Los Angeles Lakers vs. San Antonio Spurs Prediction, Preview, and Odds
The San Antonio Spurs are hosting the LA Lakers at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. LA is 15-10 this season and sits fifth in the Western Conference. San Antonio is last in the Western Conference with a record of 3-20. Last season the Lakers won all four of their games against the Spurs. The game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EST.
LA Aiming for the Top
The LA Lakers are returning to San Antonio after their win against them on Wednesday with a final score of 122-119. This will be their final game of their three-game road trip. The Lakers are playing well defensively this season with a points allowed per game average of 112.7. It is weird because while the Lakers are ranked tenth overall in points allowed, they aren't doing anything amazing on defense. LA is ranked 26th in three pointer attempts allowed per game and 25th in three pointers made against them. I will say that LA is doing well blocking shots as they are ranked eighth overall in blocked shots this season.
On offense, the Lakers are playing average with a points per game at 114.3. LA is doing well rebounding with an overall rebounding ranking of tenth in the league. The Lakers are also shooting well in field goal range with a field goal shooting percentage of 49.0%. LA could do better at the three point line where they rank last in three point attempts and 28th in three pointers made per game.
Going into this game Lebron James and Anthony Davis are considered game time decisions. This should come as no surprise as it seems every game they are listed under game time decision. Unless something comes out about them, I am going to assume they are playing.
Spurs Look to Get Out of Rut
The San Antonio Spurs are finding themselves with another loss after their game on Wednesday against the Lakers finished with a score of 119-122. This is the 18th loss in a row for the Spurs and at this point has to be getting to the players if it already hasn't. We got to this point because of their defending that is ranked 27th overall in the NBA with a points against per game average of 121.4. Their lack of defending starts at the three point line where they are second to last in opponent three point shooting percentage. They also find themselves being the second worst team in defensive rebounding this season.
Offensively the Spurs are finding equal difficulty as they are only averaging 109.8 points per game this season. That is roughly an eleven point differential from what they are allowing on defense. San Antonio seems to be struggling at the three point line where they are 28th in the league in three pointer shooting percentage at 34.0%. Their field goal shooting percentage is not much better ranking only 25th in the NBA.
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Full-Game Side Bet
Rating:
The Spurs are tired of losing and eventually will break this losing streak they are on. The Lakers are a team that play closer games against teams that aren't great then they should. The Spurs covered this spread on Wednesday in their game against the Lakers. I am expecting a similar score in this game and honestly, I would not be surprised if the Spurs find a way to sneak a win in catching the Lakers off guard. If Anthony Davis and Lebron James are truly nursing an injury than that just gives more of a reason to side with the Spurs.
I am going to take the Spurs' spread at +7.5.
Prediction: San Antonio Spurs +7.5 ( -112 )
Full-Game Total Pick
Rating:
Like I said I think this is going to be a close competitive game and for this game to stay close, the Spurs are going to have to score. With how bad the Spurs defense is, the Lakers should have no issues scoring, we just have to see a result similar to their last game they played on Wednesday. When we look at the pace of these two teams, we notice they are both within the top ten of teams with possessions per game. The Spurs are averaging 102.1 possessions per game while the Lakers are averaging 100.5. With these high paced teams and how close the game will be played, I am siding with the over.
Take the over at 234.5.
Prediction: Over 234.5 ( -110 )
Growing up in Pittsburgh, Anthony has always been surrounded by sports. Whether its watching the Penguins win the cup or the Steelers winning another ring, he saw what it took to win it all. He enjoys breaking down stats and applying them to spreadsheets to better his picks. With the combination of watching trends and his spreadsheets, Anthony has been very successful as a sports bettor. His last name is the German word for people and it is clear that he is the people's choice when it comes to handicapping.
