Lakers vs. Spars Betting Line December 11
Carrie Stroup has your Lakers vs. Spurs betting line for Friday night. San Antonio -14, Total: 193.5
LOS ANGELES LAKERS (3-19) at SAN ANTONIO SPURS (18-5)
The Spurs will have a golden opportunity to get back into the win column when they host a Lakers team that has lost 11 of its past 12 on Friday.
The Lakers have lost four straight games and they have not held an opponent to under 100 points since Nov. 15. This is a problem considering Los Angeles has scored 100 or more in just three of the past 10 games. The Spurs, meanwhile, are coming off of a 97-94 loss in Toronto on Wednesday. They had won four straight games heading into that contest and have still won 16 of their past 20.
The Spurs have gotten the best of this series over the years, going 5-2 SU against Los Angeles in the past three seasons. However, they've split victories ATS and the Lakers are 2-1 ATS when playing in San Antonio over the past three years. Three of the past four games played between these teams at AT&T Center have gone Under the total.
Los Angeles is a remarkable 22-8 ATS in road games after allowing 120 points or more since 1996. That won’t phase the Spurs, though, as San Antonio is 12-3 ATS in home games after playing as a road favorite in its previous game over the past two seasons. PG Jordan Clarkson (Ankle) is questionable for the Lakers in this game and SF Kawhi Leonard (Illness) is probable for the Spurs.
The Lakers have been one of the worst teams in basketball this season and a lot of that has to do with SG Kobe Bryant (15.9 PPG) and his farewell tour. Bryant is playing 30.9 MPG this season, but he is shooting an embarrassing 30.9% from the floor and 22.3% from the outside. He is one of the most inefficient players in the league and Los Angeles will not win games unless he starts to use his teammates more.
One plus for Los Angeles is that rookie PG D’Angelo Russell (11.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 3.0 APG) is coming off of is his best game as a pro. Russell played 32 minutes in a loss to the Timberwolves and finished with 23 points and three assists. He hit some clutch shots that got the Lakers to overtime and Los Angeles will be hoping that this is a sign of things to come and not just an outlier of a performance.
PF Julius Randle (12.2 PPG, 9.4 RPG) is also coming off of a great performance. Randle had 20 points and 12 boards against the Timberwolves and has had three straight double-doubles. He will need to be ready to play against the Spurs’ dominant frontcourt.
The Spurs are coming off of a tough loss in Toronto, but this team will do its best not to get down and allow a slip up on Friday. The one concern is that the Spurs will rest their starters for this game, but that won’t be decided until right near the tip.
One player to really watch in this game is PF LaMarcus Aldridge (15.4 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 1.2 BPG), who had an opportunity to sign with the Lakers this offseason. Aldridge is averaging 18.5 PPG over the past four contests and is starting to look a lot more comfortable in the offense. His size and ability to shoot should give the Lakers a lot of trouble on Friday.
SF Kawhi Leonard (20.9 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.8 SPG, 1.1 BPG) played just 27 minutes against the Raptors due to a stomach bug. He had just seven points in the game and the Spurs will need him to be better moving forward. He should be recovered from whatever virus he had heading into that game.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
