There's a shakeup in La La Land as Magic Johnson is in, Mitch Kupchak is out, and Jim Buss is essentially banished. This has brought a little buzz back to the Staples Center and the Lakers will get to unleash Showtime 2.0 in a Sunday afternoon matchup against the Spurs.
To be fair, Magic Johnson has some work ahead of him. The Lakers are only a game up on last place in the West and have freefalled at 3-7 in their last 10 before the All-Star break. The Spurs aren't likely to have mercy on LA however as San Antonio is just 4 games behind Golden State for the top seed in the West and went an impressive 7-3 in their last 10 before the All-Star break.
San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Lakers (Spread and Total)
The home crowd will be ready to root on their beloved purple and gold revamped under a new regime. The Lakers are actually a not-horrible 12-14 at Staples but it's almost like the Spurs enjoy going on the road as they are an astounding 24-7 away from San Antonio.
The Spurs have actually spent the weekend in LA with a Friday night game against the Clippers. It's not sure if coach Gregg Popovich brought his surfboard or took in the Hollywood Walk of Fame but he should be able to have his team at full strength with two upcoming days off before a home game against the Pacers.
The Lakers had a Friday night game in OKC but kick off a 4-game home stand with their Sunday game against the Spurs. They're 7 games out of the #8 seed in the West...so you're saying there's a chance?
San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Lakers Pick
It's easy to pick the Spurs in a blowout and call it a day. That actually might be the play considering the last matchup on January 12th in San Antonio ended in a 134-94 Spurs victory even as -14 favourites. The Spurs are used to being on the road with 6 straight away tilts before the All-Star break (4-2, but 2-4 Against The Spread). The Lake Show, on the other hand, went 8-2 Against the Spread before the All-Star break.
The under has gone 7-2 in the Spurs last 9 but the over is 6-2 in the last 8 for the Lakers so it's hard to get a read on the game's total. The best way to wager this one is to hope that the number is adjusted towards Los Angeles because bettors are on the Lakers management buzz, without regard to the players who have guided them to a 19-39 record. Take the Spurs in a blowout.
