The San Antonio Spurs pay a visit to the Los Angeles Lakers at the STAPLES Center on Thursday night.

The San Antonio Spurs have been in poor form as they’ve lost four of their first seven games, but they will be looking to build some momentum after arresting a three-game slide with a 116-113 win over the Clippers on Tuesday. Patty Mills led the team with 27 points on eight of 16 shooting off the bench, Dejounte Murray added 21 points with five assists, Rudy Gay scored 16 points while LaMarcus Aldridge chipped in with 14 points. As a team, the Spurs shot 45 percent from the field and a sizzling 20 of 40 from the 3-point line as they jumped all over the Clippers early to lead by as many as 24 points, before having to hold off the Clippers in the fourth as they scored just three points in the final 4:35.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers have been in great form as they’ve won six of their first eight games and they will be gunning for a fifth straight victory after sneaking past the Grizzlies in a 94-92 road win on Tuesday. LeBron James led the way with 26 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, Anthony Davis added 26 points with 10 rebounds and three blocks while Dennis Schroder chipped in with 12 points but no other player finished in double figures. As a team, the Lakers shot 43 percent from the field and nine of 31 from the 3-point line as they really had to wrestle with the pesky Grizzlies right from the start until midway through the fourth quarter where they went on a pivotal 11-4 run to escape with the hard-fought win.

Looking at the betting trends, the Spurs are 6-1 ATS in their last seven road games, 6-0 ATS in their last six games as a road underdog and 5-2 ATS in their last seven games overall. The Lakers are 1-4 ATS in their last five games against a team with a losing record and 2-7 ATS in their last nine games following a win.

Head to head, the under is 4-0 in the last four meetings in Los Angeles, the Spurs are 1-4 ATS in the last five meetings overall and the Spurs are 1-3-1 ATS in the last five meetings in Los Angeles.

The Spurs will be feeling much better after putting a halt to a four-game skid, but overall, they’ve been well below their best and they’ve already lost twice to the Lakers this season who have looked like the benchmark of the league so far. I want to believe that the Spurs shoot well enough from the perimeter to hang with the Lakers who were far from convincing in their naritem win over the shorthanded Grizzlies, however, I’m sticking with the Lakers to stay hot here with a win and cover.