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It will be a showdown between NBA powerhouses and extremely familiar foes when the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs meet again on Tuesday night, this time in San Antonio. They just faced each other in the NBA Cup semifinals on December 13 in Las Vegas and they will also go head-to-head on Christmas Day in Oklahoma City.
Let’s dive into my Thunder vs. Spurs predictions.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs odds
Money line: Thunder -295 / Spurs +235
Spread: Thunder -7 (-114) / Spurs +7 (-106)
Total: Over 234.5 (-110) / Under 234.5 (-110)
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs best bet #1: Spurs +7 (-106)
The Thunder are playing the second leg of a back-to-back situation after hosting the Jazz on Monday. That — along with their home-and-home series against San Antonio on Tuesday and Thursday — means Oklahoma City is playing three games in four days. It would be no surprise if the defending NBA champions do not go all out or even rest some guys on Tuesday in San Antonio. Although this is a massive matchup between Western Conference juggernauts, it is OKC’s second game in less than 24 hours and head coach Mark Daigneault’s squad would probably rather beat the Spurs in front of its home fans on Christmas than in San Antonio on Tuesday. Although winning both is obviously possible, Thursday is a better situational spot for the Thunder. Tuesday also marks a rematch of the Thunder’s recent 111-109 victory in the NBA Cup semis. What’s especially impressive is that San Antonio pulled off the upset even though it was Victor Wembanyama’s first game in a month and he logged only 21 minutes.
Wembanyama continues to ease his way back following a calf injury that sidelined him for 12 games. He is listed as day-to-day, but you have to think the 7’4” Frenchman will suit up for this big of a game. Moreover, Wembanyama played just 60 total minutes in three contests since the NBA Cup final — and his team was off on Monday. He has every reason to play and play well in this showdown. The Spurs just knocked off the Thunder at a neutral site when Wembanyama was rusty and OKC was well rested. In what is now a better situation for the underdogs, asking them to merely stay within seven points should not be too much.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs best player prop bet: Stephon Castle Over 5.5 assists (-130)
There is no need to overthink this one. Castle is averaging 7.2 assists per game this season and his totals in the past four games are 12, seven, seven, and 11. Not only is the UConn product a great distributor, but he also has a ton of weapons around him who can fill it up. Eight players (Castle included) on San Antonio’s roster are scoring in double-figures.
The Spurs are facing a Thunder squad that is giving up assists on 64.1 percent of opponents’ made baskets (13th highest mark in the NBA). OKC could be playing on tired legs, too, which would make San Antonio more inclined to push the pace — thus increasing the number of overall possessions and giving everyone an opportunity to fill up the stat sheet.