Los Angeles Lakers vs San Antonio Spurs Prediction: Expect a win for the home team

The Lakers lost to Miami without a chance in the first game of the California Classic. San Antonio handily beat Charlotte.

J.D. DuBois was appointed coach of the Lakers for the Summer League. And it seems that he was the one who lost the game to Miami - almost all of the players coming off the bench were inferior to the starting lineup in terms of plus/minus. As a result of mistakes in the rotation, the Lakers trailed by 18 points at the end of the first half and never regained the handicap, 90:107.

Max Christie, experienced by Summer League standards, was the highest-scoring player for Los Angeles in the game against the Heat, with 16 points. Forwards (also no rookies) L.J. Figueroa and Cole Swider each had 13 points. Defenseman Jalen Hood-Schiffino, the 17th pick of the 2023 draft out of Indiana College, had 15 points.

Victor Wembanyama did not play in the first game for the Spurs. But even without him, the San Antonio Spurs handled Charlotte with a solid 98:77 record. Particularly noteworthy was the Spurs' advantage of 51:26 in rebounding. In other key metrics, though, the Texans finished with an advantage.

Julin Champagnier scored 30 points against Charlotte, falling just short of his career-high 34. Forward Dominique Barlow had a double-double with 24 points and 11 rebounds. Eric Stephenson had 13 points off the bench.

In their game against Miami, the Lakers shot under 30% from three-point range, missed 9-of-28 free throws, and had more turnovers than assists. Still, the Lakes scored 90 points. The Los Angeles team's total for this game will be underestimated. We'll bet on the Lakers and also take their win.