The San Antonio Spurs are reminding bettors to not sleep on the infrastructure as they’ve gone 10-5 SU and 11-4 ATS in 15 games in December and will look to keep the winning vibes going when they host the Boston Celtics. The Spurs have been a great bet at home lately, winning eight of their last nine games, and haven’t lost to Boston at AT&T Center since 2011 (6-0 SU and 4-2 ATS).
The Spurs opened as 2.5-point underdogs (since moved to +1.5) with a total of 217.5.
- The Spurs are 8-1 SU and ATS in their last 9 games at home.
- The Celtics are 2-9 ATS in their last 11 games on the road vs teams with winning records.
- The total has gone OVER in the Celtics’ last five games (avg. combined score: 227.8).
Spurs Might Not Be Dead After All
Coming into the season, analysts and NBA insiders didn’t paint a pretty picture for the Spurs’ chances to make the postseason, let alone finish with a winning record. The Spurs’ depth at guard was decimated in the offseason with the departure of Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, along with Dejounte Murray suffering a knee injury, but guys like Marco Belinelli and Bryn Forbes have stepped up. Belli and Forbes have combined to average 22.1 points per game, which is a perfect complement to all-stars DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge.
Now that the roster has shaped into form, the Spurs have started to roll off some wins as they’ve gone 10-5 SU and 11-4 ATS in 15 games this month and their offense has taken off. San Antonio is averaging 115.3 points in those games, which ranks third in the NBA in that span. Taking great shots has always been the mantra for the Spurs organization so it shouldn’t surprise bettors that they lead the league in field-goal percentage this month too.
Considering they haven’t lost to Boston at home since 2011, the Spurs will be a popular bet as a home dog. This season, they’re 5-1 SU and ATS in six games as a home underdog and I expect that trend to continue.
Celtics Not Measuring Up to the Competition
Most teams in the NBA would be thrilled to have a 21-14 SU record in 35 games through December but it definitely feels like underachieving for Boston. The Celtics’ struggles may be a little more in focus for the casual bettor because of the number of prime-time games they play but as Bill Parcells once said, “You are what your record says.” The C’s are 10-9 SU and 8-11 ATS in 19 road games and when they play winning teams, that record shrinks to 2-9 ATS in their last 11.
December may have kick-started the Celtics offense as they lead the NBA in points per game this month and Kyrie Irving has been balling out. Irving is averaging 25.2 points per game to go with 7.2 assists this month and the Celtics are 7-3 SU in 10 games in December when he scores 20 points or more.
I’m not high on the Celtics to win this one because I think the Spurs are just too good at home and the Celtics are giving up way too many points lately (over 100 points in all but one game in December).
OVER ALERT for Celtics Games
The total opened at 217.5 and totals bettors have been cashing in when the Celtics take the court. The OVER has hit in eight of their last nine games with an average combined score of 229.1 points per game. The OVER has also hit in the last five games in this matchup.
My Pick Is…
To take the Spurs moneyline and the OVER on separate bets. Both of these offenses are playing lights-out this month and I think the Spurs will have the edge playing at home and can outmuscle the Celtics down low.
