The San Antonio Spurs lost star forward Kawhi Leonard this offseason and said goodbye to longtime stalwarts Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. Even so, there was always the feeling the organization would be fine because coach Gregg Popovich remained and the team had such a tradition of excellence.
That hasn’t been the case early in the season, and the Spurs will need to turn things around to have a shot at making the playoffs. They have a tough game this week as they hit the road to face off against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers had some turbulence early in the season but have picked it up of late and will be the home favorites in this showdown in NBA gambling.
This NBA basketball game between the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers will be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California at 8:30 p.m ET on Wednesday, December 5th, 2018. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN.
We'll have NBA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for every game of the 2018 NBA season.
NBA Betting at BookMaker.eu
Odds Analysis
The Spurs have dropped to 10-12 on the season. While there are a ton of teams muddled together within a few wins of each other in the Western Conference, the Spurs currently have the second-worst record. That can change quickly with a win streak but San Antonio lost consecutive games by more than 30 points last week, the first time that’s happened under Popovich. The Spurs are just 4-8 on the road this year.
The Lakers are 13-9 and have pushed their way up the standings and are now in the thick of the other contenders. Los Angeles has gone 8-4 at home on the year and will look for that success to continue.
This game has live betting capability which is a great option because it allows bettors to watch the game for a quarter and then make wagers depending on its flow in NBA odds.
Scheduling Situation
5. That’s how many losses the Lakers had in their first seven games of the year but have turned it around recently. Los Angeles has won nine of its past 13 games as it took a bit of time for all the players to learn their roles around LeBron James.
James is having a typical stellar season, averaging 28.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.6 assists on the year. He is getting some help from Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram, who are both averaging better than 15 points per contest.
Injury Report
Spurs forward Pau Gasol is going to be out for a while with a stress fracture in his foot. The offseason departure of Leonard was a big blow and it doesn’t help not having Gasol. The onus is on players like LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan to help lead the team out of a funk.
Gasol is only average 6.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game but his passing ability as a big man is a key to San Antonio’s offense and it will have to make due without him for a while.
Free NBA ATS Picks
This is the first of consecutive games between these teams. They will follow it up with another matchup in San Antonio on Friday. The Spurs would be thrilled to pull off the upset and then head home with a chance at the sweep, but it’s not going to happen.
Look for James to have a huge games and help his team to an easy win. San Antonio has a talent issue right now as there are not enough scorers to keep up. The Lakers are going to be the favorites but they should also be the pick to cover the spread in NBA betting.
NBA ATS Pick: Los Angeles Lakers 115, San Antonio Spurs 104
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
