The Spurs are on their way to take on the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics. This might be one of the more intriguing games of the night. With Wemby taking on Porzingis, we’ll get to see size versus size. Despite a massive gab in their records, this new Spurs team might actually give the Celtics some problems. As De’Aaron Fox settles in on the team, we could see San Antonio begin to trend up!
Jaylen Brown Questionable
Jrue Holiday Out
Torrey Craig Questionable
Charles Bassey Out
This game will depend on a few things. First of which are injuries. Brown could be out, and Holiday is already listed as out. That makes things interesting for Boston. Going down to Tatum, Porzingis, and White as the only starters could dip into what is already a thin bench. We’ll likely see Hauser and Pritchard called up to the starting spots, putting most of the workload on the starters tonight.
That could be an issue against this young Spurs bench. Although the starting lineups look slightly more even, the Spurs have some sparkplug players like Stephon Castle, Jeremy Sochan, and Julian Champagnie. If any of them can get hot off the bench, they could swing this game fairly quickly.
The problem for the Spurs will be Tatum. He’s been playing some excellent basketball, scoring at will. He is averaging nearly 30 points a game in February so far. He has been hitting from all points on the floor, too. With Harrison Barnes likely taking most of the defensive reps against him, he’ll likely have another big night.
The Spurs will need the new combo of Fox and Wemby to pop against Tatum. This is a winnable game if they can keep the pace high, move the ball, and attack the paint. Even though the books aren’t confident in their ability, this game will be much closer than people expect. Lean towards the Celtics taking the game, but don’t expect a blowout.
Money line: SAS (+285) / BOS (-360)
Total Points: 233.5
Spread: +8.5 SAS (-105) / -8.5 BOS (-115)
This just comes down to talent. As great as the Fox addition has been and as rare as Wemby’s talent, the Celtics are better. Porz will likely be able to give Wemby trouble, and Tatum seems unstoppable. If Brown plays, the Spurs will struggle to find the basket tonight. Even if Brown is out, the Celtics are the better home team.
This game has two options: tons of offense or tons of defense. I’d lean towards seeing a fair amount of offense tonight. Both sides have tons of scorers and can run up the score.
San Antonio might not take this game, but the spread looks solid. Since adding Fox to the lineup, all these games have been close. Having another solid hand who can score and create for others has elevated this team already. Don’t expect the win for the Spurs, but a close game looks well within reach for this team.
Tatum, again, will have to lead the scoring. He’s been dominant lately and has only had under 27 points a couple of times over the last few weeks. This line seems solid, even with Wemby protecting the paint tonight.
Wemby might face a few challenges tonight. With Porz down low and pesky defenders all around this Boston roster, Wemby might struggle. He had a dominant game Monday, but that was against the Wizards, who are basically a G-League team. Besides that, he’s been below this number for the last few games.
Fox was doing better on rebounding before the switch the the Spurs. His numbers are dipping just a little, so I’d lean into that trend tonight with the under.
The books may have overreached to Fox coming to the team. Setting Paul’s assists to just 6.5 seems too low. He’s been over that number for the last 11 games, so take the over, even though Boston has a solid defense. It’s Chris Paul; passing is his thing.