San Antonio Spurs vs Los Angeles Lakers Prediction, Preview and Odds - 12/23/2021

Game Time: 10:30 pm ET, Thursday, December 23, 2021

Venue:  STAPLES Center, Los Angeles, CA

Where to Watch:  Sportsnet LA

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Spurs +1.5, Lakers -1.5; Over/Under:  223.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Spurs NL, Lakers NL; Over/Under:  NL points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Spurs +1.5, Lakers -1.5; Over/Under:  224.5 points

 

San Antonio Spurs:  12-18 (3rd place, Southwest Division)

Los Angeles Lakers:  16-16 (4th place, Pacific Division)

 

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San Antonio Spurs:  5-5 last 10

Los Angeles Lakers:  5-5 last 10

 

 

 

The Spurs are coming into this game with a 12-18 record overall and they are 6-9 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They have won 2 of their last 3 games and are coming into this one off of a win in their last game. Their last loss was against the Sacramento Kings while their 2 wins in that span came against the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Clippers in their last game. Dejounte Murray led the team in points in that game with 24 while Jakob Poeltl was next on the team with 17 points. Murray led the team in assists in that game with 13 while he and Keldon Johnson both led the team in rebounds with 12 each. They were 43.9% from the field, 32.4% from 3-point range, and 66.7% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 109.8 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 109.8 PPG against them. The Spurs have an ATS record of 17-13 this season and their O/U record is 16-12-2. 

 

 

The Lakers are coming into this game with a 16-16 record overall and they are 10-8 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. Their last win was against the Dallas Mavericks but they have gone on a 3 game losing streak since then with losses coming against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Chicago Bulls, and the Phoenix Suns in their last game. LeBron James went off in that game as he led the team in points with 34 while Russell Westbrook was next on the team with 22 points. Westbrook led the team in assists in that game with 5 and he also led the team in rebounds with 10. They were 39.1% from the field, 20% from 3-point range, and 65.2% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 109.8 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 111.2 PPG against them. The Lakers have an ATS record of 12-20 this season and their O/U record is 16-16.

 

 

The Spurs are coming into this game as a 1 point underdog with the current betting odds according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Spurs have been playing better in their recent games with 2 wins in their last 3 games. The Lakers have not been having a good season this year and they are sitting right around .500 struggling to win games even when everybody is healthy and playing. Now Anthony Davis is out until January with an injury and they are also dealing with other injuries to some support role players while the Spurs are pretty much fully healthy here. The Lakers have been very inconsistent this season and they are not a team that can be trusted to even win games. The best bet to place in this game is on the Spurs to cover the spread here.

 

Spurs Lakers Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Thursday, December 23, 2021 (10:30 pm ET start time) is Spurs 107 Lakers 104.

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San Antonio Spurs: 8-4 ATS as a road underdog. 26-19 ATS in a road game where the total is 220 to 229.5. 16-10 ATS in December games. 36-23 ATS revenging a loss where opponent scored 110 or more points. 33-15 ATS revenging a road loss vs opponent. 23-13 ATS off an upset win as an underdog.

Los Angeles Lakers: 13-19 ATS in all games. 8-15 ATS as a favorite. 5-10 ATS as a home favorite. 6-12 ATS in home games. 5-11 ATS at home when the line is +3 to -3. 7-18 ATS after having lost 3 of their last 4 games. 8-17 ATS after 2 or more consecutive losses.

 

 

San Antonio Spurs:  Z. Collins (PF) Early Jan - Ankle injury.

Los Angeles Lakers:  K. Nunn (PG) Mid Jan - Ankle injury. K. Bazemore (SG) Out indefinitely - Illness. A. Davis (PF) Mid Jan - Knee injury. M. Monk (SG) Out indefinitely - Illness. A. Bradley (SG) Out indefinitely - Hip injury.R. Westbrook (PG) Out indefinitely - Illness.

 

 

 

"I take pride in being a pass-first guy, knowing that I can score, knowing that I can get shots. For me, it's just getting that balance now and it will come over time." - Dejounte Murray on their win against the Clippers on Monday night.

 

 

"Obviously, we are in a rough patch right now with guys in and out of protocol, guys who are injured. We just have to stay together until we become whole, or as whole as possible. But I love our fight. I thought we had a good fight tonight, we just couldn't make enough plays." - LeBron James on their loss against the Suns on Tuesday night.

 

 

 

PG     Dejounte Murray

SG     Derrick White

SF     Doug McDermott

PF    Keldon Johnson

C     Jakob Poeltl

 

PG     Russell Westbrook

SG     Wayne Ellington

SF     Talen Horton-Tucker

PF     LeBron James

C     Dwight Howard

 

 

PPG: D. Murray (18.1)

APG: D. Murray (8.6)

Reb/G: J. Poeltl (8.7)

 

PPG: L. James (26.4)

APG: R. Westbrook (8.2)

Reb/G: A. Davis (9.9)

 

Coaches:

San Antonio Spurs: Gregg Popovich (26th season)

Los Angeles Lakers: Frank Vogel (3rd season)