The San Antonio Spurs (30-18), the NBA’s top scoring defense, will go head-to-head against the Cleveland Cavaliers (27-18) at AT&T Center. The games Over/Under (O/U) opened at 208.5 points with San Antonio set as a 2-point favorite. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday, January 23, 2018, and it can be seen on TNT.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. San Antonio Spurs Free Preview
In the Cavaliers last outing, they were blown out by the Oklahoma City Thunder, 148-124. LeBron James had a good game for Cleveland, contributing 18 points and seven assists. Oklahoma City had an offensive rebounding percentage of 39.0 (above their season average of 27.8). Cleveland, meanwhile, did a great job of getting and making free throws (22-27; 81.5 percent).
The Spurs are trying to rebound after their 94-86 loss to the Indiana Pacers in their last game. Pau Gasol led San Antonio in scoring with 14 points on 6-for-8 shooting. Indiana did a great job of converting from the charity stripe (16-17; 94.1 percent). San Antonio, meanwhile, held the Pacers to an offensive rebounding percentage of 16.7 (below their season average of 21.9).
Points at the line could be rare for San Antonio in this showdown. The Spurs rank 18th in the league with a free throw attempt (FTA) rate of 0.188, while Cleveland ranks third in FTA rate allowed (0.162). Also, the fifth-ranked offense of the Cavaliers (offensive efficiency of 110.3) will clash against the second-ranked defense of the Spurs (defensive efficiency of 101.3).
Of Cleveland’s 45 games, 23 have finished over the O/U total, while 29 of San Antonio’s 48 games have finished under the projected point total. Both teams have respectable straight up (SU) records (27-18 for Cleveland; 30-18 for San Antonio), but the Spurs have the edge against the spread (ATS). San Antonio is 24-20-4 ATS, while the Cavaliers are 12-32-1.
This will be the first matchup of the year between these two teams. The Spurs won both matchups played against each other last season. In the last matchup, San Antonio won 103-74. The Spurs dominated every stat category in the game. They had a free throw rate of 0.163 and an offensive rebounding percentage of 24.4. The Cavaliers recorded marks of 0.096 and 17.6, respectively, for those same stats.
Cleveland Cavaliers at San Antonio Spurs ATS Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Spurs, ATS Winner – Spurs, O/U – Under
Betting Notes:
- The Spurs rank ninth in points allowed in the paint per game (42.3) while the Cavaliers rank 25th (46.8).
- Cleveland ranks 10th in points off turnovers per game (17.5) while San Antonio ranks 12th in points off turnovers allowed per game (15.7).
- San Antonio averages 44.4 rebounds per game, which ranks 11th in the league. Cleveland ranks 23rd in rebounds allowed per game (44.1).
- Cleveland is 9-14 ATS on the road, while San Antonio is 15-6-1 ATS at home.
- The total has gone under in 12 of the Cavaliers 23 road games, while 11 of the Spurs 22 home games have gone over.
- In games where they hold opponents below 100 points, Cleveland is 10-2 and San Antonio is 20-9.
- In games where they score over 100 points, the Cavaliers are 27-10 and the Spurs are 23-3.
- The Spurs average 12.6 second chance points per game, which ranks 14th in the league. The Cavaliers rank 19th in second chance points allowed per game (12.9).
- San Antonio ranks third in blocks per game (5.5) while Cleveland ranks 26th (3.8).
- The Cavaliers rank third in three pointers attempted per game (32.8) while the Spurs rank 26th (24.4).
- San Antonio ranks seventh in assists allowed per game (20.9) while Cleveland ranks last (26.0).
Betting Trends:
- San Antonio is 2-2-1 ATS with 5 unders in their last five games.
- Over their last five games, Cleveland is 0-5 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs.
- The Spurs average margin of victory in their last five games has been 4.6, up from 3.1 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Cavaliers have scored an average of 106.0 points per game (3.7 below their season average) and allowed an average of 119.8 points per game (10.3 above their season average).
