Pro Basketball Betting -- Can Spurs Gain Ground vs. Warriors?

  • In Charles Jay
  • Thu, Mar 8th, 2018 12:20:13 pm
  • By Charles Jay - Exclusive to OSGA


The Golden State Warriors, battling the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference, will play host to the San Antonio Spurs in pro basketball betting action on TNT for Thursday night.


The San Antonio Spurs felt at the beginning of the season that they could get one more really good year out of their veterans and perhaps challenge the Golden State Warriors for Western Conference supremacy. But it hasn't worked out that way - not by a long shot. Now they are literally fighting for their playoff lives as they come into Thursday night's game against the "Dubs," which will begin at 10:35 PM ET at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, and while BetAnySports customers are watching the game on TNT, they can also place wagers while the action is in progress, using the state-of-the-art software from Live Betting Ultra.

The Spurs have had a long run of contention in the NBA, winning at least fifty games for 18 consecutive seasons. A lot of the strength comes from their ability to distribute the ball and distribute minutes. They are tenth in the league in assists, but the points aren't being spread around all that evenly. LaMarcus Aldridge is the team's leading scorer, at 22.2 ppg, but his usage rate is pretty high, and the next highest scorer on the list is Rudy Gay, at 11.3 ppg. He has missed 25 games, and Popovich hopes to have him back on Thursday in the wake of an ear injury.

San Antonio Spurs free pickThey are hopeful that they can get Kawhi Leonard back toward the end of the regular season schedule. Leonard has missed all but nine games this season with his quadriceps injury, but he says he will be back toward the end of the month. By that time it is likely that this team (37-27 SU, 31-29-4 ATS) will still be battling for a spot in the playoffs. Yes, that's right; the Spurs are in no way secure; they lead Utah and Denver, teams just on the outside looking in, by only two and a half games. And they are going in the wrong direction, having lost six of their last eight games.

In the pro basketball betting odds posted on this game by the folks at BetAnySports, the Warriors are a double-digit favorite:

Golden State Warriors -11
San Antonio Spurs +11

Over 221 points -110
Under 221 points -110

San Antonio has nine players who are averaging at least 20 minutes per game, but Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, who are right on the fringes of that, have become part-time players at best. Another long-time veteran may not be available. It looks as if Pau Gasol might be out for this one. The former All-Star forward/center, who is averaging 10.7 points and 8.4 rebounds, hurt his shoulder on Monday as the Spurs defeated Memphis 100-98.

Golden State Warriors game previewAndre Iguodala, the former Sixth Man of the Year and NBA Finals MVP, will likely not be involved in this game (arm injury). He's obviously a big part of the picture, and someone who allows the Warriors to play that small lineup and dominate. And David West might be a game-time decision. This former All-Star is relied upon by Steve Kerr when it comes to putting the second unit on the floor, and as he was sitting out the game after surgery to remove a cyst from his arm, Kerr acknowledged that it threw the team a little off-balance against the Brooklyn Nets a couple of night ago. The Warriors got off to a 35-19 first quarter lead, then were outscored 34-13 in the second period, before getting their act together and outscoring Brooklyn 66-48 in the second half.

Listen - Golden State is showing some signs of really gearing up for the head-to-head battle with sizzling Houston, as they have won six straight. And they have handled San Antonio very easily in the two meetings - winning by scores of 122-105 and 112-92. Factors like that give us enough confidence to lay the points.

BetAnySports has everything you would ever want in a gaming destination, including reduced juice, which allows you to avoid laying the customary -110 on hoops action. And there are many ways to make a deposit, including your Visa card, person-to-person transfers (like Western Union) and the virtual currency of Bitcoin, which is fast and easy with their automated system, and never, EVER incurs a transaction fee!

(The preceding information has been furnished for news matter only) 


Sign-up for the OSGA Newsletter!

Every week get news and updates, exclusive offers and betting tips delivered right to you email inbox.