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The Los Angeles Lakers look to get back on track when they hit the road and take on the San Antonio Spurs at the AT&T Center in Texas on Wednesday night.
Los Angeles is coming off an unexpected loss to the Portland Trail Blazers in their last outing. The Lakers are 2-2 to start the season and this will be their first road game of the season and the first of three meetings with the Spurs in their next five assignments. Meanwhile, the Spurs saw their two-game winning streak end against the Pelicans in New Orleans. San Antonio scored only 95 points in that game after averaging 125 points in their first two games of the season.
Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles’ title-retention bid has looked so-so so far. The defending NBA champions opened their season with a loss to the Clippers. They bounced back with a massacre of Dallas then beat the Timberwolves without Anthony Davis. But in their last game against Portland, Los Angeles failed to contain the outside shooting of the Blazers and allowed Damian Lillard and Gary Trent Jr. to shoot a combined 20-30 from the floor. Los Angeles ended up losing the game to drop to 2-2 on the season.
Dennis Schroder continued his excellent start with 24 points and 4 assists for the Lakers. LeBron James had a decent game with 29 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists but Anthony Davis shot just 6-14 from the field and finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds, a far cry from his 28-8-5 outing against the Mavs one game ago. The Lakers will be without reserve guard Alex Caruso who is out due to COVID-19 protocols.
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs had a good start to their season. San Antonio defeated the Memphis Grizzlies by 12 points and then took down the 2019 champions Toronto Raptors in their first home game of the year. However, the Spurs managed to score just 95 points against the New Orleans Pelicans in their last game. Like the Lakers, the Spurs were playing the second of a back to back schedule and ended up getting ambushed, 98-95 for their first loss of the season.
Rudy Gay led the team with 22 points while Keldon Johnson, Lonnie Walker IV, and Dejounte Murray all scored in double digits while combining to shoot 7-10 from deep. However, their stars DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge had rough nights and combined for only 12 points in the loss. With two days rest after that loss, look for the Spurs to give a better account of themselves in their second home game of the year. San Antonio will be without guard Derrick White.
Who Wins?
The Lakers are 14-5 SU in their last 19 games played. Los Angeles is 7-2 SU in their last nine games played on the road, 14-4 SU in their last 18 games played against the Western Conference. The Spurs are 5-2 SU in their last seven games played. San Antonio is 5-1 SU in their last six games played at home, and 1-4 SU in their last five games played against the Pacific Division. Head to head, the Lakers are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games played against the Spurs.
Los Angeles is coming off a loss to the Blazers but it was a game where they led by 13 early on and where they shot 47.1% from the field. Anthony Davis had an off night with only 13 points while Kyle Kuzma, who waxed hot one game ago, shot 25% from the floor while being a -23 on the court.
The bad thing for the Spurs is that AD doesn’t have too many off nights and he’s the kind of guy who almost always bounces back from one.
The Spurs are coming off a dismal offensive showing against the Pelicans. San Antonio only got 12 total points from LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan and they lost the game despite allowing the Pelicans to shoot just 38.3% from the floor and 20.8% from deep. The Spurs have looked good on defense but they have not played an elite offensive team like the Lakers this season.
Los Angeles swept their three meetings last season. With San Antonio not making enough changes to be a different team, I don’t see a different result. The Lakers have lost McGee, Howard, Rondo, and Bradley but defensively, they are still a tough team with AD, Marc Gasol, Wesley Matthews, and KCP. I like the Lakers to contain the Spurs in another subpar offensive outing by San Antonio.
Prediction: Los Angeles Lakers
Other Bets To Make
Los Angeles is 3-6 ATS in their last nine games played. The Lakers are 5-0 ATS in their last five games against the Southwest division. San Antonio is 5-1 ATS in their last six games played. The Spurs are 6-1 ATS in their last seven December games. Head to head, the Lakers are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games played against the Spurs. Los Angeles is also 4-2 ATS in their last six games played in San Antonio.
Lakers
-6 (-110)
Spurs
+6 (-110)
Odds from BetOnline as of 12/30/2020
San Antonio has a pair of impressive performances right off the gate but playing the champs is another story. Playing the Lakers who are coming off a loss is another. This Lakers team massacred the Mavs after losing to the Clippers and I expect them to be as vindictive in this game as well. Aldridge and DeRozan combined for only 12 points against the Pelicans the last time out. Good luck against the 10th best defense in Los Angeles. Look for the Lakers to run the break here led by LBJ. I like the Lakers to bounce back with a big win after losing to the Blazers. Lay the points and take the Lakers.
Prediction: Lakers -6
The total has gone under in the Lakers’ last two games played. Los Angeles has seen the total go under in 10 out of their last 13 Wednesday games. The total has gone under in four out of the last six games played by the Spurs. The under is also 4-1 in San Antonio’s last five games played against the Western Conference. However, the over is 4-1 in the Spurs’ last five Wednesday games. Head to head, the total has also gone over in 13 out of the last 18 games played between these two teams.
Over
230 (-110)
Under
230 (-110)
Odds from BetOnline as of 12/30/2020
These teams have combined to score an average of 227.2 points per game in their last 10 meetings and 216.0 points per game in their last three head to head encounters. The total has gone under in three out of their last four meetings at the AT&T Center and in five out of their last eight head-to-head meetings overall. There’s no question this Lakers team is loaded but the Spurs are also a capable scoring team. However, San Antonio failed to score over 104 points in three meetings against the Lakers last season. The Spurs have not made significant changes to last season’s unit. And while the Lakers have lost some of their defensive stalwarts, they are still a very good defensive team. The Spurs are coming off an ugly showing against the Pelicans. I’m afraid we’ll see the same here.
Prediction: Under 230
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