Los Angeles Lakers vs San Antonio Spurs Prediction, 1/1/2021 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Los Angeles Lakers vs San Antonio Spurs

Date: Friday, January 1, 2021

Location: AT&T Center in San Antonio, TX

TV: NBATV

The Los Angeles Lakers (3-2) travel to AT&T Center on Friday where they'll meet the San Antonio Spurs (2-2).

The Los Angeles Lakers played the Spurs and walked away with a win by a score of 121-107 in their last game. Los Angeles walked away from the contest having earned a 56.1% field goal percentage (46 out of 82) and converted 14 of 26 shots from distance. From the free throw line, the Lakers converted 15 of 20 tries for a percentage of 75.0%. In reference to grabbing rebounds, they compiled 47 with 7 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 25 assists for the contest as well as earning 4 steals and 3 blocks. Pertaining to defense, Los Angeles allowed the other team to shoot 46.0% from the floor on 40 of 87 shooting. San Antonio doled out 25 assists and had 8 steals in this matchup. Moreover, the Spurs grabbed 39 rebounds (7 offensive, 32 defensive) and earned 4 blocked shots. San Antonio ended up going 73.9% at the free throw line by burying 17 of 23 attempts. They also converted 10 of their 24 tries from 3-point land.

LeBron James is someone who had an impact in the game. He totaled 26 points on 11 out of 23 shooting. He played 35:13 mins and also grabbed 5 boards. James finished the game shooting 47.8% from the floor and totaled 8 dimes. An additional guy that had an impact in the matchup for the Lakers was Dennis Schröder. He pulled down 4 rebounds and also earned 4 assists. He finished shooting 60.0% from the field in the matchup via 9-of-15 (21 points). When this game wrapped up, Schröder played for 33:48 minutes.

Los Angeles enters this matchup with a record of 3-2 for the year. They average 120.4 pts per contest (4th in the league) while shooting 52.4% from the field. The Lakers are connecting on 41.7% on three-point shots (65 of 156) and 76.6% from the free throw line. As a unit, Los Angeles is snagging 46.4 rebounds per game and has 132 assists this season, which has them ranked 1st in basketball in terms of passing. They are losing possession via turnover 17.0 times per game and as a unit are committing 20.0 personal fouls every game. Defensively, the Lakers are forcing 12.8 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 21.8 fouls. They are currently ranked 29th in the league in allowing assists to the opposition with 118 relinquished this season. The Lakers defense is giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 45.0% (64 of 109) and they surrender 39.8 rebounds per game as a basketball team. They are surrendering 33.3% on shots from beyond the arc while they are 9th in basketball in PPG allowed (108.8).

When they last stepped on the court, the San Antonio Spurs went home defeated by a final of 121-107 when they played the Lakers. The Spurs collected 32 defensive boards and 7 offensive rebounds for a total of 39 for the matchup. They rejected 4 attempts while recording 8 steals for the contest. The Lakers committed 24 personal fouls for this contest which got the Spurs to the charity stripe for 23 shots. They were able to make 17 of those for a rate of 73.9%. In the matter of shots from beyond the arc, San Antonio converted 10 of 24 attempts (41.7%). When the final whistle blew, the Spurs finished 40 out of 87 from the floor which had them shooting 46.0%. The Spurs allowed the Lakers to convert 46 out of their 82 attempts from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 56.1% in this matchup. They shot 53.8% from three-point range by connecting on 14 of 26 and walked away from this one shooting 15 out of 20 from the charity stripe (75.0%). Regarding rebounding, San Antonio allowed Los Angeles to pull down 47 in total (7 offensive).

Dejounte Murray ended up being a major contributor for the Spurs for the contest. He converted 12 out of 19 for the matchup giving him a field goal percentage of 63.2%, which gave him 29 points. Murray pulled down 7 rebounds in his 34:59 minutes of playing time and had 7 assists in this game. One more player that ended being a contributor for San Antonio was DeMar DeRozan. He accumulated 23 points in his 36:01 mins on the hardwood by going 7 of 12 from the floor in this contest. DeRozan ended the game having shot 58.3% from the field and also totaling 6 assists and 5 total rebounds.

San Antonio has a mark of 2-2 on the year. When it comes to executing on offense, the Spurs are hitting on 46.6% from the floor, which is 15th in the league. San Antonio has scored 452 pts for the season (113.0 per contest) and they pull down 46.8 rebounds per game. They are assisting teammates 28.8 times per contest (3rd in the league) and they are giving up possession 13.3 times per contest. The Spurs are committing 19.8 personal fouls every game and they connect on 80.3% from the charity stripe. The Spurs on defense are ranked 16th in basketball in PPG surrendered with 113.0. They relinquish 24.8 assists and 47.8 total boards per game, which is ranked 14th and 24th in the NBA. The San Antonio defense surrenders 37.3% on shots from distance (44 of 118) and their opponents are knocking down 70.7% of their free throw shots. They have forced 12.0 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 47.7% from the field (21st in basketball).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Los Angeles

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