Preview: San Antonio Spurs at Boston Celtics – Game #75
Sandro Mamukelashvili could start for the Spurs against the Celtics (Photo via Twitter)
The San Antonio Spurs play their fourth and final game of their road trip on Sunday night against the Boston Celtics. The Spurs have lost the first three games of the road trip and have a record of 19-55 on the season, which is the third worst record in the NBA.
At 51-23, the Celtics have the second best record in the league. Boston trails only the 53-21 Milwaukee Bucks in the standings. In their last five games, the Celtics have four wins.
Boston is led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Tatum averages 30.1 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game, while Brown averages 26.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.
The Spurs haven’t won a game on the road since Feb. 28 against the Utah Jazz. At 6-30, San Antonio is tied with the Houston Rockets for the worst road record in the NBA.
Back in January, the Spurs and Celtics faced off in South Texas. The Celtics escaped with a 121-116 victory in that affair.
San Antonio Spurs Injury Update
The injury report for the Spurs is better than it has been recently — but there are still a number of notable injuries. First of all, Jeremy Sochan is listed as out with right knee soreness. The rookie also missed San Antonio’s last game against the Washington Wizards.
Three Spurs players are listed as questionable. Keldon Johnson has left foot soreness, Malaki Branham has lower back tightness and Romeo Langford has left adductor soreness.
San Antonio Spurs Starting Lineup
Expect Zach Collins to start at center, Tre Jones at point guard, Devin Vassell at shooting guard and Keita Bates-Diop at one of the forward positions. If Keldon Johnson is able to play, he’ll be the other starter at forward. If he can’t play, the most likely player to be elevated into a starting role is Sandro Mamukelashvili.
If Johnson can’t play but Romeo Langford is able to play, Langford might start at forward instead of Mamukelashvili. Another possibility is Devonte’ Graham starting at guard and Vassell sliding to forward.
Spurs on the Road Again
After the Celtics game, the Spurs return to the AT&T Center for one contest against the Utah Jazz. Following that lone home game, the Spurs hit the road for a three-game road trip. That trip promises to be a difficult one, as the Spurs will go up against the Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns.
Betting Guide: Spurs at Celtics
The Celtics are big-time favorites against the Spurs on Sunday evening. Boston is favored by 16 points even though San Antonio might be near full strength. That said, the smart money is on the Celtics to win by 17 or more points.
The Spurs don’t have much of a rhythm right now and it doesn’t appear like head coach Gregg Popovich is too interested in winning games right now. Conversely, the Celtics have a lot to play for and will be motivated to take care of business.