San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich missed his first game this season on November 2 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. At the time, the assistant coach that stepped in for Popovich, Mitch Johnson, told the media that the five-time NBA champion was “just not feeling well.”
The absence continued as a non-specific medical issue, but now we know what happened. On Wednesday, the Spurs announced that Popovich suffered a mild stroke, and he has since started a rehabilitation program and “is expected to make a full recovery.”
The length of that recovery is unknown, so we don’t know if the 75-year-old Popovich will be back this season. But until he does return, Johnson will continue as acting head coach.
With Johnson on the bench, the Spurs have gone 4-3, including a win on Wednesday night at home against the Washington Wizards.
Wembanyama First 50-Point Game
Speaking of that Spurs win on Wednesday night, the final score was 139-130, which is the highest point total for the Spurs in more than 19 months. On April 2, 2023, San Antonio beat the Sacramento Kings in overtime, 142-134.
Victor Wembanyama was not yet in the NBA in April of 2023, but he is the best player on the Spurs now, and he is the main reason they scored 138 points on Wednesday. The 20-year-old scored 50 points for the first time in his career, and he became the fourth-youngest player in NBA history to score 50 points, behind Devin Booker, LeBron James, and Brandon Jennings.
He is the first Spur to score more than 50 points in five years, and this follows up on the 34 points he scored on Monday against the Kings.
Even before Popovich had to leave the team, the Spurs were likely to miss the playoffs. They were +360 to be in the playoffs when the season tipped off in October, and now they are +760. But Wembanyama is the favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year at -190, and if he can also stay dominant on the offensive end of the court, he may warrant MVP votes. At the moment he is a +10000 longshot.
Cleveland Cavaliers Remain Perfect
On Wednesday, the Cleveland Cavaliers improved their record to 13-0 with a 114-106 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. The Cavs continued to improve on the best start in franchise history, but they are also beginning to get into the NBA history conversation.
With a win on Friday against the Chicago Bulls – the Cavs are favored by 9.5 points – they would tie for the fourth-best start in NBA history. Another win on Sunday at home against the Charlotte Hornets would make the Cavaliers 15-0, which would tie the 1993 Houston Rockets and the 1948 Washington Capitols for the second-best start to a season.
The all-time record is 24-0 by the 2015 Golden State Warriors, who went on to win 73 games that season. Game No. 24 for the Cavaliers is on December 5 at home against the Denver Nuggets.
You can place a bet on when the Cavaliers will lose their first game of the season. Friday against the Bulls is paying +360. Sunday against the Hornets is +600. On November 19, the Cavs are at the Boston Celtics, and the payout for a Cleveland loss at TD Garden is -115.
When the season began, the Cavs were +1750 to win the Eastern Conference and advance to the NBA Finals. Today, the Cavs are paying +850.
With over 25 years of experience as a distinguished sports writer for renowned platforms such as Fox Sports and ESPN, Kyle Garlett is a sports betting specialist who has been at the forefront of documenting the global surge in sports betting and online gaming. Based in Denver, Colorado, Kyle hosts an NFL betting YouTube show and podcast. Kyle also has two sports books published by HarperCollins.
Kyle graduated the Azusa Pacific University in 1996 with a B.A. Degree in Communication and Journalism.
