San Antonio Spurs vs. Phoenix Suns: 3 Best Bets

The San Antonio Spurs have an early-season rematch with the Phoneix Suns, and the odds have shifted since last time.

The San Antonio Spurs beat the Phoenix Suns on the road on Tuesday night in thrilling fashion, and they have the chance to do it again tonight, with tipoff scheduled for 10:00 pm Eastern. The game is on NBA TV, so it is a semi-nationally televised game depending on cable packages but it will be available on League Pass.

The Spurs stole the first game away from Kevin Durant and the Suns, and Gregg Popovich was “really proud” of his young squad. The injury report looks similar to Tuesday’s matchup, with the Spurs having a full and healthy roster and the Suns being shorthanded once again, missing Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, and Damion Lee.

Interestingly, all of the Spurs listed on SI Sportsbook have a line below their point total from Tuesday, with the lone exception of Jeremy Sochan. Keldon Johnson, Victor Wembanyama, Devin Vassell, Zach Collins, and Tre Jones are all expected to do worse than they did on Tuesday, but Durant is slated to do better.

Devin Vassell scored 18 points during the win on Tuesday / © Zachary BonDurant, USA TODAY

With that in mind, let’s get to the lines and picks, powered by SI.

The Lines

Point Spread: Suns (-8.5)/Spurs (+8.5)

Money Line: Suns (-400)/Spurs (+290)

Over/Under: 226.5

It’s worth noting that Tuesday’s game had a spread of 7.5 points and an over/under of 225.5, so the oddsmakers have less faith in the Spurs, despite their win in the last matchup.

Our Picks

Safe Pick: Devin Vassell OVER 17.5 points (-120)

Vassell’s shot selection was poor on Tuesday. He went 7/17 from the floor and 3/8 from deep, but still managed to post 18 points. He is expected to be a 20-point guy this season, so asking him to score 18 against a shorthanded Suns team is not out of the realm of possibility. Vassell hitting the over is one of the safest bets all season long. He has failed to do it in only one game so far, so this is a no-brainer pick for fans to make.

Opponent Pick: Kevin Durant OVER 1.5 threes made (-150)

Durant is yet to make more than one three in any of his four games, but it’s not for lack of trying. He attempts multiple shots from deep on a nightly basis. With no Beal and Booker to help carry the offense, revenge will be fully on Durant’s shoulders after he failed to box out Wembanyama and secure the ball against Jones and Johnson in the final seconds. The NBA has since announced that there was no foul on the final play of Tuesday’s game, despite Durant’s whining. With that in mind, he will be a man on a mission and will surely jack up plenty of shots.

Risky Pick: Zach Collins OVER 6.5 rebounds (-125)

Collins is yet to snag more than six rebounds in a game this season and has seen his usage dip since the season debut. With him getting fewer minutes down the stretch and not closing to the rim on shot attempts, there’s no reason to think that he will be able to set a season-high tonight. The Suns are a top-ten rebounding team and the Spurs are in the bottom three. Collins is simply outmatched down low, and this bet is too risky to touch.

The fact that the over/under stayed pretty much the same but the point spread shifted by a point suggests that the Suns will be out for blood tonight. It’s unlikely that the Spurs get blown out, but the chances of a win are slim. However, 8.5 is a massive spread, so as a bonus bet, take the Spurs and the points.