The San Antonio Spurs will look to end their best of seven set with the Lakers tonight as the two teams battle in a Game 4 contest at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles. This evening’s potential series finale is scheduled to tip off at 7:00pm ET on TNT. The Spurs are a -11.5 against the spread road favorite according to the latest 2013 NBA Playoff Picks; the game total is set at 189.5 points. L.A. is drawing +550 moneyline odds ($100 wins $550) to avoid a sweep.
While the final score of tonight’s game remains an unknown, the final result seems like a foregone conclusion. It should be obvious to everyone, including the Lakers, that when the Spurs are trying to beat Los Angeles they almost always get the job done. The only real question is how much San Antonio will win by.
If the first three games of this series are any indication, the answer to that query is by quite a bit. The Spurs took out the Lakers 91-79 in Game 1 and 102-91 in Game 2, but they really opened up a can on Friday night, smashing L.A. 120-89 in front of the STAPLES Center crowd.
It is difficult to imagine this evening’s contest looking much different with the Lakers now a shell of their former selves. Forget about the loss of Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles may need to recruit Jack Nicholson just to field a roster for Game 4. Here’s the list of Lakers sitting out tonight’s contest due to injury/ailment: Steve Nash, Steve Blake, Jodie Meeks, and Metta World Peace.
Given the talent gap between these two teams and the current injury situation for the Lakers, the only way San Antonio wins this game by fewer than 12 points is if plays like the series is already over. That, however, remains a possibility considering the series is all but over.
Notable Trends: The Spurs are 9-1 straight up and 7-3 against the spread in their last 10 games as a road favorite with a spread between 11 and 13.5 points.
San Antonio Spurs -11.5 (-110), Over 189.5 (-110), -750 (Moneyline)
Los Angeles Lakers +11.5 (-110), Under 189.5 (-110), +550 (Moneyline)
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