NBA Odds – San Antonio Spurs at Phoenix Suns
San Antonio Spurs at Phoenix Suns (+1.5, 206 o/u)
The San Antonio Spurs will look for their second win of the season when they travel to Phoenix on Friday, October 31, to face the Suns at the US Airways Center (10:00 p.m. Eastern).
In the last ten head-to-head meetings, San Antonio has dominated, going 8-2. The Spurs are also 6-3-1 ATS in those ten games, and six have hit the over.
The task for Eric Bledsoe, Goran Dragic, and company will be finding ways to score on the Spurs stingy defense. Last season, the Spurs gave up just over 97 points per game, second best in the offensive juggernaut that is the Western Conference. The Spurs’ offense is led by veterans Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, and, after a breakout performance in last year’s playoffs, fourth-year pro Kawhi Leonard. Last season, Duncan finished with 15.1 PPG and 9.7 RPG while Parker had 16.7 PPG and 5.7 APG. In the regular season, Leonard averaged just over 12 points per night; but, in the playoffs, he upped that number to 14.3. He saved his best for last, pouring in 17.8 per game against the Heat in the finals. (Leonard missed the Spurs’ opener with an eye infection but is expected to play tonight.)
In the Spurs’ first game of the year, Parker picked up where he left off, scoring 23 points in a 101-100 win over the Mavericks. Manu Ginobili, eager to prove that he is still part of San Antonio’s version of the “Big-3”, also had solid start to the season, scoring 20 points against the Mavs.
On the other side, shooting guard Goran Dragic is arguably the most dangerous player in the Suns’ offense. The Slovenian sharpshooter averaged 20.3 PPG and 5.9 APG in the 2013-14 season, six points higher than his previous best. Though Dragic led the team in scoring, the Suns offense really begins and ends with point guard Eric Bledsoe. Bledsoe averaged 17.7 PPG and 5.5 APG last season, and had 16 and 9 for Phoenix in their opening night blowout of the Lakers.
But it was newcomer Isaiah Thomas (formerly of the Sacramento Kings) who spearheaded the Suns attack in that game, putting up 23 points.
In injury news, Patty Mills has been ruled out for the Spurs with a shoulder injury. Meanwhile, rookie forward T.J. Warren – whom the Suns took 14th overall in this year’s draft – will miss his second game in a row with a thumb injury.
The Spurs are 1.5-point favorites and the over/under sits at 206.
Zack is a tour guide whose favorite sports are football, baseball, and golf. He enjoys giving obnoxious commentary during games and hopes to some day write a book about sports. His favorite underdog victory was the Diamondbacks beating the Yankees in game 7 of the World Series.
