San Antonio @ Los Angeles preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 3, 2018 ) L.A. Lakers 116, San Antonio 112

The San Antonio Spurs' streak of 18 consecutive 50-win seasons has reached an end as the team finds itself in a battle for homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The Spurs will try to take a step toward that quest when they visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday.

San Antonio's chances at another 50-victory campaign evaporated with Tuesday's 113-110 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, which dropped it into a tie for fourth place in the Western Conference with the Utah Jazz, who own the tiebreaker. Coach Gregg Popovich was dejected after a defeat he termed "very disappointing" in a brief 43-second interaction with reporters and said the "defense caved in in the fourth quarter," when the Clippers scored 41 points. The Lakers are fading fast with three straight losses and eight in their last 10 contests after falling 117-110 to Utah on Tuesday. Lakers rookie point guard Lonzo Ball (knee) will miss his fourth straight game while Brandon Ingram (concussion) will sit out for the third consecutive contest.

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, FS Southwest (San Antonio), Spectrum Sports Net (Los Angeles)

ABOUT THE SPURS (45-33): Tuesday's defeat was just the third in 11 games for the Spurs, but it left a bitter feeling after the team squandered a 19-point advantage. Veteran Manu Ginobili wasn't the least bit thrilled to field a question about the 50-win streak ending, as he said, "Come on. That's the most ridiculous thing ever. We want to make the playoffs." All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge, who recorded 35 points and nine rebounds, has scored 25 or more in seven of his last nine games - averaging 30.4 during the stretch.

ABOUT THE LAKERS (33-44): Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (28 points) and Kyle Kuzma (26) scored nearly half the points as the Lakers came up short against Utah. Both players received extra minutes with the team thin on players, and coach Luke Walton stated after Tuesday's game that Ball and Ingram might not return this season. "We plan on not having them," Walton said in his postgame press conference. "If we get them back, great. If not, we will keep going with these guys."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The Lakers have won their last three meetings with the Spurs, including the first two this season.

2. San Antonio SG Danny Green is just 5-of-19 shooting over his last two games.

3. Lakers PF Julius Randle registered 12 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists against Utah to narrowly miss his sixth career triple-double.

PREDICTION: Spurs 101, Lakers 90