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San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Lakers Betting Preview

Thursday night features a battle of Western Conference foes as the San Antonio Spurs (12-18) take on the Los Angeles Lakers (16-16). The Lakers will host this one at the Staples Center, with tipoff scheduled for 10:30 pm ET.

The Spurs come into this one, having won two of their last three games. On Monday, they upset the Los Angeles Clippers 116-92 in Los Angeles.

Dejounte Murray led the Spurs in the win with a triple-double. He had 24 points, 12 rebounds, and 13 assists. San Antonio will try to make it a Los Angeles sweep on Thursday.

The Lakers have been on a bit of a skid lately as they have lost three in a row. On Tuesday, they lost at home 108-90 to the Phoenix Suns.

In the loss, LeBron James led the way with 34 points and seven rebounds. Russell Westbrook added a double-double with 22 points and ten rebounds.

The Lakers are slight favorites playing at home. They are -120 to win while the Spurs’ moneyline sits at +102. The spread features San Antonio +1.5 (-110), and the over/under for total points is 224.

More Odds

Despite their .500 record, the Lakers have the fourth-best odds of winning the West at +550. The Spurs are +18000 to win the conference. In terms of winning the NBA Championship, the Lakers have the fifth-best odds at +1100. The Spurs are tied for the worst odds in the NBA at +50000 to win it all.

By The Numbers

These two teams have been identical on the offensive side. In fact, they both are averaging 109.8 points per game entering play Thursday.

They are almost identical on the defensive side too. San Antonio ranks 23rd in the NBA in scoring defense, allowing 109.8 points per game (106 on the road). The Lakers rank 26th allowing 111.2 points per game.

Spurs Trying To Find Success Against Los Angeles

To say that the Spurs have struggled against Los Angeles as of late is a bit of an understatement. They are 1-7 straight up and 2-6 against the spread against the Lakers in their last eight games. They will try to add another tally to the win column against L.A. on Thursday.

Leading the way for the Spurs on offense is Dejounte Murray. In 30 games this season, he is averaging 18.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, 8.6 assists, and two steals per game.

Forward Keldon Johnson and guard Derrick White have also had nice seasons thus far. Johnson is averaging 15 points and 6.5 rebounds, while White is averaging 14.1points and five assists.

Other contributors include Jakob Poetl (12.2 points, 8.7 rebounds), Doug McDermott (11.3 points), Lonnie Walker IV (11 points), and Devin Vassell (11 points, 3.9 rebounds).

Lakers Try To Win Shorthanded

At .500, it has been a bit of a disappointing start for the Lakers thus far. Adding to the frustration is the fact that they will be without superstar Anthony Davis for the foreseeable future. Davis suffered a sprained MCL and is expected to miss at least a month.

Still, the Lakers have plenty of stars, including LeBron James and Russell Westbrook. This season, James is averaging 26.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game. For Westbrook, he is averaging 19.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists.

Other contributors have included Carmelo Anthony (13.3 points, four rebounds) and Talen Horton-Tucker (10.8 points, 4.4 rebounds).

Unfortunately, Los Angeles has six players that are questionable for Thursday’s game because of COVID-19 protocols, including Horton-Tucker.

Take San Antonio And The Points

This is a tough one to call. As he has done several times throughout his career, LeBron James can single-handedly win a game for his team.

The problem is the Lakers have shown significant vulnerabilities this season in their depth and aging stars.

Especially against a Spurs team that should have its full complement of players available, the Lakers’ depth may be tested once again.

For that reason, don’t be surprised if San Antonio steals this game on the road. At worst, take the Spurs and the 1.5 points in what could be a close one.

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