The San Antonio Spurs (40-23) will attempt to extend a six-game winning streak when they match up with the Cleveland Cavaliers (41-25) at the AT&T Center. The game gets underway at 9:30 pm ET on Thursday, Mar. 12 and will air on TNT.
The Spurs beat the Raptors 117-107 on Tuesday. Kawhi Leonard played a key role, recording 24 points and 11 rebounds to notch his 11th double-double this season. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, are coming off a 127-94 win over the Mavericks on Tuesday. LeBron James shot 10-for-14 and led in scoring with 27 points.
Over the last five games, Tony Parker and Leonard have played at a high level for the Spurs. During that stretch, Parker has averaged 20.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.4 steals. Not to be outdone, Leonard has put up 22.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 3.0 steals, 1.4 blocks, and 0.6 three-pointers.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Spurs won the first game 92-90. Boris Diaw was a standout player in the game, producing 19 points, six rebounds, seven assists, three steals, one block, and one three-pointer.
Oddsmakers have deemed this game an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable at the moment. The Spurs enter the game with records of 40-23 Straight Up (SU) and 28-33-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 18-5 SU and 11-12 ATS versus the Eastern Conference. The Spurs have one of the most prolific home offenses in the entire league, averaging 105.8 points per game.
Across the court, the Cavaliers head into the game with records of 33-33 ATS and 41-25 SU. Cleveland has a record of 16-12 SU and 15-13 ATS against the West.
Following the Spurs’ latest win over Cleveland, their SU record rises to 10-0 over the Cavaliers in the last 10 meetings. Additionally, the Spurs lead the matchup ATS with a record of 8-2. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, San Antonio held the edge in all three of these categories three times in the last 10 meetings. Cleveland never did so in those games.
Predictions: SU Winner – SA, ATS Winner – SA
Notes
On average, Cleveland scores 102.9 points per game (ranked seventh). San Antonio ranks eighth in points allowed per game with 97.4.
Cleveland puts up an average of 102.2 points per away game (ranked ninth). San Antonio ranks 17th in points allowed per home game with 98.9.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Spurs are 27-9 on the season. When the Cavaliers score fewer than 100, they are an underachieving 8-20.
When the San Antonio Spurs allow at least 100 points they are 13-14, while the Cleveland Cavaliers are 33-5 when they register triple digits.
The Cavaliers have a defensive rating of 103.3 (ranked 18th). The Spurs rank 10th for their offensive rating of 104.1.
The San Antonio Spurs average 97.5 possessions per game and 1.041 points per possession, while the Cleveland Cavaliers earn fewer possessions (95.3) but more points per possession (1.080).
San Antonio is among the top-ranked teams based on its average effective field goal percentage of 50.7% (ranked eighth in the NBA). Cleveland is a poor 10-19 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, the San Antonio Spurs make 23.9 assists per game and the Cleveland Cavaliers make 21.9. San Antonio is ranked sixth, while Cleveland is ranked 13th.
San Antonio makes an average of 5.5 blocks per game (ranked seventh), while Cleveland makes 4.1 blocks per game (ranked 26th).
The San Antonio Spurs rank 26th in offensive rebounding, while the Cleveland Cavaliers rank 19th in defensive rebounding.
San Antonio averages 7.8 steals per game. Cleveland is 18-21 when allowing at least 7 steals.
