San Antonio at Los Angeles

The San Antonio Spurs used their experience to rise up in Game 7 on the road to reach the Western Finals against the Lakers. We think the Hornets made some mistakes (see our blog from yesterday on this), but give credit where credit is due. The Spurs took a Game 7 road crowd out of the game. Now they trave to face a Lakers team that likes to get out and run and put up points. It's a stark contrast to the Spurs' style of play as San Antonio prides themselves on their defensive prowess. The Lakers are a well rested (rusty?) team and that bodes well for a low-scoring first-half. We saw the Pistons a bit rusty after their layoff last night. In games with first-half total in this range involving a team that has played four games or less in 10 days, the first-half UNDER has hit to the tune of 82-32 (72%)! You can also look at the history of these teams, as they have played UNDER in the first-half in 22 of the last 35 meetings, including eight of the last ten. The Lakers may take time to get their legs after the layoff and adjust to the Spurs defense which should be in rthym. We'll ride the first-half UNDER here.