San Antonio Spurs vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Prediction, Preview, and Odds
It’s an interconference battle on the hardwood as a pair of teams on opposite sides of the playoff cut line take the floor in search of a victory on the shores of Lake Erie. The San Antonio Spurs are on the road as they make the trip up the eastern seaboard to face the Cleveland Cavaliers Monday night. San Antonio comes in off a 125-106 road loss to Atlanta in their previous game Saturday night, failing to cover the line as a 13-point underdog. Cleveland rallied in the fourth quarter to take down the Bulls 97-89 at home Saturday night, covering the line as a six-point favorite. In the all-time regular season series between the teams, the Spurs own a 66-36 edge, including a 112-111 home win in the first meeting this season on December 12, 2022.
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San Antonio Spurs Stumbling Toward All-Star Break
San Antonio fell in Atlanta Saturday in the second game of a back-to-back situation and enter this game losers of 12 straight games. The Spurs dropped to 14-43 on the season and stand fourth in the Southwest Division, 21 games behind the Grizzlies for the top spot. They were 14 in the West, 25 games behind the Nuggets for the top spot, 16 games behind the Clippers for the final guaranteed playoff spot and 14 games behind the Thunder for a spot in the play-in tournament. Against Atlanta, San Antonio hung tough for a half before fading. The Spurs were down one after the opening quarter and at the half before getting outscored 32-17 in the third quarter to trail 93-77. San Antonio never got closer than 13 the rest of the way. The Spurs shot 42.6% from the field, including 11 of 37 from three-point range, and turned the ball over 19 times in the loss. Keldon Johnson led San Antonio with 25 points in the loss.
For the year, the Spurs are 23 in the league in scoring offense as they average 112.5 points per game on the year. San Antonio is 16 in rebounding by grabbing 42.9 boards a night while they are fourth in the league in assists by handing out 27 dimes per contest. The Spurs are 30 in the league in scoring defense as they give up an average of 122.8 points per game. Keldon Johnson leads the team with 21.8 points and 4.7 rebounds per game this season. Devin Vassell (19.4 points), Tre Jones (12.8 points, 6.3 assists) and Doug McDermott (9.8 points) each are valuable secondary options. Zach Collins, Keita Bates-Diop, Blake Wesley, Jeremy Sochan (10.1 points), Romeo Langford, Devonte’ Graham, Isaiah Roby, Khem Birch and Gorgui Dieng are other rotation pieces for coach Gregg Popovich. San Antonio is 20 in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 47% from the floor on the year. The Spurs are 28 in threes per game as they connect on 10.5 triples a night while they are 25 in three-point percentage by shooting 34% from beyond the arc.
Vassell (knee) had surgery and last played January 2 against the Nets. He has no timetable for return at this point. Langford (adductor) hasn’t taken the floor since January 23 and has no timetable for return. Birch missed the last two games as the trade with Toronto hadn’t been completed while McDermott (Achilles) was injured February 10 against the Pistons and missed Saturday’s game with Atlanta. Watch for updates to see if they will take the floor in this contest.
Cleveland Cavaliers Look to Earn Seventh Straight Win
Cleveland played sluggishly for the first three quarters but turned things up in the fourth to take down the Bulls and earn a win in the second game of a back-to-back situation Saturday night. The Cavaliers entered Sunday holding a 37-22 record and sitting second in the Central Division, 3.5 games behind the Bucks for the top spot. They were fourth in the Eastern Conference, 4.5 games behind Boston for the top spot and 5.5 games clear of New York to remain in a guaranteed playoff spot. Against Chicago, Cleveland trailed by three after the opening quarter, by nine at the half and by 13 with 6:49 to play in the third quarter before getting things going. The Cavaliers narrowed the margin to five after three quarters and started the fourth quarter on a 14-2 run to take an 83-76 lead with 7:08 remaining. Cleveland let the Bulls get within four with under a minute to play before tallying the final four points to secure the win. The Cavaliers shot 41.9% from the field, including nine of 35 from three-point range, and lost the rebounding battle 44-39 yet prevailed, in part thanks to forcing 22 Bulls turnovers. Donovan Mitchell led the way with 29 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in the win.
The Cavaliers come into this one ranked 26 in the league in scoring offense as they put up an average of 111.7 points per game this season. Cleveland is 22 in rebounding as they grab 42.1 boards per contest and stand 17 in assists by handing out 25 dimes a contest this year. The Cavaliers are 1 in the league in scoring defense as they allow an average of 105.9 points per game this season. Donovan Mitchell leads the way in the scoring department for Cleveland as he puts up 26.9 points plus 4.9 assists a night on the year. Cedi Osman (8.9 points), Evan Mobley (15.6 points, 8.9 boards), Jarrett Allen (14.7 points, 9.9 rebounds) and Caris LeVert (12.3 points, four rebounds, 3.9 assists) each are solid secondary options. Kevin Love (8.5 points, 6.8 rebounds), Robin Lopez, Darius Garland (21.8 points, eight assists), Dean Wade, Raul Neto, Ricky Rubio, Isaiah Mobley and Isaac Okoro are other contributors in the Cavaliers’ rotation. Cleveland is 6 in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 48.7% from the floor as a team on the year. The Cavaliers are 19 by knocking down an average of 11.5 three-pointers a night while they are 12 by connecting on 36.4% of their attempts from beyond the arc.
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We’re looking at a matchup of two teams that couldn’t be much more different if they tried. San Antonio enters this game losers of 12 straight games and they are the worst team in the NBA in scoring defense. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers have won six straight while ranking #1 in the league when it comes to the scoring defense category. Both teams are playing their third game in four nights here so there is no rest advantage, though at least Cleveland was at home on Saturday night. San Antonio has been awful all season long and nine of their 12 losses in this skid have been by double digits. The Spurs are going nowhere fast and don’t pose a serious threat to the Cavaliers here. Take Cleveland at home as they put their seventh straight in the win column.
Prediction: Cleveland Cavaliers -14.5
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San Antonio heads into this game having seen the over post a 33-23-1 record this season. The Spurs have stayed under the number in five of their last seven games heading into this contest. San Antonio has embraced the running game, which is something unusual for a Gregg Popovich coached team as they enter this contest sixth in the league with 101.2 possessions a night while they are 27th in turnovers with 15.6 per game. Cleveland has seen the under post a 33-26 record in their games on the year and has stayed under the total in seven of their last 10 games. The Cavaliers lead the league in scoring defense while ranking near the top third of the league (11th) in turnovers as they commit 14 per game. Cleveland is the slowest team in the league in terms of tempo as they are 30th with an average of 95.6 possessions per contest. Six of the last seven meetings have gone over the number, including the first meeting this season when the teams combined for 223 points to edge over the 221.5-point total. With San Antonio giving up points by the truckload, this one ends up squeaking past the mark as well.
Prediction: Over
Chris King has been immersed in the world of professional and collegiate sports for more than three decades. Whether it's playing pickup games or being involved in organized sports to being a fan, he's checked all the boxes. From the NFL to arena football, the NHL to the KHL, the NBA to the WNBA to college hoops, and even MLB to the KBO. If it's out there, he's covered it and bet on it as well, as Chris has been an expert bettor in his career. Before joining Winners and Whiners back in 2015, his work appeared around the internet and in print. He's written books for Ruckus Books about college basketball, the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, golf, and the World Cup. If you're looking for the inside track on hitting a winner, do yourself a favor and read what Chris has to say.
