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Spurs vs Suns Picks and Odds

Blair Johnson

by Blair Johnson in NBA Basketball

Updated Apr 17, 2021 · 6:46 AM PDT

Deandre Ayton in warmup jacket
Deandre Ayton and the Phoenix Suns try to win their 11th straight at home against the Spurs Saturday night. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire)
  • The Phoenix Suns are nine-point favorites at home over the San Antonio Spurs Saturday 
  • The Suns have a 10-game home winning streak and own a 40-15 record
  • Analysis of the Spurs-Suns matchup along with odds and a prediction can be found below

As winners of 11 of their last 12 games and 13 of their last 15 overall — plus 10 straight at home — the Phoenix Suns are one of the hottest teams in the NBA. The franchise is headed to the postseason for the first time since 2010 and owns the second-best record in the league at 40-15.

Now, Monty Williams’ club welcomes the San Antonio Spurs to the Phoenix Suns Arena Saturday. Gregg Popovich’s group is reeling a bit, losing seven of its last nine games and falling in frustrating fashion 107-106 Friday at home to the Trail Blazers.

It’s not surprising the rising Suns are nine-point favorites over the setting Spurs Saturday. Tip is set for 10pm ET in the Valley of the Sun.

Spurs vs Suns Odds

Team Moneyline Spread at FanDuel Total
San Antonio Spurs +315 +9 (-110) O 230 (-110)
Phoenix Suns -400 -9 (-110) U 230 (-110)

Odds as of April 16th

Efficient Ayton

While Devin Booker may get all the buzz around the Suns (the two-time All-Star currently ranks 12th in league scoring, averaging 25.7 points per game), the emergence of third-year pro Deandre Ayton has been fun to watch.

Ayton missed only one shot from the field Thursday against the Kings in a 122-114 victory. Ayton scored 26 points on 10-of-11 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds. He was also a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line.

The near-perfect performance made him the first Suns player with a 25-10 game on 90% shooting since Marcin Gortat turned the trick in 2011. His big night even prompted Shaq to call him Baby David Robinson. Can he keep it up?

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Ayton and Co. have yet to face the Spurs this season. But in five career outings against the franchise, the Bahamian big man has averaged 17.6 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. Look for the 2018 No. 1 overall pick to continue his emergence as one of the league’s best — and most efficient — post players.

Back-to-Back Jacked?

Playing the back-end of back-to-backs in the NBA is always challenging. But tack on a couple more levels of daunting for the Spurs Saturday.

Not only are they playing one of the NBA’s best teams after going down against Portland in heartbreaking fashion Friday, they’re doing it on the road Saturday. That’s a tall order, especially after Friday’s tough outcome.

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San Antonio missed three shots on its final possession. DeMar DeRozan had a team-high 24 points — but missed a jumper from the wing with 9.2 seconds left, Then, Rudy Gay missed a three-pointer and Jakob Poeltl missed a 17-footer as time expired.

The old saying is don’t let a team beat you twice. But the way things concluded Friday, it might be tough to shake for a franchise very much fighting a playoff berth. Currently at No. 10 in the always-loaded Western Conference playoff standings.

DeRozan leads the team in scoring, pumping in 21.6 points an outing over 46 contests. He’s one of eight players scoring in double-digits for Popovich’s team. Part of that group is Dejounte Murray, who is second on the team with 15.8 points per game. He joined the aforementioned Admiral in the record books after the Portland loss.

But will a similar performance be enough against the formidable Suns? Unlikely.

Difference Maker

Chris Paul had 13 points and 11 assists in Thursday’s eight-point win over Sacramento. It appears CP3’s veteran savvy was the missing ingredient for getting a talented — but young — team over the hump this season.

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And that wasn’t the only jaw-dropping statistic involving the 11-time NBA All-Star.

Paul needs only 16 assists to pass Magic Johnson (10,141) for No. 4 on the all-time list.  When you combine what Paul — who has played in a Conference Finals series only once and has yet to reach the NBA Finals — is doing from an efficiency standpoint along with the individual honor he’s on the verge of achieving — the motivation is there for the future Hall of Famer on a nightly basis to play at an elite level.

Simply put, the Suns are hot and the Spurs are not. When you analyze Phoenix’s top talent against San Antonio, fading the Spurs Saturday becomes easy.

The pick: Suns -9 (-110)


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