San Antonio Spurs NBA Playoff Odds
How the San Antonio Spurs Got Here
Death. Taxes. The San Antonio Spurs in the NBA playoffs. These are three things all Americans can rely on. Gregg Popovich has the Spurs in the postseason picture once again.
The Spurs clinched a play-in berth and will be relying on their interesting combination of lanky wing players to propel them to a surprise playoff appearance.
They have one of the best halfcourt defenses in the league per Cleaning The Glass. And Popovich has this group playing disciplined as per usual, which means limiting turnovers. This allows the Spurs to get into their offense. And to Popovich's credit, almost 82% of the Spurs plays come out of the halfcourt.
Simply put, no matter how unimpressed you are with the Spurs' personnel, it is clear that they've been prepared well for postseason (sort of) basketball.
On the injury front, defensive ace Derrick White and big man Luka Samanic are still out indefinitely. Meanwhile, forward Trey Lyles has been dealing with a nagging sprained right ankle injury. The 25-year old has been a solid 10th-11th man all season, but he's taken on a much greater role since San Antonio let go of LaMarcus Aldridge.
If the Spurs can't get a healthy Lyles for the Play-In, expect DeMar DeRozan to play a ton of minutes and to see a lot more of Drew Eubanks.
The Spurs' style of play helped them to a solid record against the spread (ATS). And just like it did in the regular season, their ability to limit mistakes will make them an intriguing team to bet on.
