San Antonio Spurs at Cleveland Cavaliers Betting Odds

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The San Antonio Spurs (35-25), the leagues top scoring defense, will clash against the Cleveland Cavaliers (35-23) at Quicken Loans Arena. The Over/Under (O/U) for the game has been set at 216.5 points with Cleveland opening as a 5-point favorite. Action begins at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 25, 2018, and it can be seen on ABC.

San Antonio Spurs at Cleveland Cavaliers Betting Preview

In the Spurs last game, they lost a tough one against the Denver Nuggets, 122-119. With 38 points on 13-for-23 shooting, LaMarcus Aldridge was the games high scorer. Denver had an offensive rebounding percentage of 40.0 (above their season average of 26.1). San Antonio, meanwhile, did a great job of getting and making free throws (28-39; 71.8 percent).

The Cavaliers will look to keep it rolling after thoroughly outplaying the Memphis Grizzlies in their last game, 112-89. Cleveland’s LeBron James played an enormous role in the victory, racking up 18 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists on his way to his 10th triple-double this year. Cleveland dominated every stat category in the game. They had an offensive rebounding percentage of 17.9 (below their season average of 19.3) and a free throw rate of 0.241 (above their season average of 0.219). For those same stats, Memphis had marks of 11.4 and 0.167, respectively.

This showdown pits one of the NBA’s top offenses against one of its elite defenses. Cleveland ranks fifth in offensive efficiency and San Antonio is second in defensive efficiency. Additionally, the Spurs, who rank 21st in free throw attempt (FTA) rate (0.186), will battle against the Cavaliers, who rank first in opponents FTA rate (0.161).

Of San Antonio’s 60 games, 31 have finished under the O/U total, while 30 of Cleveland’s 58 games have finished over the O/U total. Both teams have decent straight up (SU) records (35-25 for San Antonio; 35-23 for Cleveland), but the Spurs have the advantage against the spread (ATS). San Antonio is 30-26-4 ATS, while the Cavaliers are 19-38-1.

These teams have already met once this season. In that game, the two teams combined to score 216 points, which was over the projected point total of 210. The Spurs won 114-102, covering as 2.5-point underdogs. The Spurs dominated nearly every facet of the game. They had an absurdly low turnover percentage of 8.2 and a solid offensive rebounding percentage of 27.1. The Cavaliers put up marks of 17.4 and 15.8, respectively, for those same stats. In the victory, Aldridge led all scorers with 30 points.

San Antonio Spurs vs. Cleveland Cavaliers ATS Prediction

NBA Prediction: SU Winner – Cavaliers, ATS Winner – Spurs, O/U – Over

Betting Notes:

  • The Spurs average 44.3 rebounds per game, which ranks 12th in the league. The Cavaliers rank 22nd in rebounds allowed per game (44.2).
  • Cleveland averages 12.2 fast break points per game, which ranks 13th in the league. San Antonio ranks 14th in fast break points allowed per game (11.5).
  • San Antonio averages 43.1 points in the paint per game, which ranks 18th in the NBA. Cleveland ranks 22nd in points allowed in the paint per game (46.7).
  • Cleveland is 6-21-1 ATS at home, while San Antonio is 13-16-3 ATS on the road.
  • The Spurs have 18 unders, 13 overs and 1 push in 32 road games.
  • The Cavaliers have 14 overs, 13 unders and 1 push in 28 home games.
  • San Antonio is 23-10 when they hold opponents under 100 points, while Cleveland is 13-2.
  • The Cavaliers are 34-13 when they reach 100 points, while the Spurs are 28-7.
  • The Spurs average 12.8 second chance points per game, which ranks 12th in the NBA. The Cavaliers rank 15th in second chance points allowed per game (12.6).
  • San Antonio ranks fourth in three pointers allowed per game (26.6) while Cleveland ranks last (32.1).
  • The Spurs rank fourth in blocks per game (5.5) while the Cavaliers rank 27th (3.9).
  • San Antonio ranks eighth in assists allowed per game (21.3) while Cleveland ranks last (25.9).

Betting Trends:

  • Cleveland is 4-1 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders in their last five games.
  • Over their last five games, San Antonio is 3-2 ATS with 5 overs.
  • The Cavaliers average margin of victory in their last five games has been 12.4, up from 0.5 for the season.
  • During their last five games, the Spurs have scored an average of 112.2 points per game (10.3 above their season average) and allowed an average of 108.6 points per game (9.7 above their season average).