San Antonio Spurs vs Los Angeles Lakers Prediction & Picks - NBA

Prediction published on 3/17/25, 4:11 AM  by Paul Tamayo | Modified on 3/17/25 at 6:16 AM in NBA Picks

The San Antonio Spurs (28-38) visit the Los Angeles Lakers (40-25) on Monday, March 17, 2025, at the Crypto.com Arena.

The Lakers finally put an end to a four-game skid with a much-needed 107-96 win over Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns. Austin Reaves scored 28 points and dished out 6 assists, extending his streak of at least 28 points to three games.

Luka Doncic played almost 40 minutes against the Suns, which is a positive sign for his availability. He did sit out the second leg of the Lakers' most recent back-to-back schedule. But with the Lakers in need of momentum, Luka might be permitted to play against the Spurs.

But even if Luka doesn't play, the Lakers are still favored to beat the Spurs. After all, this is a team without their top two stars, Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox. It also doesn't help that the Spurs have produced a lowly 132.8 defensive rating in the last six games.

LeBron James and Rui Hachimura will again sit out the Spurs game. However, there is a high probability that Luka plays in this game, even if it's the second night of a back-to-back. A Luka sighting is enough for the Lakers to defeat the Spurs.