The San Antonio Spurs (1-1) will travel to Staples Center to go head-to-head against the Los Angeles Lakers (0-2). Action gets underway at 10:30 p.m. ET on Monday, October 22, 2018, and can be seen on NBATV.
San Antonio Spurs vs. Los Angeles Lakers Betting Odds
Both teams failed to cover as underdogs in their last outing. The Spurs (5-point underdogs) were defeated by the Portland Trail Blazers, 121-108, while the Lakers (3.5-point underdogs) fell to the Houston Rockets, 124-115. Both games finished over their projected point totals. The San Antonio game went 15 points over the projected point total of 214, while the Los Angeles game went 1.5 points over the projected point total of 237.5.
San Antonio had a much better turnover percentage (5.3 vs. 11.5) while Los Angeles had a better turnover percentage (8.5 vs. 12.8). LeBron James had a good outing for Los Angeles, contributing 24 points, five rebounds and five assists. Meanwhile, DeMar DeRozan played a pivotal role for San Antonio with 28 points and nine assists.
The ineffective offense of Los Angeles will battle against the elite defense of San Antonio. Since the 2017-18 season, the Lakers rank 23rd in offensive efficiency, while the Spurs are fourth in defensive efficiency. The Spurs should have the edge on that end of the court. Ball protection should be an advantage for the Spurs. They rank 5th at avoiding errors (turnover percentage of 12.9 percent), while the Lakers have forced the ninth-fewest turnovers in the NBA (opponents’ turnover percentage of 13.2 percent).
The Spurs have had records of 48-36 straight up (SU) and 51-47-2 against the spread (ATS) since last season. Games featuring San Antonio have had a tendency to go over the O/U total since last season (57.0 percent).
On the other hand, the Lakers, have records of 35-49 SU and 37-45-2 ATS since last season. Vegas has been fairly accurate when setting the O/U total of Los Angeles games over that same time frame with 45 overs compared to 39 unders.
The Lakers dominated this series last year, winning all three games. In the last matchup, Los Angeles won 122-112. Los Angeles had a much better effective field goal percentage (0.622 vs. 0.479). San Antonio, meanwhile, had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (27.3 vs. 11.4).
San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Lakers Pick
Free NBA Pick: SU Winner – Lakers, ATS Winner – Lakers, O/U – Over
Betting Notes (2017-Present):
- The Spurs rank 17th in steals per game (7.6) while the Lakers rank 23rd in steals allowed per game (8.3).
- San Antonio ranks second in blocks allowed per game (3.9) while Los Angeles ranks 28th (5.5).
- The Spurs rank sixth in points off turnovers allowed per game (14.8) while the Lakers rank 28th (18.3).
- San Antonio ranks ninth in second chance points per game (13.2) while Los Angeles ranks 27th in second chance points allowed per game (13.4).
- Los Angeles ranks second in rebounds per game (46.3) while San Antonio ranks 15th (43.9).
- The Lakers rank second in fast break points per game (17.8) while the Spurs rank 25th (10.0).
- The Spurs rank third in three pointers allowed per game (26.3) while the Lakers rank 20th (30.3).
- San Antonio ranks eighth in points allowed in the paint per game (43.7) while Los Angeles ranks last (49.1).
- In games where they hold opponents under 100 points, Los Angeles is 13-5 and San Antonio is 33-11.
- When scoring above 100 points, the Spurs are 38-16 and the Lakers are 32-31.
