Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA – Photo by Icon sport
Spurs vs Mavericks: Does the Spurs stand any chance?
The San Antonio Spurs are visiting the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center on Saturday night. The Mavericks are a 7-point favorite going into the game but with their injury list, the Spurs have a chance.
Are the Spurs already tanking?
One of the reasons why the San Antonio Spurs got the chance to land Victor Wembanyama was their bad record last year. Gregg Popovich signed a contract extension, so he is trying to build another successful roster and knows that it takes time. The Spurs are at the bottom of the Western Conference with a 4-23 record and have won only one of the last 22 games. The only two road games they won were back-to-back wins over the Phoenix Suns on the road, which looked really promising. However, things have not gone in the right direction ever since and will probably not improve by the end of the season.
Is this the season for Doncic and the Mavs?
After failing to make the playoffs last season, Luka Doncic and the Mavericks are under pressure this time. Currently, they are 7th in the Western Conference with a 16-12 record. With recent injuries, the Mavs have lost the last three games and are coming off a 122-96 loss to the Houston Rockets last night, with Luka Doncic sitting that one out. The Slovenian is the second-best scorer in the league, averaging 32.7 points per game and also having 9.1 assists and 8.4 rebounds.
Betting Trends
The total has gone over in 4 of the last 5 Spurs games and in 15 of their last 20 games played in December. Also, the Spurs and the Mavs have gone over in their last 7 head-to-head games and in 6 of the last 7 played in Dallas.
Is Wembanyama the Rookie of the Year?
Wembanyama came into the league with a lot of hype and, if we do not consider the Spurs’ record, the Frenchman is doing pretty well. Wembanyama is averaging 18.5 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 3 blocks per game but that puts him second in the Rookie of the Year ladder behind Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren.
Injury Reports
Charles Bassey is out for the Spurs while the Mavs will not count on Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Josh Green, Maxi Kleber, Dante Exum and Dereck Lively II
Prediction and Conclusion
The Mavericks are facing real problems with Doncic and Irving being out, and will need to count on their second unit in this game. This definitely gives the Spurs a standing chance, but given the fact that they have lost 21 of the last 22 games, it is hard to go with them. The total line for this game is set at 239.5, and these two teams have gone over in their last 7 head-to-head games. With the Spurs trying to get out of the hole and rotational players getting a chance to shine for the Mavs, this will be run and gun all night long that will go over the given line.
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