The San Antonio Spurs have not been a dominant home team this season after rolling past teams a year ago, but it’s still at a big advantage when they play in front of the favorable crowd. The Spurs will be expected to win when they host the Boston Celtics in a regular season affair.
Boston is in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race but wants to do better than a low seed. The Celtics are off to a slower start than they hoped and an upset road win would be a big boost.
This war on the floor will go down Wednesday, December 14, 2016, at 9:30 p.m. ET at AT&T Center. The game will be televised live on ESPN.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Wednesday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Celtics are 13-11 straight up and 13-11 against the spread this season. Boston has done really well against the spread on the road, covering in 10 of 14 contests. He is 4-4 against the spread as an underdog.
The Spurs are 19-5 straight up and 11-12-1 against the spread since they are almost always giving up points. San Antonio has covered in only three of 10 home games and is 10-12-1 against the spread as the favorite.
Key Stat
98.7. That’s how many points the Spurs have been holding opposing offenses to the season. The team ranks No. 4 in the league for points allowed.
The Celtics offense, which has been without leading scorer Isaiah Thomas the last few games, certainly faces a tough challenge this week in San Antonio. It’s unclear if Thomas, who suffered a groin injury earlier this month, will return this week but without him the Celtics’ chances are much bleaker.
San Antonio is perennially among the best teams in the NBA defensively because of a philosophy in which coach Gregg Popovich stresses that side of the court. The Spurs work well together and hustle, which is a big part of playing defense.
Player to Watch
Kawhi Leonard – The Spurs small forward has been playing really well in the month of December. He has been averaging 25.8 points a game this month, highlighted by his 30-point performance against the Brooklyn Nets on December 10th.
Leonard is the team’s leading scorer right now and has scored 30+ points in six games this season including a season-high 35 points against Golden State back in October. Leonard is adding 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists on the season and he has become one of the best players in the NBA, helping the Spurs remain a dynasty despite the retirement of Tim Duncan.
He will look to continue his hot streak this week against the Celtics, which doesn’t have a player who will be able to corral him.
Free NBA ATS Pick
The Spurs are within shouting distance of the Golden State Warriors in the West, but seems most likely to finish second in the conference. San Antonio is being challenged by the Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets and Memphis Grizzlies for the No. 2 seed and needs to turn it around at home.
Popovich has been unhappy with the team’s effort a few times in recent weeks and that may motivate it to have a nice performance in this one. If the Spurs are playing well, Boston won’t be able to compete.
The possible absence of Thomas, especially, hamstrings the Celtics and will make this one tough. The Spurs are too talented and gets the home court advantage, which should allow them to emerge with the win.
The Celtics should be able to turn it on at some point this year because there is talent on the roster, but this one is a tall task.
NBA Odds: Spurs 99, Celtics 93
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
