Since losing Kawhi Leonard to a hand injury on January 22, the San Antonio Spurs are just 4-4 SU and 3-5 ATS over their last eight games.
San Antonio Spurs vs. Brooklyn Nets: NBA betting odds preview
San Antonio would normally be favored to beat Brooklyn, but injuries have changed the NBA odds on this game tonight.
Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
They will be playing their third road game in four nights on Thursday night when they visit the Brooklyn Nets.
In addition to having Leonard out, the Spurs will also be without star shooting guard Manu Ginobili for the next two-three weeks after he suffered a hamstring injury last week. Leonard (11.6 points per game) and Ginobili (12.1 PPG) are two of San Antonio’s top four scorers and their contributions to the team will be difficult to replace.
Not surprisingly, the Spurs opened as 6.5-point road underdogs on the NBA betting line at most sportsbooks against a team they would otherwise be favored to beat.
Danny Green and Tiago Splitter also suffered injuries over the last couple of weeks but are back in action now. Point guard Tony Parker left Wednesday’s game with a sore back and is questionable for Thursday night.
The Brooklyn Nets got off to a sensational start in the month of January, putting together a 10-1 SU and 9-2 ATS record to start off the month. But over the last four games, the Nets have cooled off a bit with a 1-3 SU and ATS record.
To be fair to the Nets, two of the three losses came against the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers, two of the NBA’s best teams. Things don’t get much easier with San Antonio coming to town though, even with the injuries the Spurs are dealing with.
Since June 13, 2003, the San Antonio Spurs have played 22 games against the Brooklyn (formerly New Jersey) Nets. Over that stretch, San Antonio is 21-1 SU and 16-6 ATS. The Spurs are 6-0 SU and 5-1 ATS over the last six games in this head-to-head series including a perfect 3-0 SU and ATS record since the Nets moved to Brooklyn.
The UNDER is 10-3 over the last 13 games between the Spurs and Nets.
How big of a role will fatigue play for the Spurs on Thursday night? Playing their third game in four nights including a double-OT game on Wednesday night with an injury-shortened bench against a Brooklyn team coming in off of two days of rest could be a major disadvantage for San Antonio.
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