The Celtics and Spurs have faced each other once this season heading into Thursday’s showdown at the AT&T Center. In Boston on Jan. 5, the home team prevailed 105-103 and just barely failed to cover the 2.5-point spread.
Boston (51-22, 33-38-2 ATS) shot 61.7 percent from the floor in that contest to San Antonio’s 45.3, but the Spurs made it competitive by making 16 of 17 free throws compared to their opponent’s 8-for-15 effort. The Celtics got huge performances from Ray Allen (31 points on 13-of-16 shooting) and Glen Davis (23 points) while six Spurs scored in double figures.
INSULT TO INJURY OR VICE VERSA
The Spurs (57-17, 41-31-2 ATS) still own the top spot in the Western Conference, but to say they have fallen upon hard times would be an understatement. They have lost four in a row (2-2 ATS) and based on the injury report, it could be a while before the team snaps out of it.
Tim Duncan missed all four of those losses with a bad ankle sprain and he is listed as doubtful for Thursday’s showdown. Manu Ginobili (quadriceps) is also doubtful. Tony Parker (knee) and Antonio McDyess (back) are expected to suit up. Parker and McDyess reportedly could have played in Monday’s loss to Portland, but coach Gregg Popovich wanted to rest them for the stretch run.
However, all is not lost for San Antionio. In the midst of the myriad absences, Tiago Splitter and George Hill are seeing increased minutes and clear improvement. Splitter is averaging 9.2 points and 8.4 rebounds in his last five outings and Hill has scored a combined 57 points over his past two games.
“I’m getting more confident and feeling like I’m part of the team,” Splitter told the San Antonio Express-News. “Even though I watched a lot of NBA games before I got here, it’s not the same as when you can get on the court and see them work.”
TRENDING TOPICS
The Celtics are 1-5 ATS in their last six against the Western Conference and 0-4 ATS in their last four overall.
The Spurs are 2-5 ATS in their last seven against the Eastern Conference and 1-5 ATS in their last six home games.
The under is 7-1 in Boston’s last eight road games and 10-1 in its last 11 overall. However, the over is 4-1 in San Antonio’s last five road games and 4-0 in its last four overall.
Head-to-head, the underdog is 9-0 ATS in the last nine meetings and the road team is 6-0 ATS in the last six encounters. Boston is 4-0 ATS in its last four forays to the AT&T Center.
================================================================
It will be a battle for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference when the Mavericks and Lakers square off for the third and final time during this regular season. If San Antonio falls to Boston earlier in the night on Thursday, either Dallas (4.5 games back) or Los Angeles (3.5 games back) will inch slightly closer toward making things interesting for the top spot.
The two teams split their previous two meetings, both of which were hosted by Dallas. The Mavericks prevailed 109-100 on Jan. 19 behind 22 points apiece from Jason Terry and Shawn Marion. They turned the ball over just six times and Jason Kidd went for 21 points and 10 rebounds. The Lakers got revenge with a 96-91 victory earlier this month on March 12. Andrew Bynum contributed 22 points and 15 rebounds as the visitors turned up the notch on defense, holding Dallas to 4-for-16 shooting from downtown.
WHO'S ON FIRST?
Despite San Antonio’s recent doldrums, the Lakers (53-20, 35-37-1 ATS) are not focusing on the No. 1 seed.
“It’s still a real longshot for that,” head coach Phil Jackson told NBA.com. “They only have to win a couple of games here and we have to go perfect. So it’s real difficult to see that. But we still play it out. It’s still what we do.... Without a doubt, you would always want to go for that. But right now our sights are Dallas and Thursday night’s game.”
You would think their sights would be set on the top spot, though, because the Lakers are even hotter than the Spurs are cold. They have won seven straight (3-4 ATS) and 15 of their last 16 (10-6 ATS) following Sunday's 102-84 rout of New Orleans and a big reason why is Lamar Odom.
Making a case for Sixth Man of the Year, Odom has two double-doubles in his last four outings (16 and 11 against Portland on March 20, 29 and 16 on March 22 against Phoenix).
"At first, it was hard for me," Odom told the Los Angeles Times about having to come off the bench. "From a business standpoint, the year Phil wanted me to come off the bench was my free-agent year. You know how that goes. When you're a free agent, you want to start and play as many minutes as you can. But it was the right decision."
The Mavericks (52-21, 39-32-2 ATS), meanwhile, are playing in the Staples Center on consecutive nights. They are coming off a Wednesday night date with the Clippers and they are 7-1 ATS in the second of back-to-games in their last eight such contests.
TRENDING TOPICS
The Lakers are 1-4 ATS in their last five home games and 1-4 ATS in their last five overall.
The under is 5-0 in the Mavericks’ last five against the Western Conference and 5-0 in their last five overall.
Head-to-head, Dallas is 6-1 ATS in their last seven trips to the Staples Center.
