We're back with another betting prediction and pick to close out NBA Tuesday from the Western Conference. The San Antonio Spurs (36-16) will take on the Los Angeles Lakers (32-20) for their fourth and final meeting of the season, San Antonio leading 2-1. Check our NBA odds series for the Spurs-Lakers prediction and pick.
The San Antonio Spurs are second in the Western Conference, trailing Oklahoma City by four games following their recent 138-125 win over the Dallas Mavericks. They're one of the league's hotter teams with nine wins over their last 12 games, looking for their fifth-straight win.
The Los Angeles Lakers are fifth in the West after dropping their most recent game 119-110 to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak as the Lakers have been positive for the most part looking for this upset at home.
NBA odds courtesy of DraftKings
Spurs vs. Lakers Odds
San Antonio Spurs: -8.5 (-112)
Los Angeles Lakers: +8.5 (-108)
Over: 227.5 (-110)
Under: 227.5 (-110)
Spurs vs. Lakers Key Injuries
San Antonio: Lindy Waters III (knee – OUT)
Los Angeles: NOT YET SUBMITTED (update to come)
Spurs vs. Lakers Betting Trends
- The Los Angeles Lakers are at home. The San Antonio Spurs are on the road.
- The Spurs are as betting favorites this season. The Lakers are as underdogs.
- The Lakers are ATS overall, ATS at home. The Spurs are ATS overall, ATS on the road.
- The Lakers are 6-4 outright in their last 10 games against the Spurs. The Spurs are 6-4 ATS in those games.
- The Spurs are 5-1 ATS in their last six games.
- The Lakers are 8-4 ATS in their last 12 games.
- The total has gone UNDER in 15 of the Spurs' last 19 games.
- The total has gone UNDER in eight of the Lakers' last 12 games.
Keys to Spurs vs. Lakers Matchup
The Lakers couldn't get things done against a short-handed Thunder squad despite a 22-10-10 triple-double from LeBron James. He's the first to admit the Lakers aren't currently at the level of a championship contender and their road will be tougher in these games without Luka Doncic. The Lakers are just 5-4 in games without him this season and given this being a back-to-back, LeBron James is expected to be ‘questionable' heading into this one.
The Spurs, on the other hand, have been absolutely rolling behind the efforts of Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle. Castle recently made NBA history with a 40-12-12 triple-double, becoming the youngest player to ever record such a stat line. Coupled with his lockdown defense and the efforts of De'Aaron Fox along the perimeter and the Spurs become one of the most difficult teams to match up against from an offensive stand point.
Victor Wembanyama continues to make a case for Defensive Player of the Year, averaging 11.1 rebounds, 2.7 blocks, and 0.9 steals per game. While his defensive stats have been higher in previous seasons, his energy and effort is what makes the difference for this team as a collective unit. Without the dynamic scoring of Luka Doncic for the Lakers, the Spurs should continue dominating this matchup with their defensive depth.
The Lakers will have to rely on Austin Reaves heavily in this game for scoring if LeBron James in fact sits ahead of this one. Role players like Jake LaRavia, Rui Hachimura, and Jared Vanderbilt will have to step up in massive ways as they've done in the past, but it'll take a perfect game from an offensive standpoint to keep up with the Spurs.
Spurs vs. Lakers Prediction and Pick
Both of these teams are riding opposite waves of momentum heading into this game and it seems like the Lakers have some work to do over the All-Star break if they want to feel confident in contending for a title. Given the rise of Stephon Castle and the constant production from Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs are ready to win now with the lineup in place.
Without Luka Doncic, potentially LeBron James, and possibly Austin Reaves, the Lakers don't stand much of a chance for this upset given their 2-1 record against San Antonio when the aforementioned players have been able to start. We should expect another great game out of the Spurs' young core along with a solid veteran display from De'Aaron Fox.
For our final prediction, we're going to roll with the Spurs to cover as this spread should be a bit wider in their favor. We'll also side with the over as the Lakers have found ways to score sufficiently at home.
Final Spurs-Lakers Prediction & Pick: San Antonio Spurs -8.5 (-112); OVER 227.5 (-110)
