Preview: San Antonio Spurs at Brooklyn Nets – Game #31
Tre Jones and the Spurs will try to get back on the winning track (Photo via X)
The San Antonio Spurs will look to get back to over .500 after losing two straight games to drop to 15-15 on the season. Tonight, the Spurs will be in Brooklyn to take on the Nets, who have a record of 12-18.
In San Antonio’s latest loss, Victor Wembanyama had a fantastic outing on Christmas Day. The superstar sophomore had 42 points, 18 rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots but the Spurs came up short, as the New York Knicks got 41 points from Mikal Bridges to win by a final count of 117-114. The Silver and Black had an eight-point lead in the fourth quarter but couldn’t hold on.
Brooklyn has lost five of their last seven games. However, it must be noted that they are coming off of an impressive victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. In that game, Cameron Johnson led the way with 29 points on 8-for-13 shooting from the field.
San Antonio Spurs Injury Update
The Spurs once again have nobody on their injury report. Furthermore, nobody on the team is on a minutes restriction — so this is the healthiest San Antonio has been in a long time.
Brooklyn Nets Injury Update
The injury news isn’t as good for the Nets. Brooklyn will be without leading scorer Cam Thomas due a hamstring injury. Cameron Johnson, their second leading scorer, is questionable with a hip contusion. The team’s third leading scorer, Dennis Schroder, was recently traded to the Golden State Warriors.
If Johnson is out, the Nets could find it difficult to put the ball in the hole.
San Antonio Spurs Starting Lineup
Interim head coach Mitch Johnson will likely keep the same starting lineup he has used recently: Chris Paul at point guard, Devin Vassell at shooting guard, Harrison Barnes at small forward, Jeremy Sochan at power forward and Victor Wembanyama at center.
The coaching staff went with a nine-man rotation on Christmas Day, which featured Julian Champagnie, Keldon Johnson, Stephon Castle and Tre Jones off the bench.
Betting Guide: Spurs at Nets
The Spurs are favored by 7.5 points and the over/under is 213.5 points. Considering that Cameron Johnson is questionable and the Spurs are completely healthy, the smart money is on San Antonio winning by eight points or more. Even though the Spurs are on the road, it looks like the Nets could struggle to put points on the board due to injuries.