Raptors vs Spurs Lines Betting NBA Popovich Can Set Wins Record

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich could set the NBA all-time record for wins Wednesday night if San Antonio can beat visiting Toronto. The NBA odds will be determined by a few injuries, but the Raptors likely will be short favorites.

How to Bet Toronto at San Antonio NBA Odds & TV Info

When: Wednesday, 8:30 PM ET
Where: AT&T Center
TV: NBA League Pass
Stream: NBA.com, NBA TV app
Radio: Tunein.com
NBA Odds: TBA (Raptors likely favored)

Season Series

On Jan. 4, the Raptors routed the visiting Spurs 129-104. Fred VanVleet scored 33 points and Pascal Siakam had 18 points and 12 rebounds. VanVleet shot 12 for 23 and matched his season highs with seven made 3 -pointers and 14 attempts from distance. He also had seven assists. Toronto set a season high with 30 assists and shot 18 for 44 from outside the arc, matching its season best for made 3-pointers. Former Raptor Jakob Poeltl scored 19 points and Devin Vassell and rookie Josh Primo each had 15 for San Antonio. The Spurs still lead the all-time series 35-16 and are 20-5 at home.

Why Bet on Toronto?

The Raptors lost their third straight game Sunday, 104-96 in Cleveland. Toronto opened a six-game road trip without All-Star guard Fred VanVleet (knee soreness), forward OG Anunoby (fractured finger) and backup point guard Malachi Flynn (hamstring).

Rookie Scottie Barnes double-doubled across 42 minutes in a start at point guard, finishing with 19 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and three steals. He didn’t have a single turnover. Gary Trent Jr. scored 19 points on 7-of-19 shooting. He has been in a rough shooting rut over the past six games, converting just 27.5% of his shot attempts.

Anunoby is out at least another week with his finger injury and Flynn will be out at least 10 days due to his left hamstring strain before being re-evaluated by the Raptors. The injury comes at a tough time for the second-year player, who had averaged 16.0 points, 5.5 assists, 4.0 rebounds, 2.8 three-pointers and 1.0 steals in 35.8 minutes per game while starting at point guard in his last four appearances in place of VanVleet. FVV has missed five straight games but is on track to make his return Wednesday after practicing Tuesday.

VanVleet is averaging career highs of 21.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 6.9 assists, in 52 games this season, and ranks third in the NBA in three-pointers made (208) – behind only Stephen Curry (269) and Buddy Hield (213) – despite missing 12 games.

Siakam is averaging 21.5 points, and career bests of 8.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists, in 51 games this season. Siakam is one of just eight players in the NBA averaging 20.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists, along with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, James Harden, LeBron James, Nikola Jokic, Dejounte Murray and Julius Randle. No Raptor has averaged 20-8-5 over the course of an entire season.

In the three-game skid, Toronto is averaging 99.7 points and shooting .407 (110-270) from the field, including .287 (25-87) from beyond the arc, over the last three. Opponents are averaging 105.0 points, shooting .428 (113-264) from the floor and 30 percent (33-110) from three-point distance, during this stretch.

Why Bet on San Antonio?

The Spurs are fighting for a spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament and beat a Laker team missing LeBron James on Monday, 117-110, to end a four-game skid.

Dejounte Murray posted 26 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and three steals. He just missed a 13^th triple-double; Murray’s 12 are second in the NBA. The Spurs average 28.2 assists per game, for the most assists in the NBA.

Keldon Johnson accounted for 13 points, six rebounds and two assists. Over the past month, he’s averaging 19.1 points and 5.3 rebounds. Josh Richardson finished with 18 points and five rebounds. J-Rich made his first start of the season, filling in for the injured Devin Vassell (groin). The points and minutes were his most in a Spurs uniform after totaling 13 points across 53 minutes in his first four contests with San Antonio. Lonnie Walker (illness) also sat Monday. Consider both questionable for this one.

The victory tied Spurs coach Gregg Popovich with Hall of Famer Don Nelson for the most coaching wins in NBA history at 1,335. In 1996, Popovich, then serving as San Antonio’s general manager, fired Bob Hill and inserted himself as his team’s head coach. That proved to be one of the best moves he ever made. The Spurs have since become one of the winningest teams in NBA history under Popovich’s watchful eye. Popovich has already won NBA championships and a gold medal while leading Team USA at the Olympics. He is a lock to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

Poeltl said Popovich’s record is something that is not being talked about in the locker room. Poeltl was drafted by the Raptors, in 2016, with the ninth overall pick. Poeltl contributed 5.4 points and 4.1 rebounds per game in his two seasons in Toronto.

“You guys know Pop,” Poeltl said. “I don’t think he really cares about stuff like that. It didn’t even really get mentioned. I doubt it will get mentioned when we get the next win. It’s just how he is.”

The Spurs have their youngest roster ever since Popovich became coach in 1996, with an average age of 25.0. The roster this season includes eight players under the age of 25 and 13-of-17 players under the age of 27.