Game Preview: San Antonio Spurs at Boston Celtics
03/29/2025 03:00 AM
The shorthanded Spurs take on the loaded Celtics.
The NBA Championship runs through TD Garden. Despite having the third-best record in the league, the Boston Celtics are still one of the favorites to win the title this season. The San Antonio Spurs aren't in that category yet, but they'll have an opportunity to play spoiler on Saturday night.
The Spurs gave the Eastern Conference's one-seed, the Cleveland Cavaliers, a good game in a 124-116 loss on Thursday. They'll look to do something similar against Boston to steal a win on this three-game Eastern Conference road trip.
San Antonio lost its other matchup with the Celtics this season 116-103. That game featured the star duo of Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox. Saturday night's matchup will be much different, as it'll be Stephon Castle and Devin Vassell leading the charge. San Antonio has gotten good production from its young players down the stretch. Another hot shooting night could help them grab a victory in Boston.
San Antonio Spurs (31-41) at Boston Celtics (54-19)
March 29th, 2025 | 7 PM CT
Watch: Fan Duel Southwest | Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)
Spurs Injuries: Victor Wembanyama – Out (shoulder), Charles Bassey – Out (knee), De'Aaron Fox – Out (finger), Riley Minix – Out (G League), Harrison Ingram – Out (G Leauge), David Duke Jr. – Out (G League)
Celtics Injuries: Al Horford – Questionable (toe), Payton Pritchard – Questionable (hip), Xavier Tillman – Questionable (knee), JD Davison – Out (G League), Drew Peterson – Out (G Leauge)
What to watch for:
Floor spacing
Boston is elite at spacing the floor and making you pay for overplaying driving lanes. Jayson Tatum has turned into an awesome passer, averaging 6 assists per game. The Celtics lead the league in three-pointers made per game (17.9). San Antonio has to be conscious of the Celtics floor-spacers and get good contests. Boston is hard to guard, but the Spurs' chaotic, small-ball lineups have been playing better defense lately. They'll need to bring their defensive A-game on Saturday to win.
Guarding Kristaps Porzingis
Cleveland clinched Thursday's game thanks to the clutch play of Jarrett Allen in the fourth quarter. San Antonio struggled to guard the big man as they played a smaller lineup with Jeremy Sochan at center. Boston has a Latvian unicorn named Kristaps Porzingis who could make life difficult for the Spurs. This is the biggest mismatch the Celtics have. Expect them to go to it early and often.
Vassell stays hot
On Thursday, Vassell set the Spurs record for most threes made in a month with 49 in March. The wing has been on fire this month. His shot-making has been one of the biggest developments for San Antonio at the end of the season. Having a floor-spacer like Vassell next to Wembanyama and Fox will be huge for future editions of the team. Right now, the Spurs desperately need Vassell to knock down shots to have a chance against Boston.
