The San Antonio Spurs will head up to Ohio to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers for the first time this season and the first time in nearly a full calendar year. These members of the NBA elite are each struggling with some recent inconsistencies and each could use a big win against a talented foe to help them get back on track. The Cavs are at home, but San Antonio comes into play with the better overall record.
Don't miss the hardwood action from the Quicken Loans Arena at 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 21, 2017. 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 Saturday schedule.
Odds Analysis
It’s been a rough road trip for the Cavaliers as they’ve now lost three of their last four games, capped off by a 126-91 defeat at the hands of the Warriors on Monday night.
That rough stretch now has Cleveland at just 1-7 ATS in their last eight games. They’re 2-8-1 ATS in their last 11. The Cavs, however, are back at home where they’re over .500 ATS this season.
On the other side of the hardwood, the Spurs have had some issues of late, too, dropping two of their last four games, falling to the Suns and Bucks and covering the spread just once in their last four games.
San Antonio, however, is still 23-17-1 ATS this year and their rough patch has been much shorter than the Cavaliers’.
Player to Watch
This will be a fun battle to watch, particularly inside the paint with Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge matching up against Kevin Love and LeBron James.
Both teams are stacked at the forward position, making Kyrie Irving the most important player. The Cavs’ talented guard shot 9-for-17 from the floor for 21 points when these teams last met a year ago, helping to lead the Cavs to a 117-103 victory and combined 54.9-percent shooting mark from the floor.
Outside, the Spurs do still have the aging Tony Parker at the point guard position. He’s still dependable, but he’s no longer the force he once was. His PPG average has steadily dropped now for four straight seasons. Danny Green, Patty Mills and Manu Ginobili are all effective role players, but nothing more.
This gives Irving an opening to really carry the Cavs on Saturday. Since returning from his hamstring injury, he’s bounced back to form, averaging 22.2 PPG though his assists totals are down. It’s also probably important to note that of those six games, the Cavs have only won three, but they’ve won the three games that he’s topped 25 points, losing the three where he’s scored 20 or less.
Newly acquired Kyle Korver could be equally intriguing to watch. Another option on the inside with J.R. Smith out, Korver has started to blend into this team’s rotation. He has scored 18 and 11 points respectively in the last two games.
Scheduling Situation
The Cavaliers’ west coast swing was not a successful one. There’s no other way to put it.
Sure, there are plenty of reasons for their struggles. They did play the Warriors at home. That’s always tough. They did get into Portland really late prior to a back-to-back. They have had historic issues in Utah. Nevertheless, this is a team that’s currently under performing. They’ve gone uncharacteristically cold shooting the ball and have looked run down, particularly on the parameter where they’ve been one of the worst shooting teams from beyond the arc for the better part of a month now.
For the Spurs, this is a road game, but it comes on the heels of a nice stretch that saw them play five of their last six games at home. They’ve also got plenty of time to make the trip.
San Antonio, however, has fumbled a bit of late, losing a few games it should have won, but still, of their three January losses, they’ve fallen by just seven combined points.
Free NBA ATS Picks
Spurs versus Cavaliers may not get the love that Cleveland versus Golden State does, but this is another very interesting matchup.
San Antonio ranks second to the Warriors in the Western Conference standings and has a better record than Cleveland. We just saw how Golden State was able to handle the Cavaliers, though we also saw Cleveland come away victorious when there hosted the Warriors earlier this season.
The return to Cleveland should serve to help heal what ails the Cavs, but don’t look for an easy win. San Antonio is still a very tough team. They had issues on the road last year, but have actually been better on the road than at home—albeit marginally—this season.
The Spurs ultimately boast a superior defense and comparable offense. In the end, the Cavs win this one on the parameter, but it’s yet another very close loss for the Spurs.
NBA Odds: Cavaliers 106, Spurs 104
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