But On Wednesday, the San Antonio Spurs (14-22 SU, 20-16 ATS) will play the second of a back-to-back when they meet the Boston Celtics (18-19 SU, 20-17 ATS) at TD Garden. Will the Celtics win their third straight game or will the Spurs bounce back from a blowout loss on Tuesday?
Boston Celtics vs. San Antonio Spurs Betting Odds and Lines
Sportsbook: BetUS
Over/Under: 223
Point spread: Spurs +7.5 (-110)
Moneyline: Spurs +260 / Celtics -320
Boston Celtics vs. San Antonio Spurs Injury Report
All injury reports are at the time of writing. Keep an eye on any late changes as the injury reports are fluid until tip.
The Spurs will be without Doug McDermott, Devontae Cook and Lonnie Walker all to Health and Safety Protocols. Zach Collins also remains out with an ankle injury. The biggest injury update for the Spurs is the probable return of Dejounte Murray from Health and Safety Protocols.
For the Celtics, Romeo Langford (illness) and Brodric Thomas (Back) are out. Jabari Parker (Dental Work) and Aaron Nesmith (Health and Safety Protocols) are questionable while Robert Williams (Toe Sprain) is probable.
Boston Celtics vs. San Antonio Spurs Preview
Dejounte Murray Returns for Spurs
The Spurs have been without Dejounte Murray since December 23rd. In those six games without Murray, San Antonio is 16th in Offensive Rating, 9th in Defensive Rating and 13th in Net Rating, per NBA Advanced Stats.
With Murray on the court this season, the Spurs are 6.3 points better in Offensive Rating and 2 points better in Defensive Rating. From the beginning of the season to December 23rd, when Murray first was out, the Spurs were 9th in Offensive Rating, compared to 16th in the games he missed. On the season, Murray is averaging 17.8 PPG, 8.8 AST and 8.4 Rebounds.
The Spurs have lost their last four games, failing to cover in three of those four. Losing Lonnie Walker and Doug McDermott has hurt this team, and the return of Murray to the lineup will be quite the welcome sight for this struggling unit.
Celtics Falling Short of Expectations
At 18-19, the Boston Celtics have been one of the bigger underperformers thus far. They are 21st in Adjusted Offensive Rating, 5th in Adjusted Defensive Rating and 10th in Adjusted Net Rating, per Dunks and Threes.
They’ve won their last two games at home against the Phoenix Suns and Orlando Magic. But they got the Suns in a bad spot on New Year’s Eve with an afternoon start, and they followed up that dominance with a close 116-111 win over the Magic in Overtime.
Prior to these two games, though, they had lost 8 of their last 11. It’s worth noting that Jason Tatum will return for the Celtics in this one.
Boston Celtics vs. San Antonio Spurs Prediction
The Spurs were blown out in Toronto last night, losing 129-104, with Fred Van Fleet dropping 33 points alongside Gary Trent’s 21 points. The Raptors shot 18-44 from three (41%) while the Spurs shot an abysmal 9-35 (25.7%).
With Dejounte Murray likely back, though, I think we’ll see a more confident offensive showing from the Spurs. It is a back-to-back, but some main rotation players weren’t involved late in yesterday’s game due to its blowout nature.
Additionally, this is shaping up to be one of the pros vs. joes sides of tonight’s NBA slate. While the Spurs are getting just 44% of the bets, a whopping 98% of the money is backing them, and we’ve seen some reverse line movement from Spurs +8 to Spurs +7.5.
I like the Spurs in this spot to give an inspired effort after being embarrassed last night. They’ll have their main man in Dejounte Murray back in the fold, and the Celtics just can’t do enough offensively to warrant being an 8 point favorite against a respectable Spurs unit. This line should be closer to 6, so I see value on this line down to Spurs +6.5.
All betting lines were retrieved from BetUS. Click below to claim a free bet, if you’re a new customer.
