Los Angeles Lakers vs San Antonio Spurs Preview, Odds and Predictions

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The Los Angeles Lakers prepare to descend on the San Antonio Spurs at the Frost Bank Center for a Western Conference showdown featuring two teams that are headed in opposite directions. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 pm ET on Wednesday night and we have you covered for all your basketball betting thrills in this NBA betting preview, complete with NBA odds powered by BUSR sportsbook.

Lakers vs Spurs NBA Odds

• Spread: Lakers -2.5 (-110)
• Moneyline: Lakers -140 | Spurs +120
• Total: O 227 (-110) | U 227 (-110)

The Lakers are firmly favored to win outright on the moneyline, but they are only tipped as the slim -2.5 road chalk in spread betting. The total is projected to 227 with the over and under juiced to -110.

Is the market really short changing the Lakers at the expense of the Spurs? If so, does it have it right?

Lakers win inaugural NBA in-tournament

The Lakers are easing into normal proceedings following their triumphant run at the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament, which they capped off by beating the Indiana Pacers 125-109 in Las Vegas on Saturday.

In their first game back, however, they succumbed to a 127-125 loss to the shorthanded Dallas Mavericks on the road despite closing as the -3.5 road favorites at the sportsbook exchange. Admittedly, there was always a risk of a letdown performance after the highs of the weekend.

LeBron James and Co. got off to a slow start but they raised their intensity in a second-half rally that fell only marginally short.

Anthony Davis led the team with 37 points and 11 rebounds. LeBron scored 33 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists, while Austin Reeves added 22 points, five rebounds, and eight assists in Los Angeles’ loss.

The Lakers were missing Jared Vanderbilt who was sidelined with a back injury. He is questionable for the Lakers against the Spurs as well.

That said, the Mavs deserve plaudits for giving as good as they got and hanging with the Lakers until the bitter end. Luka Doncic recorded a 30-point game and Dante Exum recorded a season-high 26 points for the Mavs.

By the stats, the Lakers are sixth in the Western Conference standings with a 14-10-1 record. They are four games back of the current leaders Minnesota Timberwolves and just half a game ahead of the LA Clippers in seventh place. In their last 10 games, the Lakers are 6-4.

In terms of the betting, the Lakers are 12-13-0 against the spread with a 1.6 winning margin on average. The under has cashed in 15 of their 25 games.

Spurs Can’t Win

Things are looking very dire for the San Antonio Spurs who have just three paltry wins to show for their 2023-24 campaign so far. (True story!)

They’re riding an absurd 17-game losing streak, with Monday’s 93-82 loss to the Houston Rockets setting a record for the longest losing streak in franchise history. If they add another nine in row, they will tie the Philadelphia 76ers for the longest losing streak in a single season (26 games in 2013-14)

In the loss to the Rockets, no Spurs player cracked the 20-point mark. Victor Wembanyama led the team with 15 points, 18 rebounds and three assists. Devin Vassell had 14 points, six rebounds and two assists and Malaki Branham put up 13 points, six rebounds, and seven assists. Only one other player scored in the double digits, Keldon Johnson who had 12 points, seven rebounds, and two assists.

Given the Spurs’ woeful run of form, it should come as no surprise to see them propping up the Western Conference with a 3-19 record that includes a 1-10 record at home.

In terms of the betting, the numbers are similarly abysmal with the Spurs registering as the worst team against the spread behind an 8-14-0 record that includes a 12-point losing margin on average. The over has cashed in 14 of their 22 games.

Finding a way to perform on both ends

The Spurs dominated their first two games with a decent defense, scoring just 105 points for the Timberwolves and 93 for the Rockets. For an individual squad that averages about 110 points every game, would that have a lot of potential to win? In these games their defense and offensive performances were ineffective and the defense ranked as inefficient. Conversely, during games where they had excellent shot nights, they were able to stop an opposing player (see 137-137 loss against the Hawks)

Los Angeles Lakers (15-9) vs San Antonio Spurs (3-19)
Date: Monday, Dec. 13, 8 pm ET
Location: Frost Bank Center
Live Stream: NBA Game Pass

Lakers vs Spurs Preview

LeBron and Co. are coming off an absorbing contest with the Mavericks with less than 24 hours rest. It’s a short trek from Dallas to San Antonio, but the combination of intense match play and travel is bound to take its toll.

Nevertheless, the Lakers owned the Spurs last season, sweeping the four-game series with relative ease. After San Antonio’s slow start to the season, which should inspire little (if any) confidence in the Spurs’ form, the Lakers must fancy their chances of picking up where they left off.

Put it another way, it’s a must-win game because losing to the hapless Spurs wouldn’t provide good optics, especially after the Lakers made history by picking up the NBA’s newest trophy at the weekend.

The Lakers are averaging 113.6 ppg. They’re fifth in the league with a 48.6 field goal percentage and 10th in rebounds at 44.6 on average. LeBron leads the team with an average of 25.3 ppg and 6.7 apg while Anthony Davis leads with 12.6 rpg.

All of these numbers are likely to go up significantly versus the Spurs fourth-worst defense in the league that is leaking on average 121.4 ppg.

Defense underscores the Lakers’ consistency, ranking 11th in the league with 112.6 ppg and 10th in turnovers with 13 on average. Once again, the Spurs sixth-worst offense in the league, which averages just 109.4 ppg, is likely to struggle in this matchup.

Why the Spurs can cover

The rookie guard leads the San Antonio Spurs. The No. 1 pick will feature in the second-team NBA season. Wembanyama averaged 18.8 points to lead San Antonio with 10.6 rebounds a game. Wembanyama is another league-best defenseman averaging 2.80 shots per contest and has compiled 19.3 points, 13.6 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots per match. San Antonio is ranked in the NBA in assists and possesses fewer defenders (2.7 fewer than any other team in league).

Lakers vs Spurs Prediction:

The Lakers face a Spurs team that is in the doldrums and totally there for the taking. They’ve rolled out the red carpet to just about every single visitor to the Frost Bank Center so far. And yet, the Lakers are merely tipped as the 2.5-point road chalk?

The market must be short changing the Lakers in a big way surely, because the only way the Lakers are just 2.5-points better than the Spurs is if coach Darvin Ham rests LeBron and Davis and decides to field a B-team in San Antonio instead. But, even in such a situation, the Lakers at -2.5 would be the value play for your NBA picks.

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