Preview: San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Lakers – Game #19
Victor Wembanyama leads the Spurs into battle in Los Angeles (Photo via X)
The San Antonio Spurs will try to win a fifth straight game tonight when they travel to Los Angeles to take on the Lakers. While the Lakers (10-7) have a better record than the Spurs (10-8), L.A. has lost three consecutive games and is streaking in the opposite direction as S.A.
In the highly competitive Western Conference, the Lakers are currently the sixth seed, while the Spurs are the tenth seed. Both the Dallas Mavericks and the Minnesota Timberwolves, who played in the Western Conference Finals last season, sit outside of the top eight seeds.
San Antonio Spurs Injury Update
There is a variety of good news on the injury report. First of all, Victor Wembanyama, who played 37 minutes in last night’s victory over the Utah Jazz, isn’t listed on the report. That means the superstar sophomore will be able to suit up tonight against the Lakers. Considering he recently had an issue with a knee bruise and the amount of minutes he played last night, it was quite possible that the coaching staff could sit him on the second night of a back-to-back.
Devin Vassell, who missed the start of the season after undergoing offseason foot surgery and recently missed games due to knee soreness, is listed as probable for the contest versus Los Angeles. Also listed as probable is Keldon Johnson, who returned against the Jazz after missing a game with a hamstring injury.
The only key cog who remains out for the Spurs is Jeremy Sochan. The third year forward is recovering after having surgery to repair a broken bone in his thumb.
San Antonio Spurs Starting Lineup
Despite the probable return of Vassell, expect interim head coach Mitch Johnson to stick with the same starting five. That fivesome has Wembanyama at center, Harrison Barnes at power forward, Julian Champagnie at small forward, Stephon Castle at shooting guard and Chris Paul at point guard.
Vassell is very likely to remain in a bench role until his minutes restriction is lifted. He has yet to start a game this season.
It’ll also be interesting to see which backup center the coaches will go with as the first big off the bench. Against the Jazz, Zach Collins played in the first half but the coaches turned to Charles Bassey in the second half.
Betting Guide: Spurs at Lakers
The Lakers are favored by two points and the over/under is 226.5 points. The smart money is on the Spurs. The Lakers have been struggling lately, while the Spurs have recently beaten two top teams in the West in the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Golden State Warriors. With Wembanyama suited up and available, San Antonio has a very real chance to push the winning streak to a fifth game.