The San Antonio Spurs haven’t quite played 41 games, but a number of teams have already eclipsed the mark, signaling the halfway mark of the regular season. After a strong start in October, the Spurs (12-26) have struggled over the last two months, battling through injuries and growing pains. Sitting near the bottom of the Western Conference, they are 3-7 over their last 10 and on a three-game losing streak. The team returns home to the AT&T Center on Friday coming off an 0-2 trip to New York. They’ll host the Detroit Pistons (11-30) who are also 3-7 in their last 10 games but are coming off a thrilling win over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday.
Watch the Spurs vs Pistons Game
- When: Friday, January 6, 2023
- Start Time: 7 p.m. CT
- Location: AT&T Center – San Antonio, Texas
- Spurs TV Channel: Bally Sports Southwest – San Antonio
- Spurs Radio Broadcast: 1200 WOAI AM (English) / 1350 AM KXTN (Spanish)
Game Odds
- Moneyline: Spurs (-115) | Pistons (-105)
- Over/Under: 236 (-110)
- Spread: Spurs -1.5 (-110)
Spurs vs Pistons Injury Report
San Antonio’s injury report against the Pistons has Josh Richardson (quad) and Keita Bates-Diop (illness) potentially in play. They are listed as “questionable” and “probable” respectively. Devin Vassell will undergo an arthroscopic knee procedure on his left knee next week and is out indefinitely. The third-year guard’s availability had been in limbo most of last month as he dealt with knee soreness.
After losing Cade Cunningham for the year earlier this season with a tibial stress fracture, Detroit’s hopes for a successful season all but vanished. They were 3-9 after his last game on November 9th and are once again near the bottom of the NBA. For Friday’s game against the Spurs, they’ll also be without Marvin Bagley III (hand) and Isaiah Livers (shoulder), severely impacting their depth at forward. Bagley fractured a pair of metacarpals in his right hand on Monday.
Spurs vs Pistons Preview
While the Spurs haven’t played since Wednesday night’s loss disappointing 117-114 loss to the New York Knicks, the front office has still been busy. On Thursday, the team released three updates to the roster: the trade for and release of Noah Vonleh, Gorgui Dieng’s release, and Vassell’s sidelining. Paul Garcia of Project Spurs did a two-minute breakdown of the Vonleh/Dieng news and what it means, which you can find on the Project Spurs YouTube channel. The update that has the attention of most who follow the team, however, is the one on Vassell. San Antonio will need someone else to step up and consistently support on the offensive end behind Keldon Johnson. Without Vassell, the drop-off is steep from Johnson’s 21.6 points per game to Tre Jones at 12.8 points per game.
The Spurs are favored by 2 tonight against the Pistons.
By my game-by-game tracking sheet this season, this is just the 3rd time the Spurs have been favorites in a game.
— Paul Garcia (@PaulGarciaNBA) January 6, 2023
Like the Spurs, Detroit has an intriguing combination of young talent and veteran leadership. Bojan Bogdanovic has shouldered the offensive load this season, averaging 21 points a night. He had 29 in the win over the Warriors, hitting five of his six attempts from three-point range. A 42 percent shooter from beyond the arc on the year, Bogdanovic could really go off against the Spurs. Opponents are shooting 39 percent against San Antonio from deep, the worst clip for a defense in the NBA. Down low, Jalen Duren looks to be a handful as the 6’11” rookie is averaging more than eight rebounds and almost a block per game.
