The Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs meet at the AT&T Center in Texas on Monday night.
On Saturday, the Lakers ended a four-game skid versus the Golden State Warriors for a 124-116 win. LeBron James carried the load, as he scored 56 points and 10 rebounds in a monster performance.
At 37 years old, LeBron continues to play at a high level and trying to carry this team to something in 2022. The Lakers have a lot of work left despite that win, though.
Only two players in NBA history have dropped 50 points in three different decades:
Michael Jordan — 80s, 90s, 00s
LeBron James — 00s, 10s, 20s(Submitted by @_Talkin_NBA) pic.twitter.com/xlqupfVkii
— StatMuse (@statmuse) March 6, 2022
They’ve lost seven of their previous nine attempts and looking at a record of 28-35 going into San Antonio. The Lakers are the ninth-best team in the West and would be going to the play-in tournament at this rate.
They are very lucky to even be considered as a play-in team. Sorry, but seven games under .500 should not result in a trip to a postseason tournament.
If the Lakers finally get their act together, of course, this isn’t going to be a team that I’d like to see in the playoffs.
5️⃣6️⃣ pic.twitter.com/g6UQGQoWRG
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) March 7, 2022
There have been calls to put Russell Westbrook on the bench recently. The groans continue to grow louder, as Westbrook plays careless basketball and gets lost too often defensively.
Frank Vogel hasn’t bent on these demands, though, and I’m sure he is hoping that this lights something under Westbrook. I don’t know if anything is going to get Westbrook, but Westbrook himself, though.
The Spurs are coming off a 123-117 loss to the Charlotte Hornets. It was their fourth straight loss, as the defense continued to get beat up. Gregg Popovich’s squad is 24-40 and sinking out of the play-in.
Head below for our free Lakers vs. Spurs prediction on March 7, 2022.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. San Antonio Spurs Betting Odds and Team Statistics:
The following odds are courtesy of BetOnline:
| Teams | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| LA Lakers | +2.5 (-115) | OFF | Over 232.5(-110) |
| San Antonio Spurs | -2.5 (-105) | OFF | Under 232.5 (-110) |
| Team Data | LA Lakers | San Antonio Spurs |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Record | 28-35 | 24-40 |
| ATS Record | 27-35-1 | 32-31-1 |
| Away/Home Record | 9-19 | 11-19 |
| ATS Away/Home | 13-15-0 | 14-16-0 |
| Points Per Game | 110.6 | 112.8 |
| Points Against Per Game | 112.7 | 113.0 |
| Field Goal % | 46.5 | 46.8 |
| Three Point % | 34.8 | 35.3 |
Lakers vs. Spurs Prediction:
The Lakers aren’t winning anything if the defense doesn’t improve. It comes down to more than Russell Westbrook, too.
They look slow and old too often and struggle to get back and play defense. Certainly, though, it would if Westbrook doesn’t look so lost consistently.
Westbrook is also averaging 3.3 turnovers per game, which is leading to easy points on the other end of the floor. The Lakers are 25th in the league with 112.7 points against per game.
In their previous five attempts, the Lakers have conceded 117 points per game with a 51.1% FGA. This has been consistently bad for the Lakers, so no, don’t expect it to get any better suddenly.
The Spurs have some young players on the floor, forcing the Lakers to run back on defense. Dejounte Murray will get out and press for the Spurs.
He should be able to put a lot of strain on the Lakers’ defense in this one. Murray has helped the Spurs score an average of 112.8 points per game on 46.8% shooting this season.
San Antonio is the seventh-best team in the NBA in scoring and fifth in field goal percentage. The Spurs are hot with 124 points a game on 49.3% shooting through their last five outings.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. San Antonio Spurs Betting Trends:
- 1-3-1 ATS in their previous five games
- 3-1-1 ATS in their previous five games as an underdog
- OVER is 5-0 in their previous five games as an underdog on the road
- OVER is 5-1 in their previous six games on the road
- OVER is 7-2 in their previous nine games as an underdog
- 6-2-1 ATS in their previous nine games as a betting favorite
- 7-2-1 ATS in their previous ten games versus a team with a losing record
- OVER 6-1 in their previous seven games as a betting favorite
- OVER is 12-3-1 in their previous 16 games versus a team with a losing record
- OVER is 8-3 in their previous 11 games after a loss
While the Spurs have been scoring nearly 125 points per game recently, their defense has been getting hammered. This has been a problem for Popovich all season.
He typically isn’t used to this with his powerhouse teams of yesteryear. The offense is scoring 124 points per game, but giving up more points than that at a clip of 128.4 a game.
San Antonio is 26th with 113 points per game and a 46.8% field goal percentage against in 24th. The Lakers have been effective offensively, with 110.6 points per game and a 46.5% field goal percentage.
This one should be a high-scoring final score. Look for the Lakers and Spurs to exchange blows, with the OVER on the total a good option in San Antonio tonight.
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