Preview: San Antonio Spurs at Oklahoma City Thunder – Game #80
Tre Jones and the Spurs play their final road game of the season (Photo via Twitter)
On the second night of a back-to-back, the San Antonio Spurs will try to get their second consecutive win when they play on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Spurs enter the affair with a record of 20-59, which has them in last place in the Western Conference. At 54-25, the Thunder are currently the third seed in the West.
The Spurs are ending the 2023-24 campaign on a high note. In their last eight games, San Antonio has a record of 5-3. Their latest victory was last night against the Memphis Grizzlies. The Silver and Black started slowly but dominated in the second half (see the Grades).
Following tonight’s contest, the Spurs have two more games before the regular season is over. Both games will be at the Frost Bank Center. They’ll play the Denver Nuggets on Friday and then the Detroit Pistons on Sunday.
Considering that Oklahoma City is only one game behind both the Minnesota Timberwolves and Nuggets, they’ll be extra motivated to win tonight. As it stands, the Thunder would play the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round of the playoffs.
San Antonio Spurs Injury Update
Unfortunately, the Spurs will be extra short-handed tonight. The biggest news is that rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama won’t play tonight against the Thunder. Considering that this is the second night of a back-to-back and considering that Wembanyama has had some ankle issues recently, this isn’t a surprise.
Also sitting out tonight will be Keldon Johnson (ankle), Cedi Osman (ankle) and Dominick Barlow (knee). Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan and Charles Bassey are, of course, out for the season.
Malaki Branham is listed as questionable for tonight’s game in Oklahoma City. He’s dealing with a bruised hip.
San Antonio Spurs Starting Lineup
With so many players out for tonight’s contest, head coach Gregg Popovich has a lot of decisions to make. We can safely assume that Zach Collins, Tre Jones, Julian Champagnie and Sandro Mamukelashvili will start. If Malaki Branham plays, he will likely be the fifth starter. If Branham can’t play, one of Blake Wesley, Devonte’ Graham or Sidy Cissoko would likely be elevated to the starting five.
Betting Guide: Spurs at Thunder
As expected, the Thunder are big-time favorites. OKC is favored by 17 points and the over/under is 227 points. The smart money is on the under. Without Victor Wembanyama and company, the Spurs are very likely to struggle to put points on the board.