How to Bet the Spurs After Dejounte Murray's ACL Injury

Mark Strotman

October 9th, 2018

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Quick Tips:

• Bet the Spurs under 44.5 wins at +105 with 888Sport.
• Bet the Spurs to make the playoffs at -182 with 888Sport.

The offseason of turnover and change in San Antonio continued this week when the Spurs announced Monday that starting point guard Dejounte Murray had suffered a torn ACL.

The injury will keep the promising third-year player out for the entire season. The injury comes on the heels of the Spurs moving on this summer from veteran point guard Tony Parker, who signed with the Charlotte Hornets.

Murray was expected to play a significant role for the changing Spurs. He averaged 8.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists last season but was much better after the All-Star break. He held his own as the starting point guard in a five-game playoff series against the Golden State Warriors and was primed for a breakout campaign in 2018-19.

What It Means for the Spurs

It leaves the Spurs woefully thin at the position, especially considering first-round pick Lonnie Walker IV is out 6-8 weeks recovering from a torn right meniscus. Gregg Popovich & Co. will rely on veteran Patty Mills, although the score-first guard is better suited off the bench, and second-year guard Derrick White.

White showed promise in the Salt Lake City and Las Vegas Summer Leagues, averaging 18.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 25.2 minutes. He’s 24 years old but has just 17 games of NBA experience under his belt.

The Spurs could sign or trade for a veteran point guard, but for now it will be Mills and White surrounded by the likes of DeMar DeRozan, LaMarcus Aldridge and Rudy Gay.

What It Means for Bettors

Last month we projected the Spurs to win 45 games , which would have been just over the 44.5 games they’re sitting at on 888Sport. Surprisingly that number has yet to change. Murray isn’t in the same tier as a Stephen Curry or James Harden as far as point guards are concerned, but this is still a significant blow.

Especially in the early going this could cost San Antonio some games while they acclimate to life without their starter. Their first five games are against playoff teams from a year ago (Minnesota, Portland, Indiana) and LeBron James (the Lakers twice).

By season’s end, a slow start could see them on the other side of that 44.5 win total. NBA betting fans can still get good value on the Spurs going under that total and bet them to go under 44.5 at +105 with 888Sport.

As far as the playoffs are concerned, bet against Gregg Popovich at your own risk – and the unchanging odds at the top basketball bookmakers reflect that. San Antonio has still made the postseason each of the last 21 seasons. If they were able to do so last season with the Kawhi Leonard drama, they can do it again.

DeRozan will be playing with a chip on his shoulder after the Raptors unceremoniously traded him over the summer. Aldridge had a rejuvenated season as the go-to scorer and they signed Gay and Marco Belinelli.

They’ll compete for a playoff spot, but the win total won’t be what it was pre-Murray injury. We still like them to make the postseason, which you can bet at -182 with 888Sport.