The San Antonio Spurs play host to the LA Lakers on Wednesday night in a Western Conference showdown from the Frost Bank Center. The Lakers enter with a 15-9 record, which is good for sixth place in the conference standings. For the Spurs, issues have plagued them of late, as they bring in a 3-19 record and a lengthy winning streak to add to that. Last season, the Lakers swept the season series across four games and with both teams going in opposite directions at this point in time, a similar result is expected. Fresh off their in-season tournament win, fans will be excited to see the Lakers get back to some normalcy in their schedule in this one.
With the NBA season heating up, make sure to check out our NBA predictions to stay on top of things!
Having to play on the road for the second-straight night is a challenge for most teams but given the Lakers are also coming off of a few extra games over the last few weeks, it could spell trouble. Tuesday night saw them lose to Dallas in a tight one that put plenty of minutes on the legs of many of their key players. While the travel isn't fair to San Antonio, there's a good chance that there's some rest given to some of the players that fans might be expecting to see. Beyond that, the Lakers have struggled on the road this season, sitting at only 4-7 away from home. Even with all that said, Los Angeles would still be disappointed to not grab the win in this one, especially considering all of San Antonio's recent struggles.
Off the bat, the Lakers have three injuries that they're navigating. Gave Vincent (knee) remains out, while Jarred Vanederbilt (back) and Jalen Hood-S chifino (back) are both questionable. Given this is the second leg of a back-to-back though, fans will want to monitor the injury report as tipoff approaches.
The Lakers have struggled on the offensive end except for in what matters, as they rank fifth in field-goal percentage. Their ability to get to the rim is a plus, while their distribution is elite in the Western Conference too. The defensive side leaves something to be desired but considering the opponent, success seems almost a given on both ends. Lebron James (25.0 ppg, 6.6 apg) continues to put together another impressive year, while Anthony Davis (22.7 ppg, 12.7 rpg) is right there with him. While it seems unlikely both play in this one, the Lakers have some nice scoring depth to still find points on the road, if needed.