NBA Weekend Betting Preview: Duncan can Spur San Antonio to more west success

Basketball / Nick Shiambouros / 16 January 2009 / Leave a Comment

Nick Shiambouros has been seriously impressed by Tim Duncan's Spurs and will back them accordingly this weekend. Read his other NBA bets here.

The San Antonio Spurs beat the Los Angeles Lakers 112-111 in one of the most exciting games of the season late on Wednesday night.

The Spurs looked to have the game under control deep in to the fourth quarter holding a nine point lead but the Lakers staged a spirited comeback. With only 12 seconds left in the game Kobe Bryant nailed a three pointer to put LA two ahead, but the Spurs had other ideas. Roger Mason made a long range jump shot and was fouled in the process with 10 seconds left and the Spurs held on.

This victory was well deserved by San Antonio and they are in second place in the Western Conference. As previously reported, a healthy San Antonio team can match any team in the league.

Over in the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics thrashed the New Jersey Nets 118-86 to make it three wins in a row on Wednesday and hopefully they can continue to get over their slump.

Unfortunately for Boston both Cleveland and Orlando also won and these three teams are 7.5 games ahead of the rest, but as mentioned previously the Celtics have a easier schedule over the next few games.

The game of the week is certainly in LA, where the Lakers host Orlando in a mouthwatering affair on Friday night. My money will be on Orlando to upset the Lakers and I will be backing them with the handicap.

The Lakers have had a couple of really hard games this week and have a few injury problems. Sasha Vujacic is injured with a back problem and is unlikely to line up on Friday. This means that the starting rotation gets less rest and I think the Lakers could be vulnerable.

Orlando are on fire at the moment and Dwight Howard and company have already beaten LA at home this season. The Magic have won eight out of the last ten games and are a team that is starting to believe in themselves. Even Jeff Van Gundy, the brother of Magic coach Stan, admits he may have underestimated Orlando.

Van Gundy is currently a commentator for ESPN, but he has coached New York and Houston in the past. I must say his announcing skills along with his humour make watching the games very entertaining indeed.

On Saturday night Tim Duncan and the Spurs travel to Chicago in an important game for both but particularly so for the Bulls. Chicago are just about in touch for a play-off spot in the Eastern Conference but my money will be on San Antonio.

The Spurs are firing on all cylinders and point guard Tony Parker is healthy again. San Antonio are a relatively small team in size but they are very fast in transition and are shooting the ball very well. Looking ahead to the play-offs it would come as no surprise if they made a signing to help out Duncan.

The Bulls come in to this game in poor form but rookie sensation Derrick Rose has really made a positive impact for this team. Chicago still have a chance to grab a play-off spot but this is a very young team that is very much in rebuilding mode at present.

San Antonio will want to keep the pressure on the Lakers in the Western Conference and I am expecting a big effort from this experienced team.

Recommended wagers:

Saturday, San Antonio, back with advertised handicap