Los Angeles at Seattle

Los Angeles was in a track meet last night, combining for 170 points in a win over Washington, and turns right around today on the second night of a back-to-back against a Seattle team that's given up plenty of points of its own all season. Neither of these defenses has been good, and that matters more in the first half than it does late, before rotations tighten and the game slows down in the fourth quarter. Seattle just won its own game by finding some offense against Toronto, and a Sparks team playing on tired legs after last night's shootout is more likely to leak points early than to suddenly lock in defensively out of the gate. Both of these teams rank among the more generous defenses in the league this season, and a tired road team on the second half of a back-to-back is exactly the profile that shows up in a fast, sloppy start rather than a defensive grind. I like the pace here staying up before either team settles in. Take the first-half OVER this afternoon.