Although he won't like it, all eyes will be on Gregg Popovich as his San Antonio Spurs take the court to face the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday evening.
"You guys know Pop," said Jakob Poeltl after the Spurs' win over the Lakers on Monday. "I don’t think he really cares about stuff like that. Didn’t even really get mentioned. I doubt it will get mentioned when we get the next win. It’s just how he is. It’s really impressive, though."
There's no doubt Coach Popovich just wants to get win number 1,336, the one that will make him the all-time winningest head coach in NBA regular season history, over with quickly. After all, this season has been about developing his players perhaps more than any of the 26 seasons he's been at the helm.
Fresh off a 117-110 victory over the freefalling Lakers, the Spurs will have six straight games at home to get Popovich over the hump, beginning with the slumping Raptors on Wednesday.
Toronto is coming off it's third straight loss, falling 104-96 to Cleveland on Sunday. They've failed to eclipse 100 points in their last two outings.
Toronto has won the last two meetings between these teams and blew out the Spurs on January 4th, 129-104.
San Antonio Spurs vs Toronto Raptors Odds, Spread, Over/Under & Betting Pick
The latest odds from WynnBet have the Spurs as 2.5 point underdogs against the Raptors.
Moneyline
Toronto Raptors: -1410
San Antonio Spurs: +115
The over/under for the matchup is 230. The Spurs are averaging 112.8 points per game while the Raptors are averaging 108.3.
San Antonio Spurs vs. Raptors Prediction
With an unusual amount of national attention likely to surround this game given the coaching record at stake, there's no telling how this young squad will come out. The Spurs haven't had the most comfortable stretch in recent weeks, fluctuating from taking big leads and dropping them to collapsing down final stretches.
Dejounte Murray and Jakob Poeltl will likely be steady as usual in this one, but the Spurs will need a third guy to step up against a well-balanced Raptors team. San Antonio will need some decent minutes from their bigger guys like Zach Collins and potentially Jock Landale to slow down Toronto's various 6-foot-9 talents.
Opponent Role Player to Watch: Gary Trent Jr is hitting career-bests across several categories this season and poured in 21 points the last time these teams met. The Spurs can't let him go off in addition to the 20+ we can already pencil in for Pascal Siakam.
The Spurs don't really match up well with the length and athleticism the Raptors offer, but since I previously predicted they'd win five straight on this homestand, I have to keep to my bold bet here.
Spurs 107, Raptors 104
What channel is the San Antonio Spurs game on?
The game will air on Bally Sports Southwest. Tip off is set for 8:30 pm ET.
For a live stream of the game, check out FuboTV for a free trial!
San Antonio Spurs Next Games and Schedule
The Spurs forge ahead with their homestand, hosting two current playoff teams in their next three games.
Mar. 11 vs Utah
Mar. 12 vs Indiana
Mar. 14 vs Minnesota