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Phoenix Suns – San Antonio Spurs Pick and Game Preview

NBA Odds: Suns (even)

The Phoenix Suns host a showdown against the San Antonio Spurs at the US Airways Center. Action begins at 9:00 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 28 and can be seen on NBATV, KENS and FSN-AZ.

The Suns played well in their last game, topping the Thunder 117-113 on Thursday. Eric Bledsoe played a pivotal role, recording his ninth double-double of the season with 28 points and 13 rebounds. The Spurs, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after the 111-95 loss against the Trail Blazers on Wednesday. Tim Duncan led the team in scoring with 20 points.

Both teams have won a game in the season series. The Spurs had the upper hand in the most recent game, a 100-95 win. P.J. Tucker had a standout performance with 19 points, six rebounds, one assist, two steals, one block, and one three-pointer in the loss.

The odds for Phoenix and San Antonio are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently unavailable. The Suns have gone 31-28 Straight Up (SU) and 30-26-3 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 16-20 SU and 15-18-3 ATS against the Western Conference. The Suns are one of the best in the NBA in terms of free throw percentage, shooting an impressive .776 from the free throw line. Phoenix’s defenders rank fifth in the NBA in steals with 8.8 per game. Phoenix is one of the league’s top scoring teams off turnovers with an average of 18.4 points per game.

Over on the other bench, the Spurs have 34-23 SU and 23-32-2 ATS records. San Antonio has not performed well ATS during its last 10 games, earning a 2-8 record. One advantage for the Spurs could be Phoenix’s high fouls per game average of 22.2.

With the Spurs’ last win against Phoenix, their SU record is now 7-3 over the Suns in the last 10 meetings. The teams are even ATS, with a 4-4-2 record. Phoenix held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers one time in the last 10 matchups. On the other side of the court, San Antonio never accomplished this feat in that span.

Predictions: SU Winner – SA, ATS Winner – SA

Notes

On average, San Antonio scores 100.4 points per game (ranked 13th). Phoenix ranks 28th in points allowed per game with 105.1.

Phoenix ranks 29th in points allowed per home game (104.1 PPG), while San Antonio ranks 18th in points per away game with 97.0.

When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Spurs are 24-9 on the season. When the Suns score fewer than 100, they are an abysmal 4-13.

San Antonio is 10-14 when allowing 100 or more points this season. The Suns have a solid 27-15 record when hitting triple digits.

The Suns have a defensive rating of 104.3 (ranked 21st), while the Spurs rank 12th for their offensive rating of 103.4.

Ranked seventh in the NBA, Phoenix has an average field goal percentage of 46.2%. San Antonio is 12-11 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.

On average, Phoenix attempts 26.5 three pointers and San Antonio attempts 23.0 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Suns are 19-22 while the Spurs have a winning 14-8 record.

Phoenix has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.44 this season (ranked 25th). San Antonio ranks higher with an A/TO of 1.75 (ranked seventh).

The Suns rank 17th in rebounds per game with 43.1, while the Spurs rank 15th with 43.6 per game.

The San Antonio Spurs rank 24th in offensive rebounding, while the Phoenix Suns rank 17th in defensive rebounding.

Phoenix is among the best in forcing turnovers, with opponents averaging a TOV% of 15.1% (ranked ninth). San Antonio has an 11-12 record SU when its TOV% reaches 15.1% or greater.

Written by GMS Previews

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