

Take the Bobcats at +12.

Here are the latest odds and spreads at the best online sportsbooks for your NBA betting needs:

BetDSI Sportsbook:
Spread: Charlotte Bobcats +12 & Los Angeles Lakers -12
Moneyline: Charlotte Bobcats +750 & Los Angeles Lakers -1100
Over/Under: Charlotte Bobcats 110 over & Los Angeles Lakers 110 under (189)

Bookmaker Sportsbook:
Spread: Charlotte Bobcats +12 & Los Angeles Lakers -12
Moneyline: Charlotte Bobcats +750 & Los Angeles Lakers -1100
Over/Under: Charlotte Bobcats 110 over & Los Angeles Lakers 110 under (189)

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