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USATSI

The San Antonio Spurs host the Los Angeles Lakers in prime time on Wednesday evening. The Spurs won their first two games this season before dropping a narrow road loss to the New Orleans Pelicans in their last outing. The Lakers are 2-2, including a marquee win over the Dallas Mavericks on Christmas Day. LeBron James (ankle) is listed as questionable for Los Angeles, and Alex Caruso (protocols) is ruled out. Derrick White (toe) and Quinndary Weatherspoon (knee) are out of action for the Spurs.

Tip-off is at 8:30 p.m. ET in San Antonio. William Hill Sportsbook lists the Lakers as six-point road favorites, while the over-under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 229 in the latest Lakers vs. Spurs odds. Before you make any Spurs vs. Lakers picks, be sure to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven computer model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times, and it returned over $5,000 in profit on its top-rated NBA picks last season. The model is up nearly $8,100 over the past two seasons. Dating back to last season, it is on a stunning 62-36 roll on top-rated picks against the spread, returning almost $2,200 on those selections alone. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Lakers vs. Spurs. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the NBA odds from William Hill and trends for Spurs vs. Lakers:

  • Lakers vs. Spurs spread: Lakers -6
  • Lakers vs. Spurs over-under: 229 points
  • Lakers vs. Spurs money line: Lakers -250, Spurs +210
  • LAL: The Lakers are 2-2 against the spread this season
  • SAS: The Spurs have covered the spread in all three games in 2020-21

Why the Lakers can cover

The injury status of James is noteworthy, but the Lakers have the talent to take care of business even if he can't play. Anthony Davis is one of the best players in the world on both ends of the floor, and the Lakers are receiving substantial contributions from newcomers Dennis Schroder and Montrezl Harrell. In 2019-20, the Lakers were an uber-elite defensive team on the way to the championship, giving up fewer than 1.07 points per possession and forcing a turnover on 15.8 percent of possessions. 

So far this season, Los Angeles has been better on offense, scoring 119.5 points per 100 possessions and posting a 60.2 percent effective field goal shooting mark to lead the NBA. Against a Spurs that is a bottom-10 group on the offensive glass and generating free throws, the Lakers should generate stops and fuel their potent offense. 

Why the Spurs can cover 

The Spurs are a balanced, well-coached team, but San Antonio does have some standout performers. DeMar DeRozan has been fantastic so far in 2020-21, averaging 21.0 points, 9.0 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game as the team's offensive engine. At the point of attack, Dejounte Murray is a stout defender, and he is averaging 15.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game. 

San Antonio could have the edge in the turnover battle, as the Spurs are a top-10 team in ball security and the Lakers are near the bottom of the league in creating turnovers defensively. From there, the Spurs are an excellent defensive rebounding team that is near the top of the league in effective field goal percentage allowed (50.9 percent) and free throw rate allowed through three games.

How to make Lakers vs. Spurs picks

SportsLine's model is leaning under on the total, with Schroder and Murray projected to fall short of their season-long scoring averages. The model also says one side of the spread hits in well over 50 percent of simulations. You can only see that pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Spurs vs. Lakers? And which side of the spread hits well over 50 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the Lakers vs. Spurs spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks.