In what was the final game of their annual “Rodeo Road Trip,” the Spurs ended a 16-game losing streak on Tuesday by beating the shorthanded Jazz 102-94 as 9.5-point underdogs. Not only was it San Antonio’s first road win since December, it also marked the first time this season that they won a game in which they were trailing entering the fourth quarter!

The rare SU victory was largely a byproduct of the Jazz not just being shorthanded, but also shooting a season-low 35.3% from the floor. I am not expecting the Spurs to repeat that kind of effort on the defensive end tonight as they are dead last in the league in defensive efficiency.

The Jazz made just five field goals the entire fourth quarter against a team that allows 122.4 points/game for the season.

Indiana has covered four straight with the only SU loss coming in OT against Boston (142-138). But they too carry a bottom five defensive rating. So I’m expecting a real high-scoring affair tonight in the Alamo.

In the first home game back after such a long trip, I can’t imagine San Antonio will play anything close to “good defense.” When these teams met back in the second game of the season, the final score was 137-134 and there was no overtime! Indiana is coming off a 124-122 win against Dallas. Something else to consider: both of these teams are top four in the league in pace. So there’s going to be plenty of possessions, not much defense and it’s not like this O/U is uncharacteristic for either team. 10*