Uh oh. The Spurs are in trouble.
The defending NBA champions have stumbled this season due to a number of injuries to key players in their roster. From owning the NBA’s best record in the 2013-2014 season, the Spurs now sit at just seventh in a crowded Western Conference. San Antonio can’t afford another setback on the road when they take on the Utah Jazz tonight.
Will the Spurs be able to bounce back after a rough start to the second half? Read on as we break down this Western Conference showdown.
Looking for more West Coast action for Monday night hoops? Check out our complete preview of the Grizzlies vs. Clippers.
[sc:NBAArticles ]San Antonio Spurs vs. Utah Jazz Preview
Where: EnergySolutions Arena, Utah
When: Monday, February 23, 9:00 PM ET
Line: San Antonio Spurs (-5.5) at Utah Jazz (+5.5); total 189.5 – view all NBA lines
Betting on the San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs opened the second half of the season with back-to-back road losses to the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers. The Spurs have struggled with consistency on the road going 14-14 (13-15 ATS) while scoring an average of 97.6 points compared to 104.3 at home.
Part of the Spurs’ struggles may be attributed to some of their key pieces still trying to find their groove. Tony Parker, Kawhi Leonard, Tiago Splitter and Patty Mills have not found their rhythm after missing time due to injuries earlier in the season.
[sc:NBA240banner ]Parker had a season-low two points against Golden State on Friday. Leonard, Splitter and Mills have averaged less than 10 points over the Spurs’ last five games. Still, the Spurs showed they don’t need to score plenty of points to win against Utah. As a whole, San Antonio shot just 39 percent from the field as they routed the Jazz 89-69 on January 18.
San Antonio can stop their road skid at Utah if they can take advantage of the inexperienced Rudy Gobert. Tim Duncan should be more than a handful for the Jazz center. He has averaged 20.3 points and 14 rebounds in his last four games at Utah.
Duncan is just three days removed from scoring 30 points and grabbing 11 boards against the Clippers on Thursday. He should be able to stay hot as Utah ranks 23rd in the league in shooting defense (45.6 percent) this season.
The total has gone under in five of the Spurs’ last seven games at Utah.
Can the Spurs recover from a rough patch? Create a betting account now and put your pick to the test.
Betting on the Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz looked scary good in their return from the All-Star break as they defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 92-76 on Friday.They now host the defending NBA champions on the strength of four wins in their last five games and a season-high three straight at home.
Gordon Hayward scored 20 points, while point guard Trey Burke added 19 off the bench. Burke could be in line for another big night considering the Spurs’ inability to control point guards. The Spurs allowed 22 points to the Clippers’ John Wall and 25 to Golden State’s Stephen Curry in back-to-back games. But Burke has averaged just eight points over two games against San Antonio this season.
Hayward should also be in attack mode for the Jazz and go after the Spurs’ Leonard, who has continued to struggle. Hayward has averaged 23.6 points per game in his last five. He combined with Derrick Favors to score 41 in the Jazz’s December 9 100-96 win over the Spurs.
Despite trading off center Enes Kanter to Oklahoma City, Utah may still be able to keep this game close with the play of budding center Rudy Gobert on the defensive end. He leads the league with 2.8 blocks per game since December 12, and had five of the Jazz’s seven blocks against Portland. Gobert’s presence inside could make Parker and the Spurs guards think twice before driving into the paint.
The Jazz are 5-2 ATS in their last seven home games against the Spurs.
Writer’s Prediction
The Spurs rediscover their form and blow out the Jazz. Take San Antonio to cover -5.5.
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