Los Angeles Lakers vs San Antonio Spurs Preview Dec 23
Los Angeles Lakers vs San Antonio Spurs Betting Preview
WagerTalk NBA handicapper Andy Lang offers his Los Angeles Lakers vs San Antonio Spurs betting preview for Thursday, December 23. At the time of posting, the Lakers are holding steady as 1.5-point home favorites over the visiting Spurs, with the total sitting at 225.5 points.
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| Thurs, Dec 23 | NBA Betting Notes |
|---|---|
| Point Spread: | Los Angeles Lakers -1.5 vs San Antonio Spurs |
| Total: | 225.5 Points |
| Game Time: | 10:40pm ET / 7:40pm PT |
| Arena: | Staples Center |
| TV: | Spectrum Sportsnet |
Los Angeles Lakers vs San Antonio Spurs Analysis
The 12-18 San Antonio Spurs will play their second straight game at Staples Center on Thursday night against the 16-16 Los Angeles Lakers. The Spurs will looking to secure their first winning streak since December 4th after a 116-92 blowout victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Meanwhile the wounded Lakers will look to avoid a four game losing streak after getting crushed 108-90 at home against the Phoenix Suns. The Lakers won the first two head-to-head matchups earlier this season with a 125-121 overtime win at home in October, followed by 114-106 victory in San Antonio last month.
The Los Angeles Lakers are again dealing with an injury to one of their superstars which was their downfall last season. The Lakers had won three games in a row prior to Anthony Davis going down with a knee injury Friday night against Minnesota. A three game losing streak has followed and it looks like AD will be out for the next four weeks at a minimum.
The Lakers are also dealing with Covid issues as Dwight Howard, Talen Horton-Tucker, Austin Reeves, Avery Bradley and Kent Bazemore are in the leagues health and safety protocols. Lebron James appeared to have a significant ankle injury last game against Phoenix, however James says he’ll be ready to go for this contest. That obviously remains to be seen and Lakers could choose to play it safe. The Lakers have really struggled defensively as they allow over 111 points a game which ranks them 26th in the league.
The San Antonio Spurs had a dreadful start to the season as they started at 4-13. They immediately followed that with four straight wins and have alternated wins and losses ever since. Dejounte Murray continues to lead the way with 18.1 points, 8.6 assists and 8.4 rebounds per game.
The Spurs allow the same amount of points as they score with 109.8 a game. However that ranks them 9th offensively, but only 23rd defensively. Defense has been the downfall for this team as they rank 23rd in opponent field goal percentage and 27th in opponent three-point percentage.
The Los Angeles Lakers are favored by 1.5 points with an over/under of 225.5. The Spurs are 9-4 against the spread in their last 13 games and 5-1 ATS in their last 6 away from home. Meanwhile the Lakers are league worst 12-20 ATS and 2-5 ATS in their last 7 home games.
The Lakers are as unbackable as any team in the league right now between the Anthony Davis injury and Covid decimating their depth. I also would not be surprised to see Lebron James play it safe an sit this one out. This could also be a look ahead spot for Los Angeles as they are scheduled to play the Brooklyn Nets on Christmas day, meanwhile the Spurs don’t play again til after Christmas.
We will leave the 1.5 points on the table and make our first official play the Spurs money line at +110.
Dejounte Murray has been on another level recently as he’s combined for 48, 41 and 38 Points/Rebounds/Assists in his last three games. The Lakers struggle with opposing point guards as they allow the 11th most points, 3rd most rebounds and 6th most assists to that position. Murrays PRA number is very high at 36.5, but I don’t see who on the Lakers is going to stop him. We will make his PRA over our official player prop for this game.
Official Play: San Antonio Spurs ML +110
Official Player Prop: Dejounte Murray Over 36.5 Pts+Rebs+Asts
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Los Angeles Lakers vs San Antonio Spurs Preview from GoldSheet
Maybe a proper spread here would have the Lakers, currently matching a season-long 3-game losing streak, as an underdog as Staples Center approaches its last week before the building becomes Crypto.com Arena. That’s because right now the Lake Show don’t look much better than the Rudy Tomjanovich/Frank Hamblen mess of 2004-05 with injuries and health protocols having depleted the roster into the festive period.
Even a big night from LeBron (34 points) couldn’t stop the carnage inflicted by the Suns on Tuesday in a 108-90 Phoenix romp, when four players (including starting G Avery Bradley) plus HC Frank Vogel, were in protocols still likely in force tonight, while AD is now out at least a month with knee issues. Talen Horton-Tucker, just activated out of protocols, hit only 1 for 13 from the floor in his first game in nine days, while just-signed Isaiah Thomas was a similar 1 for 11 with his FG tries, hardly making the job of interim HC David Fizdale any easier. (Keep an eye on King James, too, after he tweaked an ankle on Tuesday.)
By comparison the Spurs are a picture of health, with no reported Covid absences (knock on wood), and full of confidence after beating the Clippers by 24 in this building three nights ago, and Coach Pop’s team on its best extended run of the season (8-5 SU, 9-4 vs. line last 13). Across the last eight games, SA ranks second offensively (118.3 points per 100 possessions), with Dejounte Murray off of his third triple-double of the season in the win over the Clips. The dynamics might be much different the next time these teams meet in March, but on December 23, it looks like edge to the Spurs. Play San Antonio.
Thursday’s NBA Stat Sheet
Each day, WagerTalk handicapper Ralph Michaels puts together his NBA Stat Sheet, which offers a head-to-head comparison for how teams are performing in a number of key areas heading into a game. Click here to download Thursday’s sheet, with notes on tonight’s Los Angeles Lakers vs San Antonio Spurs contest.
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