Spurs vs. Lakers Point Spread: NBA Odds, Prediction
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Jeremy Perry
The Los Angeles Lakers take to the court on Monday night after their controversial incident on Saturday night where several key players on the team got in a brawl with the Houston Rockets. Both Rajon Rondo and Brandon Ingram will be suspended for this contest after they threw punches.
NBA Point Spread and Betting Analysis
The foremost piece of betting news relative to this game is Rondo and Ingram are out. The Lakers and Rondo claimed that Rondo did not spit at Paul, but video of the incident clearly contradicts Rondo’s account.
In terms of recent games, the Lakers lost 124-115 to Houston, failing to cover the spread. The Lakers have allowed 128 and 124 points in their first two games. Against Houston, they allowed James Harden and Chris Paul to combine for 64 points and 15 assists. Houston’s starters scored 95 points.
The Spurs lost Saturday night to the Portland Trail Blazers, 121-108, failing to cover the spread. The Spurs are 32-24 in their last 56 visits to the Staples Center but this has been an even series of late. The Lakers are 4-3 SU and ATS in the last seven meetings.
San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs created 16 more shot attempts than Portland on Saturday, 100 to 84. They hit 13 of 30 three-pointers, which is very good. They committed only six turnovers, which is exceptionally strong. Yet, they lost by 13. Why? They allowed Portland to hit 54 percent of its field goals and 15 of 32 threes. Portland’s Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum combined for 53 points, as the impact of the Murray injury hit home for Gregg Popovich’s team.
You are seeing so many high-scoring games in the NBA this season, a product not only of players needing to adjust to their defensive assignments and rotations, but also due to the NBA rules and points of emphasis clearly favoring offensive players. San Antonio did not play poorly on offence against Portland, but since its defence was lost, that good offensive performance didn’t matter.
Los Angeles Lakers
So what does the loss of Rondo and Ingram mean for this game? Rondo is one of their two best passers, the other being LeBron James. Los Angeles handed out 28 assists on Saturday against Houston and Rondo had 10 of those assists, with LeBron having only five. The Lakers’ ball movement might suffer to a degree, even against San Antonio’s ineffective defence. As far as Ingram goes, he’s averaging 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. The Lakers have depth in the back court with Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart, but the loss of Ingram will be felt a little more.
In the loss to Houston, the Lakers allowed the Rockets to hit 16 threes in 42 attempts. Houston also outscored the Lakers by nine at the free throw line, 20 points to 11. The Lakers committed only 10 turnovers, but they were outrebounded 54-44. Another problem for Los Angeles against Houston: three-point shooting. The Lakers made just 8 of 32 tries against the Rockets.
