NBA Picks 2/3 – Cleveland Cavaliers @ San Antonio Spurs

NBA Picks 2/3 – Cleveland Cavaliers @ San Antonio Spurs

by Thomas Quaynor for Wannamakeabet.com

The Cleveland Cavaliers (30-16) visit the San Antonio Spurs (10-39) tonight at Frost Bank Center. Cleveland is a 10-point favorite and the total is 229. Today’s game is the second and final matchup between these two teams, Cleveland held off visiting San Antonio 117-115 back on January 7. Cleveland center Jarrett Allen had a huge game with 29 points, 16 rebounds and a block, while San Antonio rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks in 25 minutes. Cleveland is coming off a 108-101 win at Memphis on Thursday night and enters tonight’s game red hot as they’ve won four in a row and 12 of their last 13 games. San Antonio lost 114-113 at home to the New Orleans as Zion Williamson hit the winning layup over three Spurs defenders with 3.8 seconds left in the game. Tonight concludes a six-game homestand for San Antonio, they’ve gone 2-3 through the first five games.   

GAME STORYLINES: CLEVELAND

When LeBron James departed from the Cleveland Cavaliers franchise for a second time following the 2017-2018 season, it was expected that the franchise would suffer through a long period of lousy seasons as it did when LeBron left after the 2009-2010 season. Cleveland posted records of 19-63, 19-46, and 22-50 in the three seasons post-LeBron James. They finished a surprising 44-38 in 2021-2022 which led to an 8th place finish but the season ended in a whimper after 2 straight losses to Brooklyn and Atlanta in the play-in round prevented them from advancing to the actual playoffs. 

On September 3, 2022 the Cleveland Cavaliers stunned the NBA when they acquired three-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz. Many expected Mitchell to end up in a bigger market such as New York or Los Angeles but Cleveland swooped in made the deal. Mitchell did not disappoint in his first year as a Cavalier finishing with careers highs of 28.3 points per game and 48.4 percent shooting from the floor, he also added 4.4 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals. He led the Cavs to a 51-31 record, which was their most wins since the 2016-2017 season when the LeBron-led Cavs team won 52 games and made it to the NBA Finals. Mitchell has been just as good again this season, he’s averaging 28.1 points per game and posting career-highs of 5.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.9 steals across 37 games. Mitchell was just named to the All-Star team for a sixth straight season. 

Center Jarrett Allen (15.2 ppg, 10.5 rebs, 1.1 blks), super-sub swingman Caris LeVert (15.4 pts, 4.1 asts, 3.4 rebs, 1.1 stls) and guard Max Strus (12.6 pts, 5.1 rebs, 3.7 asts) have been unsung, key contributors this season and allowed the Cavs to remain one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference despite bad injuries to star players Darius Garland and Evan Mobley. Garland (20.1 pts, 5.1 asts 1.6 stls) missed 19 games after fracturing his jaw at Boston on December 14, he returned on January 31 and has been on a minutes restriction. Mobley (15.4 pts, 10.1 rebs, 1.5 blks) also returned on January 31 after missing 22 games due to a knee injury. If Garland and Mobley can return to their pre-injury form, the Cavs could challenge Milwaukee and Boston for the top spot in the Eastern Conference, they currently sit in fourth place at 30-16. 

GAME STORYLINES: SAN ANTONIO

Last season, all 13 teams in the lottery spent the entire year losing games intentionally in an effort to land Victor Wembanyama, who was considered the best draft prospect since LeBron James 20 years earlier and one of the most hyped draft prospects in NBA history. The San Antonio Spurs ended up winning the draft lottery in May and selected Wembanyama with the No. 1 overall pick in June. It was the third time in franchise history that the Spurs had the No. 1 overall pick, David Robinson (1987) and Tim Duncan (1997) were the other 2 picks, and both players are Hall-of-Famers who led San Antonio to multiple NBA titles. 

Wembanyama has more than lived up to the hype as a rookie on the court. He’s averaging 20.6 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.2 blocks, 3.1 assists, and 1.1 steals across 42 games. He became the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double when he put up 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 130-108 win at Detroit on January 10. He’s also the youngest player in NBA history to post a 20-20 game when he amassed 21 points and 20 rebounds in a loss to Chicago on December 8. Wembanyama can literally do everything on the court and could be an MVP-caliber player as soon as next season if the Spurs can achieve a winning record. The only “knock” on Wembanyama is the losses, San Antonio has the third worst record in the NBA at 10-39 despite the tremendous play of Wembanyama.

San Antonio has some talented young players surrounding Wembanyama in 23-year-old shooting guard Devin Vassell (18.4 pts, 3.6 rebs, 3.6 asts, 1.1 stls), 24-year-old small forward Keldon Johnson (16.7 pts, 5.9 rebs, 3.3 asts) and 20-year-old rugged, second-year power forward Jeremy Sochan (11.7 pts, 5.9 rebs, 3.8 asts). The versatile Johnson averaged a career-high 22 points per game last season but has seen his production dip due to Wembanyama’s arrival. Vassell and Sochan are former lottery picks who are putting up similar production to what they did last year. I’d expect all three players to be key contributors in a starting role or off the bench when San Antonio eventually becomes a championship contender with Wembanyama.

THE PICK

San Antonio has played well at home during this homestand, I think they’ll keep this one close…Take San Antonio and the points!!