Two perennial contenders have not looked that way thus far in 2018, and hope to pick it up down the stretch. The San Antonio Spurs will hit the road for a big-time faceoff this weekend against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
San Antonio has been rocked by injuries this season and at this point is not expected to be on the same tier as Western Conference foes Golden State and Houston come playoff time. The Cavaliers have more of an upside after a flurry of trades at the deadline has seemingly reinvigorated the group after a long lull.
Both teams are in a battle to get optimum playoff seeding and every win is crucial down the stretch. The Cavaliers should certainly be favored in this matchup because San Antonio is still short-handed, like it has been for much of the year.
Don't miss the hardwood action from Quicken Loans Arena at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 25, 2018. Catch every moment of the game live on ABC.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Sunday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Cavaliers are 34-23 straight up and 18-38-1 against the spread. Cleveland is an ugly 6-20-1 against the spread at home on the year. The Cavaliers are 9-34-1 against the spread as the favorite, a truly awful record that would cost people a lot of money if they continue to back Cleveland.
The Spurs are 35-24 straight up and 28-27-4 against the spread. San Antonio is 12-17-2 against the spread on the road this season. The Spurs have been the underdog 17 times this season and have covered in seven of those with one push.
Key Stat
5. That’s how many games the Spurs have lost in their past six. The team has been without star small forward Kawhi Leonard for most of the season and also was missing LaMarcus Aldridge for a recent stretch.
San Antonio began the streak with a loss to the Rockets and then was knocked off by the Jazz. The Spurs beat the woeful Suns but then dropped three straight games to the Warriors, Jazz and Nuggets.
There is concern now that Leonard will miss the rest of the season due to a quadriceps injury. There seems to be a rift between Leonard and the organization, which is also complicating matters. At his best Leonard is an elite defender as well as capable scorer.
His presence has kept the Spurs one of the best teams in the NBA even after the retirement of Tim Duncan, but Leonard’s absence has been glaring, especially of late.
Player To Watch
LeBron James -- The Spurs are a really good defensive team but even the top players in the world can’t slow down Cleveland’s superstar. James is 33 years old now but still playing at an incredibly high level. He is averaging 26.5 points, 8.9 assists and 8.1 rebounds per contest.
The Cavaliers did not have good chemistry at all before the trading deadline and fell into a lull, so they made a ton of trades and acquired players like Jordan Clarkson, George Hill, Larry Nance and Rodney Hood.
The moves seem to have made James happy, and if the Cavs can even put a decent collection of talent around him they can be a title contender.
Free NBA ATS Picks
The Spurs have a great coach in Gregg Popovich and a host of good players, but the lack of a superstar is weighing on them. This is a tough game and while San Antonio should be able to keep it close, the Cavs should have enough firepower to come away with the victory.
Keep an eye on the spread because the Spurs could be the right choice if it gets too big. The scoring total will be interesting because the Cavs score a lot while San Antonio can really hold teams down. The Spurs will likely be able to dictate the pace, in which the “under” is the better choice.
NBA Odds: Cavaliers 103, Spurs 98
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