It’s the dawn of a new day for the San Antonio Spurs. After posting its worst record since the 1996-97 season, San Antonio was awarded the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, which the franchise used to select French phenom Victor Wembanyama.
The 7-foot-4 forward — who’s still just 19 years old — is perhaps the most hyped prospect to enter the NBA since LeBron James, and there may be reason to believe that he can lead the Spurs back to the postseason as soon as this year.
Let’s ride the Wemby wave and look at my favorite Spurs prop bets for the 2023-24 NBA season.
Spurs Odds 2024
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Spurs Prop Bets 2024
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Victor Wembanyama: NBA Rookie of the Year (-120)
Caesars Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 Unit
This is Wembanyama’s year, and the NBA knows it. The Spurs’ first game of the regular season is set to air on ESPN, and they’ll have 19 nationally televised games in total this season after getting just four in 2022-23.
Wembanyama dominated overseas in France last season, averaging 21.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.0 blocks, and 2.4 assists per game. He’s expected to have the green light for the Spurs this season as well, and considering his versatility, he should have every opportunity to stuff the stat sheet.
With how much spotlight is already on Wembanyama, it would take a monumental effort from another rookie to put him out of the running. He’s been the NBA ROTY odds leader since before he was even drafted, and as long as he impresses in Year 1, this will be his award to lose.
Lock in Wembanyama as the 2023-24 NBA Rookie of the Year and make this your NBA bet of the day.
Spurs: Over 28.5 Wins (-140)
Caesars Sportsbook • WAGER: 2 Units
The Western Conference has never been so competitive. We know how strong the top teams are, but even the bottom-feeders dramatically improved this offseason. That includes the Spurs, who quietly made some solid moves this summer beyond the addition of Wembanyama.
San Antonio brought in three reliable veterans in Reggie Bullock, Cameron Payne, and Cedi Osman, further strengthening a roster that already had some budding All-Star talent.
With all the hype surrounding Wembanyama, it’s easy to forget about Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell, two young, talented forwards who combined to average nearly 41 points per game in 2022-23. There’s also Tre Jones, who remains one of the league’s most underrated point guards.
I’m expecting the Spurs to exceed expectations this year, and that includes surpassing their projected win total of 28.5 games. Take the Over.
Spurs: Make Play-In Tournament (+750)
Caesars Sportsbook • WAGER: 0.25 Units
This is a bit of a stretch — hence the quarter-unit wager — but it’s a play on Wembanyama’s sky-high potential, and one I’m willing to put some money behind.
Gregg Popovich is a defensive mastermind, though you wouldn’t know that based on San Antonio’s league-worst scoring defense in 2022-23. However, by slowing the pace on offense and taking advantage of Wembanyama’s impressive length, the Spurs could quickly turn things around on that end of the floor.
Under the direction of arguably the greatest coach in league history (and a potential Coach of the Year candidate, per the latest NBA COTY odds), Wembanyama can become a game-changer and fast-track San Antonio’s return to the postseason. Popovich did it with Tim Duncan in 1997-98, so perhaps we could be in for a repeat performance.
If nothing else, all the Spurs would need to do to qualify for the Play-In Tournament is secure the No. 10 seed or better, which may not be that tall of a task.
Spurs Betting in Texas
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How to Bet on Spurs Games 2024
How to Bet Spurs Moneylines
Moneylines are the most straightforward type of sports bet you can place, but it isn’t always the most profitable. To win a moneyline bet, you need to correctly pick the winner of a game.
Given that the Spurs went just 22-60 in 2022-23, betting on their moneyline before every game wouldn’t have been a sound strategy. The wins would’ve delivered a sizable profit given that San Antonio was almost always a heavy underdog, but the vast number of losses would have outweighed any potential gain.
When betting moneylines, it’s best to strike a balance between favorites and underdogs. Betting the favorite every night won’t win you much money, but underdogs don’t win nearly as often.
- 2022-23 Spurs Moneyline Record: 22-60
How to Bet Spurs Spreads
Spread betting is an excellent alternative to betting moneylines, especially if you aren’t feeling as confident in the outcome. For example, if you’re unsure if the Spurs will win a game but trust that they’ll keep things close, a spread bet would be the perfect compromise.
With these types of bets, you’re wagering on the point spread, which is essentially a predetermined margin of victory for a given game. To cover the spread, a team would either have to win by more or lose by less than that margin, depending on whether they were the favorite or underdog.
For example, if the Spurs are facing off with the Dallas Mavericks, they might be a 6.5-point underdog. In this case, San Antonio would either need to win outright or lose by less than 6.5 points to cover the spread, while the Mavericks would have to win by more than 6.5 points.
- 2022-23 Spurs Against the Spread Record: 33-49
How to Bet Spurs Over/Unders
Over/Unders are another popular bet type, and they’re less complicated than spreads. In order to win an Over/Under wager, you need to choose whether the total combined points scored in a game will be higher (Over) or lower (Under) than the projected amount.
In that same game between the Spurs and Mavericks, the total might be set at 238.5 points. In this example, the Over would hit if more than 238.5 points are scored, while the Under would hit if the final tally falls below that mark.
San Antonio was the most Over-heavy team in the NBA last season, largely because of the fact that it played at the fastest pace and allowed the most points per game.
- 2022-23 Spurs Over/Under Record: 47-33-2
