The Philadelphia 76ers will host a showdown against the San Antonio Spurs at the Wells Fargo Center. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Monday, Dec. 7 and can be seen on CSP and FSW.
The 76ers are expecting a better outcome after their 108-105 loss to the Nuggets on Saturday. Despite the loss, Robert Covington earned his second double-double this season with 18 points and 10 rebounds. The Spurs, meanwhile, are coming off a 108-105 win against the Celtics on Saturday. Manu Ginobili played well for San Antonio, registering 15 points, seven rebounds, and four assists.
Over the last five games, Covington has taken his game to another level for the 76ers, averaging 18.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 3.6 steals, 1.0 block, and 4.0 three-pointers.
The 76ers might struggle to find the bottom of the net as they face off against one of the league’s best defenses. The Spurs rank first in the NBA in defensive efficiency, while Philadelphia ranks 30th in offensive efficiency.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Spurs winning the first matchup 92-83. LaMarcus Aldridge put up a double-double in the victory with 17 points and 19 rebounds.
The Spurs are favored by 12 points over Philadelphia and the Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at 189 points. The 76ers have gone 1-20 Straight Up (SU) and 11-9-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They have been successful ATS versus Western Conference opponents with a record of 6-2-1. It hasn’t translated into wins, however, as they have a record of 1-8 in those games.
Over on the other bench, the Spurs have 17-4 SU and 13-8 ATS records. Against the Eastern Conference, San Antonio is 8-2 SU and 6-4 ATS. The Spurs have controlled the glass with an average of 46.6 rebounds per game, fourth in the league. The Spurs are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking third in the NBA at 1.79. Moving on to San Antonio’s defense, the Spurs allow just 89.3 points per game, ranking them first in the league. The Spurs have one of the best opponent field-goal percentages in the league at .418. Blocking shots is an area where San Antonio has excelled. The Spurs average 6.4 blocks per game, making them one of the best in the league.
In their previous meeting this season, San Antonio beat Philadelphia, bumping its SU record over the last 10 meetings to 9-1. With a 6-4 record, the Spurs also have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – SA, ATS Winner – SA, O/U – Under
Notes
Philadelphia is 6-1-1 ATS in its last 8 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Philadelphia’s last 8 games.
Philadelphia is 1-24 SU in its last 25 games.
Philadelphia is 1-13 SU in its last 14 games at home.
Philadelphia is 3-10-1 ATS in its last 14 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Philadelphia’s last 14 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Philadelphia’s last 8 games when playing San Antonio.
Philadelphia is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing San Antonio.
Philadelphia is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games when playing San Antonio.
Philadelphia is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against San Antonio.
On average, San Antonio scores 99.3 points per game (ranked 19th). Philadelphia ranks 22nd in points allowed per game with 102.3.
Philadelphia ranks 25th in points allowed per home game (104.9 PPG), while San Antonio ranks 17th in points per away game with 98.6.
When allowing fewer than 100 points in a game, the 76ers are just 1-8 this season. San Antonio is an outstanding 9-3 when it puts up less than 100.
Philadelphia is winless (0-12) in games where it allows 100 or more points, while San Antonio is 8-1 when it reaches the century mark.
The Spurs have the best defense in the NBA, giving up just 93.0 points per 100 possessions on average. The 76ers have the worst offense, scoring 93.0 points in the same number of possessions.
The Philadelphia 76ers average 98.8 possessions per game and .930 points per possession, while the San Antonio Spurs earn fewer possessions (95.9) but more points per possession (1.036).
The San Antonio Spurs have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking second in the league with an EFF% of 51.1%. When their opponents record a similar or higher EFF%, the Philadelphia 76ers are winless with a 0-6 record.
Philadelphia attempts an average of 26.0 three pointers per game and San Antonio attempts 19.0 per game on average. When the teams attempt at least 25 three pointers, the 76ers have a subpar 1-13 record while the Spurs are undefeated with a 1-0 record.
The San Antonio Spurs rank third with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.79, while the Philadelphia 76ers rank near the bottom of the league at 30th with an A/TO of 1.08.
With 46.6 per game, San Antonio ranks near the top of the NBA for rebounds at fourth. Philadelphia ranks 25th with 42.4.
The San Antonio Spurs rank 23rd in offensive rebounding, while the Philadelphia 76ers rank 20th in defensive rebounding.
On average, the 76ers force a turnover rate of 15.3%, ranked 10th in the NBA. When the Spurs turn over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a stellar 8-1 record.
