NBA Thursday Night Doubleheader – Kobe and Lebron in Action

NBA Thursday Night Doubleheader

The weekly Thursday night doubleheader delivers both Kobe Bryant and LeBron James on the NBA betting slate, as the Lakers take on the Spurs and the Cavaliers face the Suns.

The Lakers have had a busy week so far with three games in four nights. Los Angeles visited Portland on Monday night before starting their journey through Texas on Wednesday at Houston. The Lakers had a rough start to their road trip on Monday after getting routed by Portland 111-84 as 2.5-point favorites. Bryant led the Lakers with 26 points and Pau Gasol added 18 points and 13 rebounds in the loss.

The Spurs head into Thursday night’s game on a three-game winning streak after dumping Charlotte on Tuesday. The Spurs got past the Bobcats 100-86 as a 5.5-point favorite on the NBA odds. Tony Parker and Roger Mason each netted 21 points and Tim Duncan chipped in with 16 points and 11 boards.

In two previous meetings this season between the Spurs and Lakers the home team has earned the win. In San Antonio back in January the Spurs edged the Lakers 112-111 as a 3-point favorite. Two weeks later the Lakers picked up a 99-85 win at home as a 7.5-point favorite. The Spurs are 4-1 in their last five home games against the Lakers, compared to an 0-6 mark in their last six trips to Los Angeles.

Cleveland barely scraped past the Clippers on Tuesday night in an 87-83 win as an 11-point favorite. The Cavs came back from a 19-point deficit in the fourth quarter in the win, as LeBron James recorded a triple-double with 32 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists.

The Suns are fading quickly in the Western Conference playoff race after losing their last five games. Phoenix’s latest loss came on Tuesday night to Dallas, 122-117 as a 5.5-point home favorite. Steve Nash led Phoenix with 23 points and 13 assists in the loss, and Shaquille O’Neal had 21 points and eight rebounds.

The Suns and Cavaliers met up in Cleveland last month and the Cavs eclipsed the Suns 109-92 as a 9-point favorite. Mo Williams poured in 44 points for Cleveland, while Amare Stoudemire had 27 point for the Suns, who were missing Nash in the loss. That loss snapped the Suns’ four-game winning streak against Cleveland, but Phoenix does have an ongoing nine-game home winning streak against the Cavs heading into Thursday’s matchup.