Preview: San Antonio Spurs at Milwaukee Bucks – Game #73
Tre Jones and the Spurs will try to upset the Bucks tonight (Photo via Twitter)
The San Antonio Spurs have a difficult back-to-back matchup tonight against the Milwaukee Bucks. Last night, the Spurs got pounded by the New Orleans Pelicans by a final score of 119-84 (see the Grades). San Antonio hung in early but the game was essentially over by halftime.
Against the Pelicans, the Spurs were without four starters: center Zach Collins, guard Devin Vassell, and forwards Keldon Johnson and Jeremy Sochan. With so many potential points on the sidelines, the Silver and Black struggled to put the ball in the basket. The loss dropped San Antonio to 19-53, which is the third worst record in the NBA.
The Bucks are on the opposite side of the standings. In fact, at 51-20, Milwaukee has the best record in the league. They have a two-game lead on the Boston Celtics, who are 50-23. To make the challenge even more daunting for the Spurs, the Bucks have a 29-7 record at home this season.
San Antonio Spurs Injury Update
There’s actually some good news on the Spurs injury report. Zach Collins and Devin Vassell are both available for tonight’s contest against the Bucks. Furthermore, there’s a chance that Keldon Johnson and Jeremy Sochan can play. Both are listed as questionable right now. Considering that all four players missed the game against the Pelicans, this is definitely a step in the right direction.
That said, not all the injury news is positive. Tre Jones is out due to left foot soreness. Romeo Langford will miss the game due to left adductor soreness. Both Jones and Langford started versus the Pelicans.
Two bench pieces who played last night will miss the game: Doug McDermott and Devonte’ Graham. McDermott has a right hip contusion, while Graham has right quad soreness.
Centers Charles Bassey and Khem Birch remain out with knee injuries.
San Antonio Spurs Starting Lineup
Zach Collins and Devin Vassell will both step back into the starting lineup. At point guard, expect Malaki Branham to get the start. If Keldon Johnson and Jeremy Sochan are able to play, they will both start. If one of the two can’t play, expect Keita Bates-Diop to start. If both Johnson and Sochan miss tonight’s affair, expect Bates-Diop and Sandro Mamukelashvili to start.
Betting Guide: Spurs at Bucks
The Bucks are favored by 17.5 points and the over/under is at 238 points. It doesn’t take a basketball genius to figure out why the Bucks are so heavily favored. The Spurs are playing on the second night of a back-to-back, are coming off of a loss in which they weren’t very competitive and they are still dealing with a lot of injuries.
That said, it’s difficult to say with certainty that any team in the NBA will beat another team by 18 or more points. For that reason, the smart money tonight is on Devin Vassell’s point total. Currently, prognosticators have Vassell’s line at 18.5 points. Considering that he has scored a total of 54 points in his last two outings, betting on Vassell to score 19 or more points tonight is a safe bet.