The Wednesday NBA slate brings plenty of action, including a fun Western Conference showdown between Luka Doncic’s Los Angeles Lakers and Victor Wembanyama’s San Antonio Spurs. Both teams are off to excellent starts this season with a combined 11-3 record, so this looks like a great matchup for both betting cards and entertainment value.
Here’s a Spurs vs. Lakers prediction and pick on DraftKings Sportsbook for Wednesday night’s game.
Spurs vs. Lakers prediction, preview
The NBA needs to watch out… Victor Wembanyama’s takeover is imminent. The league’s preeminent alien averages 26.7 points, 13.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.3 steals and 4.7 blocks. Yes, those numbers are real rather than straight out of 2K, and they come despite a nine-point showing in his last contest. The 21-year-old has led the Spurs to an impressive 5-1 start despite De’Aaron Fox remaining sidelined due to injury. San Antonio ranks top-12 in PPG, FG%, rebounding, steals and blocks. With the league’s best defense in terms of opponent scoring, it’s not surprising to see this team sit fourth in +/- thus far at 11th in OFFRTG and second in DEFRTG. It’s not only Wembanyama creating this success, either — reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle averages 20.0 PPG with 5.3 assists as the lead guard while Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson and rookie Dylan Harper all average at least 13.0 PPG themselves.
The Lakers have a superstar of their own in Luka Doncic, who’s played just four of eight games but leads the league in scoring with 41.3 PPG along with 11.5 boards and 8.3 dimes. Despite his availability and LeBron James’ absence due to sciatica, Los Angeles enters tonight 6-2 so far while also battling a handful of other injuries. Austin Reaves won’t play tonight with a groin issue, marking a major loss at guard. Still, the Lakers are fifth in OFFRTG and 11th in PPG, first in FG% and 10th in assists as they ride a strong offense to this winning record. Defensively, they’re 14th in opponent PPG but 19th in DEFRTG, so they may be a little bit vulnerable in that regard. Outside of Doncic, the Lakers will depend on Rui Hachimura (16.9 PPG), Deandre Ayton (16.9 PPG, 8.1 REB), and surprising contributions from Jake LaRavia and Nick Smith Jr. as well.
Spurs vs. Lakers pick, best bet
On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Lakers enter as -1.5 favorites with -122 odds to win on the Moneyline. The Spurs come in at +102 underdogs to win outright with a game total of 227.5 points.
Fans can’t ask for much more than a marquee matchup between Doncic and Wembanyama, two of the NBA’s brightest superstar talents. Both possess game-wrecking ability as Doncic is a one-man offense in himself while Wembanyama has elevated his ability as a scorer while anchoring the league’s top defense with his 7-foot-5 frame and freakish wingspan. While neither player will have their co-stars available here, the contributions of role-player teammates have been enough to string together encouraging results early on.
While this game may be close, the presence of Wembanyama at the heart of the Spurs’ defense may prove the difference-maker here. Getting to the rim won’t be an easy task tonight with the blocks leader patrolling the interior, and while many teams may prioritize outside shooting against the young star, the Lakers aren’t doing well from deep right now. Los Angeles shoots just 33.1% from distance thus far, 23rd among all teams. With Reaves sidelined, the Lakers are also missing one of their best perimeter players and will instead lean on the frontcourt a little more than usual. These guys certainly won’t shoot 65.1% from two as they have so far, and Vassell, Castle and Harper should hound the players who do try and take outside shots. This shapes up as a win for the Spurs as their defense stifles this L.A. attack.
