NBA: SUNS SURPRISING AGAINST THE SPURS
For all the postseason problems the Phoenix Suns have had with the San Antonio Spurs, they’ve been a great bet against the spread (ATS) in recent seasons.
The Suns are a surprising 5-2 ATS against the Spurs over the last two regular seasons and they look to improve on that as these two teams open their 2008-09 campaign on ESPN at 8 pm ET.
With a dozen games on Wednesday’s schedule, including a televised double-header on ESPN, there are plenty of wagering options for NBA bettors. We’ve got game lines and totals for all the games so check out the Live Odds page for the latest odds and make sure you register for our Beat the House promotion. Every winning wager of $20 or more on NBA or NCAA hoops action earns you points towards weekly prizes and a Grand Prize at the end of the season.
The window is closing on the Suns’ chances to win an NBA Championship. The fast-paced, high-flying offensive attack led by point guard Steve Nash has failed at playoff time and even with the addition of Shaquille O’Neal midway through last season, they couldn’t make it past San Antonio in the first round of the playoffs.
Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and the rest of the Spurs ended the Suns’ season last April in a short, five-game series that proved to be an easier matchup than the six-game series that San Antonio won in the 2007 playoffs over them.
Based on last year’s performance, one has to wonder if the Suns have what it takes to win a championship.
A two-time MVP, Nash is now 34-years-old while the big man O’Neal, now 36, has battled numerous injuries and hasn’t played more than 61 games since 2004. Nash’s production has remained consistent throughout his career but many are waiting for a drop off with O’Neal already showing signs that his 17-year career is coming to an end.
As a member of the Suns last year, O’Neal averaged just 12.9 points in 28 games while he was scoring just 14.2 points per game in Miami before his trade. The Suns never really adjusted to having O’Neal in the lineup and that cost them in the postseason.
It will be interesting to see how Phoenix plays on Wednesday with former coach Mike D’Antoni now in New York, replaced by Terry Porter. Porter is abandoning the speedy offense that made the Suns one of the highest scoring teams in the league and is focused on getting his players working on the defensive side of the ball.
For the Spurs, backers can expect much of what they’ve been accustomed to over the past number of seasons. Duncan and Parker lead head coach Greg Popovich’s team and they’ll have to pick up the slack even more than usual with Manu Ginobili out for the first several weeks.
And while the Spurs are consistent winners, they haven’t been to the pay window a lot. Despite a 56-26 record last year, San Antonio was 37-43-2 ATS while the Suns were 39-40-3 ATS.
In the late game of the ESPN double-header, the L.A. Clippers host the L.A. Lakers. The Lakers have owned this series of late, covering four straight and seven of the last 10. They were a money-making 47-33-1 ATS last season with the Clippers going just 33-49 ATS.
