The San Antonio Spurs (16-7) and Los Angeles Lakers (17-6) will face off in the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup tonight. Tipoff is set for 10:00 p.m. EST from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Calif. The game will broadcast live on Amazon Prime Video.
The Lakers are 7-point favorites over the Spurs on the spread (Lakers -7), with the over/under set at 240 total points. Los Angeles is a -275 favorite to win outright on the moneyline, while San Antonio is +225 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Spurs vs. Lakers predictions and NBA picks for Wednesday, December 10.
My Spurs vs Lakers Prediction
- Spurs vs Lakers pick: Over 239.5 (-115)
My Lakers vs Spurs best bet is on the over, with the best price currently available at DraftKings. However, make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NBA odds page.
Spurs vs Lakers Odds
| Spurs Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+7 -105 | 240 -110o / -110u | +225 |
| Lakers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-7 -115 | 240 -110o / -110u | -275 |
Spurs vs Lakers NBA Preview
The Spurs and Lakers both enter this NBA Cup quarterfinal coming off road wins against the Pelicans and 76ers, respectively.
The Lakers won the first meeting by a score of 118-116 a month ago.
Luka Doncic led the way with 35 points, nine rebounds, and 13 assists, leading the way in the absence of LeBron James and Austin Reaves.
James is coming off his best outing of the season with 29 points (12 in the fourth quarter), seven rebounds, and six assists on 12-for-17 from the field. He will look to lead the Lakers to their second NBA Cup title in three years.
Reaves is coming off his worst game of the season, going 3-for-16 and finishing with just 11 points. He is still averaging 28.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game.
The Spurs have reached the NBA Cup quarterfinals for the first time. Unfortunately, they will not have Victor Wembanyama available tonight, as he will miss his 12th consecutive game with a calf injury.
However, they did get Stephon Castle back on Monday. The reigning Rookie of the Year shot just 5-for-15 from the field, but he had 18 points, five rebounds, and five assists from the field.
It also marked the first time this season that the Spurs had Castle, De'Aaron Fox, and Dylan Harper available. Fox had a quiet game by his standards, scoring 14 points while attempting a season-low 11 field goals.
Still, he is probably excited about his matchup tonight. In 27 career games against the Lakers, he is averaging 24.4 points and 6.5 assists.
Meanwhile, Harper scored a season-high 22 points against the Pelicans, going 10-for-16 from the field in 26 minutes.
While he may not score 20 points again, I expect him to have success against the Lakers bench lineups.
Spurs vs Lakers Prediction, Betting Analysis
NBA Cup games can have a playoff intensity; they tend to mean more. However, the Spurs rank 16th in defensive rating while the Lakers are 21st.
Without Wembanyama, the Spurs are allowing 119.8 points per 100 possessions, which would match the Brooklyn Nets for 27th in defensive rating this season.
Wembanyama did play in the first meeting, and that game still featured 234 points.
Over their last 10 games, the Spurs are 6-4 on the over, while Lakers are 7-3. Head-to-head, the two teams are 7-2-1 to the over in their last 10 meetings, so there should be plenty of points tonight with the scoring led by Doncic.
Doncic enters this game having scored 30 points in eight straight games.
In each of those games, he has cleared 50 points, rebounds, and assists combined. He had 57 PRA in the first meeting, and the Spurs are 24th in PRA allowed to point guards.
While Fox is coming off a quiet night, he has still scored 20 points in 12 of 15 games this season. He has scored 20 points in eight straight games against the Lakers, averaging 30.5 points per game in that span.
A few of them may be assisted by Castle, who had five assists to go along with five rebounds in his return. He has had 10 or more RA in nine of his last 10 games, in addition to 11 or more in three of his last four against the Lakers.
Meanwhile, DeAndre Ayton had 22 points and 10 rebounds in the first meeting against the Spurs. He has pulled down eight rebounds in nine of his last 10 games as well as in each of his last four games against the Spurs.
Pick: Over 239.5 (-115)
Spurs vs. Lakers Parlay Picks
- Luka Doncic 50+ Points + Rebounds + Assists
- De'Aaron Fox 20+ Points
- Stephon Castle Over 10.5 Rebounds + Assists
- DeAndre Ayton 8+ Rebounds
Parlay Odds: +470 via DraftKings
Spread
No play on the spread.
Moneyline
I'm staying away from the moneyline as well.
Over/Under
My Lakers vs Spurs betting prediction is on the over at 239.5 total points.
