The San Antonio Spurs are currently atop West Group B in the NBA Cup, and they need a win over the Phoenix Suns to advance to the knockout stage.
The problem?
Victor Wembanyama and company find themselves as 7.5-point underdogs on the road against Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and the Suns.
Phoenix is just 11-8 this season, but it is 10-2 with Durant in the lineup and 1-6 without him.
The Spurs are coming off an upset win over the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night, but they’ll need to pull off yet another upset to keep their NBA Cup dreams alive.
Here’s a breakdown of the odds, players to watch in the prop market and my prediction for this NBA Cup clash.
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Spread
Moneyline
Total
I love this matchup for Spurs star Victor Wembanyama, as Jusuf Nurkic is out, which means there is going to be less resistance down low in this matchup.
Wemby has picked up 36 or more points and rebounds in six of his last eight games, averaging 31.1 points and 11.0 rebounds per game over that stretch.
This number seems a little low for Durant, who is averaging 3.2 assists per game and 4.4 assists per game for his career.
This season, KD is averaging 6.3 potential assists per game, clearing 2.5 assists in seven of his 12 games. For a player that handles the ball as much as Durant, 2.5 assists is worth a shot on Tuesday.
While the Suns have been a much better team when KD is healthy, they still aren’t covering the spread at a high rate.
Phoenix is just 2-6 ATS as a home favorite and 7-12 against the spread overall in the 2024-25 season.
The Spurs, on the other hand, are serviceable as underdogs (7-7 against the spread) this season.
While I’m not sold on San Antonio pulling off an upset win, it does have a chance to cover in this game. The Spurs are actually ahead of the Suns (by one spot) in net rating this season, and they have gotten a lot healthier after missing Devin Vassell to open the 2024-25 season.
I think they’ll be able to hang around on the road, even if they end up losing this matchup.
Pick: Spurs +7.5 (-108)
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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Find Peter Dewey’s NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.
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