NBA: San Antonio at Utah (8:00 PM ET, ESPN)
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2008-04-04
Every night in the Western Conference of the NBA is a big one. Friday is no different, and the schedule is showcased by a battle between San Antonio and Utah. The host Jazz are a 3-point favorite, but 56% of early bettors were favoring the defending champs at presstime.
It may seem like a foregone conclusion each year for the San Antonio Spurs, but in the Western Conference this season, just making the playoffs is an accomplishment. The defending NBA champions, winners of eight straight (7-1 ATS), will have a chance to clinch their 11th straight postseason berth Friday when they visit the Utah Jazz, the NBA’s best home team.
Since drafting Tim Duncan with the No. 1 pick in the 1997 draft, the Spurs have qualified for the playoffs every season, winning four NBA titles in that span. Despite playing in a conference that features nine teams with a winning percentage of .600 or better, another trip to the playoffs was never truly in doubt this season, and the recent spurt has San Antonio challenging for the top seed in the West.
The Spurs (52-23, 36-38-1 ATS) trail first-place New Orleans by one game in the loss column, and need only one more win to clinch a spot in the postseason.“ Games mean a lot these days,” Duncan said. “Obviously everyone’s record is really close and everyone is playing for positioning. Every game down the stretch means a lot and has that playoff intensity.”
San Antonio is coming off back-to-back blowout wins over playoff contenders, beating Houston and Golden State this week by at least 21 points each. They ended the Warriors’ 37-game streak of scoring at least 100 points with a 116-92 victory Tuesday - their ninth straight game holding an opponent under 100. The Spurs are 27-13 ATS after covering four of their last five against the spread.
During their winning streak, the Spurs are allowing 87.4 points and 40.8 percent shooting per game.
In late January, San Antonio was in the midst of a minor slump and lost to Jazz 97-91 in Salt Lake City. In that game, Tim Duncan had 26 points and 11 rebounds and Manu Ginobili’s 29 points, which was not enough to beat the Jazz (50-26, 41-36 ATS).
Few teams do in Salt Lake City. The Jazz are 34-4 at home (26-12 ATS) this season, having won five straight and 24 of their last 25 there.
They’ve won five of six overall, including a 117-100 home victory over Minnesota on Wednesday, Utah’s final game of the season against a team with a losing record. Mehmet Okur had 22 points and Deron Williams scored 19 on 8-of-10 shooting with 14 assists for the Jazz, who pulled away with a 38-22 scoring edge in the third quarter. The Timberwolves chose to key on Utah’s inside game, holding Carlos Boozer to 12 points and seven rebounds. But led by Okur, the Jazz were 12-of-22 from 3-point range. “It’s kind of like pick your poison,” Boozer said. “You give us a layup, we’re going to take that. You give us a 3-point shot; we have guys that can make it.” The Jazz are 12-4 ATS in home games after scoring 110 points or more this season.
Utah holds a 3 1/2-game lead atop the Northwest Division, but its final six games are against teams currently in playoff position in the West - including a pair of meetings with San Antonio. “It’s going to be a tough schedule for us,” Okur said, “but at the same time it’s a good challenge. We just want to finish the season strong.”
Sportsbook.com has Utah as three point favorites with a total of 198. The home team has won and covered the last seven regular season games between the Spurs and Jazz, including three by Utah. With San Antonio’s near flawless play of late, the Jazz with have to be sharp to improve on 19-6 ATS record versus good ball handling teams - committing 14 or less turnovers a game this season.
The Spurs are only 15-22 ATS in the road black uniforms and even worse 5-14 ATS when the line is +3 to -3 this season. This Western encounter can be seen on ESPN starting at 8 Eastern with Utah 10-2 OVER after two straight wins by 10 points or more this season.
StatFox Power Line – Utah by 3