Atlanta at Los Angeles

Los Angeles is 13-24, and four days ago Atlanta ran them off the floor in this same building, a 22-point first quarter that buried the game before it even settled in. I had the Sparks getting the points that night, and it never got competitive enough to cash. The first-half total did, though, with both offenses trading buckets in a track meet before either defense showed up, and that split is what I am working from again tonight. Los Angeles answered two nights later, beating Connecticut 77-68 while winning the rebounding battle 40-30, a legitimate performance on the glass that is the backbone of tonight's number. Atlanta is riding a three-game win streak of its own, scoring in bunches against Las Vegas, these Sparks, and Phoenix in turn, and there is no reason to expect a slow start tonight. That is exactly the kind of environment that gets a first half moving fast before either team settles defensively, and the spread has barely budged since that blowout, which tells me the market is not pricing a repeat. Los Angeles does not have to be competitive for four quarters, just for a few more possessions than it managed the last time these two shared a court. Take the first-half OVER, and take the Sparks with the points tonight.