The L.A. Lakers were outplayed and outhustled during their Game 3, 84-103, road loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Tonight they hope to rebound with a win in San Antonio, something no other team has done in these playoffs. The Lakers lead the Western Conference Finals 2-1. Oddsmakers at SBGglobal.com have the Spurs as 4-point favs over the Lakers with the over/under set at 192. Get your NBA Playoff Prediction in now at SBGglobal.com
The Lakers had an off night, but not Kobe Bryant. The one man team finished with 30pts after making 13 of 23 from the field. His four fourth quarter 3-pointers got them to within 12 points, but without any points from Lamar Odom and Derek Fisher, it wasn’t going to happen. Odom made 2 of 11 from the field and 3 of 8 from the free throw line for 7pts. Fisher was 1 for 4 from the field for 2pts. This was the Lakers worst loss throughout these playoffs. Coach Phil Jackson said he's "comfortable we can get Lamar back on track. Once it gets going bad for him, there's a lot of times he can't turn his game around in the course of the night, so that's one of the things we keep talking about, finding a way to recapture your ball game even though things haven't gone well for you early." Odom usually averages 14 PPG and 10 RPG. The Lakers are 3-3 SU on the road in the playoffs where they’ve averaged 102 PPG. In their last five games they’ve averaged 98 PPG and they given up an average 93 PPG.
The Spurs played like they were defending Champs. Manu Ginobili had a better game with 30pts after hitting 9 of 15 from the field, 5 of 7 from downtown and 7 of 7 from the line. Tim Duncan pulled down 21 rebounds as he finished with 22pts while Tony Parker had 20pts. "Making shots is part of it. And we did a better job of that," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "They (Los Angeles) missed some shots that could have gone in without a doubt." The Spurs went back to their old school style of play, defense! "We have to contain them, limit what they do," Duncan said. "They have the best scorer in the league. He can get off in stretches. We have to be able to contain the rest of their team and understand that defense is what's going to get us over the hump." The Spurs are 7-0 SU at home in the playoffs where they’ve averaged 103 PPG. During their last five games they’ve averaged 89 PPG and they’ve allowed an average 87 PPG.
Recent Trends to Consider
- Under is 8-1 in the last 9 meetings in San Antonio.
- Under is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings.
- Favorite is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.
- Home team is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.
- Lakers are 2-5 ATS in the last 7 meetings.
- Lakers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following a S.U. loss.
- Lakers are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 Conference Finals games.
GAME: L.A. Lakers Lakers (67-28) at San Antonio Spurs (65-32)
DATE/TIME: Tuesday, May 27 – 9:00 PM EST
LINE: SBGglobal.com TOTAL: 192
PICK: Spurs -4
The Bottom Line: The Spurs play like defending Champs at home. The Lakers need more from their other starters, besides Kobe. Defense wins titles and the Spurs defend well at home. Get your NBA Playoff Prediction in now at SBGglobal.com and receive a 10% sign-up bonus on your initial deposit!
