Spurs vs Suns Pick and
Preview
San Antonio Spurs (29-14) at
Phoenix Suns (24-18) - Thursday, Jan. 29 - 10:30 p.m. Eastern -
TNT
When the San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns play
Thursday, one of the NBA's best defenses will try to stop one of the league's
best offenses.
San Antonio leads the Western Conference in scoring
defense at 93.7 points allowed per game. Phoenix, meanwhile, has the fourth-best
scoring offense in the West at 103.8 points per game. TNT will broadcast the
contrasting styles of the Spurs and Suns at 10:30 p.m. Eastern Thursday.
Season Results: San Antonio has played well in the
month of January, posting a 9-3 record. The Spurs did lose Sunday at the Los
Angeles Lakers, 99-85, breaking a four-game winning streak.
The Suns,
meanwhile, have continued their up and down results into January. Phoenix opened
the season strongly at 11-5, but the Suns split their next 12 games. Phoenix
finally reached a season-high nine games over .500 at 22-13 on Jan. 13, but the
Suns then lost five of their next six contests. Phoenix managed to snap a
three-game losing streak with a win at Atlanta, 104-99, on Sunday.
The
Spurs are 12-7 on the road this season, while Phoenix is 12-8 at home.
After the weekend, the Spurs lead the Southwest Division by 1 1/2 games
over New Orleans. Phoenix, meanwhile, is 10 1/2 games behind the Lakers in the
Pacific Division, and sits in seventh place in the Western Conference. San
Antonio has the second-best record in the West.
Point Spread
Records: San Antonio has lost six of its last eight games ATS, heading
into Tuesday's game at Utah. Phoenix, meanwhile, is a dismal 1-7-1 in its last
nine games ATS, heading into Monday's game at Washington. GET THE BEST LINES AT
DIAMOND SPORTSBOOK TO PLACE A
BET ON THE SPURS/SUNS GAME
Phoenix has
the worst ATS record in the NBA this season at 14-26-1. The Spurs rank 21st in
the league with an ATS record of 19-23-1.
Thursday's Spurs-Suns meeting
will be the third this season, as San Antonio and Phoenix have split their first
two games.
Phoenix won at San Antonio, 103-98, to open the season Oct.
29 in a game rated as pick 'em. Amare Stoudemire led a balanced Phoenix attack
with 22 points. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker each scored 32 points to lead the
Spurs.
The Spurs returned the favor on Christmas Day, as San Antonio won
at Phoenix, 91-90. The Spurs, led by Parker's 27 points and Duncan's 17
rebounds, were a 2.5-point underdog. Stoudemire led Phoenix with 25 points and
13 rebounds.
The Spurs and Suns will play a fourth time March 8 in San
Antonio.
Last season, San Antonio eliminated Phoenix, 4-games-to-1, in
the Western Conference quarterfinals. Including regular-season games, San
Antonio was 5-4 outright against Phoenix, but the Suns had the better ATS
record, going 5-3-1 against the Spurs. San Antonio was 2-2 outright and ATS in
games at Phoenix last season.
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