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Texas basketball, in Austin. The Spurs host Houston at Moody Center, and Victor Wembanyama gets Kevin Durant, who just dropped 30 on Dallas. San Antonio is laying five and a half. I’ll take the Rockets and the points.
The Matchup
- Houston looked great. The Rockets beat Dallas 128-110 on Wednesday. Durant scored 30, Alperen Sengun had 23 and 10, and Amen Thompson added 16 and 10.
- San Antonio is 0-1. The Spurs lost 116-104 to OKC on opening night. Stephon Castle scored 24, Dylan Harper had 18, and Wemby had 12 and 13 boards.
- Last season. San Antonio went 62-20 and outscored teams by 8.3 a game. Houston went 52-30 at plus 5.2.
- Tip-off. 9:30 PM ET at Moody Center in Austin, on Prime Video.
Injuries
San Antonio’s De’Aaron Fox (wrist) and Keldon Johnson are questionable, and Tobias Harris is out. Houston’s Steven Adams (calf) and Reed Sheppard (knee) are questionable.
The Number
Last season’s margins plus home court make San Antonio about a five-point favorite. The board says five and a half, so there’s half a point of daylight on Houston, and De’Aaron Fox is questionable.
The honest case against: San Antonio was the better team last season by a lot, and Wemby can take a game over by himself. It’s a Game Pick, a lean, and like every pick we post, it lands on the receipts page win or lose.
Bottom Line
Take the Rockets plus five and a half at . Lean. Durant’s hot and five and a half is a lot. Clutch City.
Lines as posted Friday at 10:26 AM ET, after the Friday injury check. Confirm them before tip.
Same-Game Parlay
One read in two legs. If Houston keeps it close, Durant is probably doing what he did Wednesday. Every leg needs the same game, so this is one position, not two bets.
The angleKD scores and Houston stays within five and a half.
Build it at FanDuel →FanDuel prices same-game parlays in its own builder, so there is no price here. Build the legs there and check the number before you place it.
Price: check your sportsbook for SGP pricing. Lines as posted Friday at 10:27 AM ET; confirm them before you build the ticket. This parlay is a Game Pick. Player props not available in all states.
Best Props for This Game
Bets beyond the spread, from either side. With one game played, the trends lean on last season. These are Game Pick props, separate bets from our pick, so keep them small.
He scored 30 in the opener and averaged 26 last season.
- TrendOver 23.5 in 50 of 78 games last season, and 8 of his last 10
- MatchupHe scored 24, 18, 24 and 23 against San Antonio last season
He’s a big part of Houston’s offense now.
- TrendOver 15.5 in 54 of 79 games last season; 16 on Wednesday
- MatchupHe scored 25 and 23 in his last two games against San Antonio
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