Los Angeles Lakers vs. San Antonio Spurs
The Lakers and Spurs will meet on Monday to play their third game in four days in the San Francisco bracket of the California Classic. Both teams had Saturday off, but did play on Sunday, and experienced very different results. The Spurs got demolished by the hometown Warriors Gold roster, which has clearly been the best in the league.
San Antonio lost by 29 points on Sunday, following a narrow loss to the Heat on Friday. Now 0-2, the Spurs will look to avoid leaving the California Classic winless, before they head to Las Vegas. The Warriors Gold roster showed the same domination against the Lakers on Friday, winning by 32 points.
I think it’s the Spurs that actually have the roster edge in this matchup, and the Lakers have a much better excuse to give players some rest on Monday. The Lakers are off a dramatic comeback win over the Heat on Sunday, after coming back from down double digits in the fourth quarter and winning in double overtime.
Most of these games on the final day or two of the leagues played before the Las Vegas Summer League can be tricky. We need to wait to see who actually plays in the game. But in this case, I feel confident in fading the Lakers regardless. The Spurs have scattered there talent more throughout the first two games, which means they should still have some good players on the floor when they look for a win in the finale. Meanwhile, the Lakers have played their best talent in both games, which should lead to some rest.
Give me the Spurs to grab a win in the California Classic finale.
NBA Summer League Pick: Spurs Moneyline (-142)
