When LaMarcus Aldridge headed for the greener pastures of San Antonio, he took any hope the Portland Trail Blazers had of contending for another division title. Aldridge returns to the city where he spent the first nine years of his NBA career with a Spurs team many feel can contend for the Western Conference title. You can bet on NBA odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
LOOK AHEAD
With a nice run of home games coming up, no back-to-back games for another week and a half, and a healthy roster, the Spurs will run out their best lineup for this matchup. And the schedule allows coach Gregg Popovich to get his new players integrated into the system. Following Wednesday’s game, the Spurs have two three-game homestands sandwiched around a trip to New Orleans. Pop said he plans to rest his aging veterans when playing back-to-back games, but given the next set isn’t until Nov. 21-22, there will be plenty of time to work on his rotations with several new players. Though the big three of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili remain an integral part of the team, there is a transition taking place. Aldridge and Kawhi Leonard are the focal points now and David West is logging big minutes off the bench. The end of the bench also consists of new faces and the teamwork that is a staple of Pop’s teams doesn’t just happen. It’s a process that takes time and reps. The Spurs have that coming up with little travel involved. The Spurs have been a scary team under Pop and with the new additions to go along with savvy veterans, watch out for this team.
INJURIES
Popovich has said he will rest his veterans on back-to-back sets and will do so when those games come around. But the Spurs are faced with fewer of those situations this season than in years past, so instead of days off, he will limit minutes during certain games. And the player affected the most early in the year is Ginobili, who is averaging two-and-a-half minutes less per game than last season.
Portland’s Myers Leonard shook off an ankle injury to score a season-high 17 points Sunday against Detroit. Cliff Alexander remains out with a knee injury and Gerald Henderson is recovering from hip problems. Both players are getting close to making their season debuts.
KEY MATCHUP
With Aldridge now toiling in San Antonio, the leadership reins of the Blazers have been passed to Damian Lillard. And Lillard has done exactly what coach Terry Stotts thought he would do. Early in the season, the fourth-year man has put the surprising Blazers on his back and carried them. Portland lost four of its starters from last season’s Northwest Division championship team with Lillard the remaining holdover, and not much was expected from Rip City. Lillard netted 26 points in a loss to Detroit on Sunday and recorded his second double-double of year by adding 11 assists. He scored at least 20 points in each of his first seven games, becoming the first Blazer to do that since Clyde Drexler went for 20 or more in 12 straight back in 1988-89. He is Portland’s only big offensive threat and despite additional defensive attention, he’s shooting nearly 48 percent from the floor and 43 percent from three-point range. Lillard will get extra attention from the Spurs, who again are a stingy defensive team, but can take advantage with his quickness and ability to get shots off. Lillard is the Blazers’ first option and will get his shots to put up big numbers. His improved three-point shooting makes him an over candidate on his point total.
ODDS AND PREDICTION
By his own admission, Aldridge hasn’t yet fit into his role with his new team, and that’s not because of a decline in talent or any injury concerns. It’s because he’s the new guy on a team with plenty of superstars. The Spurs are passing the torch to Aldridge and Leonard as they transition from their three mainstay veterans, and there’s no better place for Aldridge to make his mark with the Spurs than on the court he had so much success during the first nine years of his career. It’ll be an emotional night for him and there will likely be some boos, but there isn’t a better team at tuning out the distractions than San Antonio. Lillard will do his best to one-up his old running mate, but the Spurs are too deep and talented to let a winnable game slip away, even if it is on the road.
San Antonio 105, Portland 93
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Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The contest pitting the San Antonio Sputs versus the Portland Trail Blazers will commence Wednesday, November 11, 2015, at 10:30 p.m. ET at the Moda Center. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN.
