Nets vs Spurs Picks and Predictions: Uncle Drew Schools San Antonio

The Brooklyn Nets have lost each of their last two games since Kevin Durant sprained his MCL, and now they’ll embark on a five-game road trip. It begins on Tuesday night with a stop at the AT&T Center to face the San Antonio Spurs — losers of five in a row, and eight of their last nine overall. 

Can Kyrie Irving & Co. return to form in this spot? Find out in our free NBA picks and predictions for Nets vs. Spurs on Tuesday, January 17.

Nets vs Spurs best odds

Nets vs Spurs picks and predictions

The results have been somewhat lacking for Kyrie Irving since Kevin Durant went down, but the Spurs are an opponent against whom “Uncle Drew” can do some major damage. 

Irving gathered 24 points, six assists, and two rebounds against the Boston Celtics on Thursday, and they’re 11th in the NBA in points allowed per game (112.3). He then struggled to get going against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday, as he was limited to 15 points (albeit with six assists and six rebounds) on 7 of 20 shooting, including a 1-for-7 mark from 3-point range. The Thunder are sixth in basketball in opponent field goal percentage (46.4%). 

The Spurs do not excel in either keeping down opponent scoring or frustrating their shooters. San Antonio is allowing an NBA-high 121.7 points per game, and a league-worst 50.7% shooting percentage. 

Gregg Popovich’s crew is second in the league in steals per game (8.2), but Irving is as careful as they come, as he’s averaged only 2.3 turnovers per game. The Spurs are also allowing a 1.84 assist-turnover ratio, 22nd in the NBA, so Kyrie stands a good chance of either reaching or surpassing the six-assist plateau, which he’s done in five straight tilts. 

Irving didn’t register a single assist when these teams last met on Jan. 2, but he probably didn’t feel the need to pass the rock, as he shot 78.6% from the floor that night (11-for-14, 4-for-5 from downtown) en route to a 27-point effort. He’s actually been a better shooter on the road this year, averaging 27.9 points per game on 50.9% shooting, compared to 23.8 points per game on 45.6% shooting at the Barclays Center.

Irving is averaging 5.5 rebounds per game since the start of December, a span of 17 games, and only five of those contests saw him grab fewer than five boards. The Over on his PRA prop would be playable up to 43.5.

My best bet: Kyrie Irving  Over 40.5 points + rebounds + assists (-120)

Nets vs Spurs spread analysis

Oddsmakers are dangling a tempting line on the Nets to grab their first win and cover without Durant on Tuesday night.

Brooklyn is slightly worse in terms of point differential on the road at +1.6 compared to its home figure of +3.3, but its record hasn’t suffered much. In fact, the Nets are 14-8 SU as the visitors and 11-10-1 ATS, compared to 13-7 SU in their own building and 8-11-1 ATS. 

It’s difficult to side against a team that shoots the ball as well as Brooklyn does (50.8%, second in the NBA), especially considering the Spurs are so poor at preventing opponents from getting comfortable. 

Not to be overlooked is the fact that San Antonio is 1-6 SU since second-leading scorer Devin Vassell (19.4 points per game) went down with a knee injury. They covered the spread in five of those seven tilts, but bookmakers were offering double-digit opportunities in four of those games. Underdog players should have no such luck here barring some drastic line moves in the afternoon or early evening. 

Nets vs Spurs Over/Under analysis

An unstoppable force meets an immovable object when it comes to these teams’ total trends. The Under has cashed in five straight Nets games, as well as each of their last five road affairs. The Spurs have exceeded the total five straight times, going 17-2 to the Over in their last 19 games. 

There haven’t even been many close calls in this area, with the Nets going south of the number by double-digits four straight times, and the Spurs exceeding it by at least 10 points in two of their last three. The line of 232.5 hanging at most books as of this writing would be the lowest for a contest involving San Antonio in a seven-game span, and the highest for Brooklyn in a four-game stretch.

There’s a decent argument to be made for either side, but the Over might just win out here. The Spurs’ defense is too full of holes to trust on an Under wager. And even without Vassell, San Antonio is averaging 117.8 points per game over its last seven affairs, while Keldon Johnson has registered at least 20 points in six of his last eight contests. Nets vs Spurs betting trend to know

Nets vs Spurs betting trend to know

The Over is 6-1 in the last seven meetings between the Nets and Spurs.  Find more NBA betting trends for Nets vs. Spurs.

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