by Chuck Sommers
Sunday, Apr 03, 2022
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Venue: AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX
Where to watch: Bally Sports Southwest-San Antonio, ROOT-SP+
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Spurs -14.5
BetMGM: Spurs -14.5
Caesars: Spurs -14.5
Season record
Blazers: 27-50
Spurs: 32-45
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Blazers - Spurs preview and analysis
Boy oh boy, the San Antonio Spurs control their own destiny right now, don’t they? It’s kind of crazy that they’re even here, given the fact they sold at the deadline by dealing Derrick White to the Boston Celtics and leaving Dejounte Murray on his own to push the Spurs in the eventual post-Gregg Popovich era.
So far, as it looks, the Spurs may give Popovich one more run in a play-in game or something of the ilk, because the Spurs just need to win a couple of games and keep relying on the Los Angeles Lakers losing like the sad, sorry excuse of a team that they are. It seems easy enough at this current juncture.
Now they get a matchup at home with the Portland Trail Blazers at AT&T Center on Sunday that could ultimately help the Spurs further push their postseason chances. And if they were to get to the play-in over the Lakers, it would be a masterful job by the winningest coach in NBA history.
Now, let’s be clear: This isn’t the Tim Duncan-Tony Parker-Manu Ginobili Spurs. I don’t think that franchise, for as fortunate as it was over the past 20 years to win five championships, is not going to reap those kinds of rewards again. But if you’re sleeping on the Spurs for the future, might I suggest you wake up?
Between Murray and Keldon Johnson as starting blocks for the future, as well as the continued development of Lonnie Walker IV, the Spurs have a group that can soon contend again within the next few years. If you’re hoping this is a quick rebuild, I’d temper your expectations. The Western Conference is so stacked with generational talent like Devin Booker, Steph Curry, Luka Doncic, Ja Morant, Nikola Jokic, just to name a few, that will keep the Spurs at bay for a little while longer.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing. If the Spurs continue to be one of those fringe playoff teams that you feel should feel confident about getting back year after year, but just aren’t quite good enough yet to get over the hump. And with the Spurs, being a play-in team might not be the worst development in the world.
On the other hand, with the Blazers, they’re a group that has been dealt a tough hand with Damian Lillard out for the season and having traded CJ McCollum to start some form of a rebuild. They’re not going to make the playoffs in Chauncey Billups’ first season, but it’s not even the fact Portland has been dealt with nearly every injury under the sun. It’s the future of this group and what Portland is going to do to build a contender with Lillard and without McCollum. What’s the status of Jusuf Nurkic? Can Anfernee Simons take that next step as a reliable No. 2? It’s hard to do that and actually the trade winds involving Lillard are only going to intensify the longer Portland keeps losing.
A loss would essentially virtually eliminate the Blazers from the playoff picture, and the fact they’ve gone this far without being eliminated is incredible. That ends on Sunday.
Prediction
Your daily “don’t overthink it” special comes in the form of the NBA this week. The Spurs have something to play for, whereas the Blazers aren’t even sure if they’ll be in the right frame of mind to win this game. Much like what they did to New Orleans the other day, the Blazers are going to feel overmatched and outplyayed against a much better team. San Antonio in a rout. Spurs by 20
Betting trends
The Blazers are 18-33 ATS this season as an underdog.
The Blazers are 33-41 ATS as a road underdog the last three seasons.
The Spurs are 11-8 ATS this season as a home favorite.
The Spurs are 43-61 ATS at home the last three seasons.
Projected starting lineup
Blazers:
PG: Brandon Williams
SG: CJ Elleby
SF: Elijah Hughes
PF: Greg Brown III
C: Drew Eubanks
Spurs:
PG: Dejounte Murray
SG: Joshua Primo
SF: Devin Vassell
PF: Keldon Johnson
C: Jakob Poeltl
Key injuries
Blazers: Damian Lillard (abdomen, out), Jusuf Nurkic (foot, out), Anfernee Simons (quad, out), Josh Hart (knee, out), Eric Bledsoe (Achilles, out), Joe Ingles (ACL, out)
Spurs: Doug McDermott (ankle, out), Keita Bates-Diop (back, questionable)
Statistical leaders
Blazers:
Points: Damian Lillard -- 24.0
Rebounds: Jusuf Nurkic -- 11.1
Assists: Damian Lillard -- 7.3
Spurs:
Points: Dejounte Murray -- 21.2
Rebounds: Jakob Poeltl -- 9.3
Assists: Dejounte Murray -- 9.3
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
