Posted on 5/16/2007 4:08:10 PM

NBA Betting - San Antonio Spurs vs. Phoenix Suns

By Robby Maddux

With the best-of-seven series tied at 2-2 in the Western Conference semifinals the San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns will both be without key players in tonight's Game 5 at the US Airways Center.

The NBA suspended Suns All-Star center Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw. Robert Horry of the Spurs will also be sitting. The suspensions were handed down following an incident in Game 4 spawned by Horry kneeing Steve Nash well out of bounds in the waning seconds of the 104-98 come-from-behind Suns' win in San Antonio.

The suspensions hurt the Suns much more than the Spurs. Horry is a reserve role player known for hoisting 3-pointers and has scored just 4.8 points per game this series. Stoudemire is a first-team all-NBA selection who leads the Suns in scoring and rebounding through the first four games of the series.

Stoudemire's inside presence will be sorely missed. He's averaging 23.5 points and 10.3 rebounds in the series. The absence of Diaw further compounds the Suns problems.

 

With Stoudemire and Diaw out, Kurt Thomas will be starting in the middle and figures to play at least 35-40 minutes. Shawn Marion and James Jones will join Thomas in the starting frontcourt, with Nash and Raja Bell as the familiar starting backcourt. Leandro Barbosa will be the sixth man, as usual.

If the Suns are forced to go deeper they will be in trouble. Phoenix usually utilizes an eight-man rotation, which has now been reduced to six. Pat Burke and Jalen Rose are the most likely players to get additional minutes if needed, while Sean Marks will see playing time if Thomas and Burke are in foul trouble.

After Game 2, Stoudemire called the Spurs "a dirty team". In Game 3, Nash was also kneed by Bruce Bowen. Then in Game 4, the most recent incident took place, warranting the suspensions.

This has been a very physical series and tonight's game could become interesting if cooler heads don't prevail. Phoenix was first tagged the slight favorites in Game 5, but once the suspensions were announced oddsmakers moved the Suns to currently 4-point home underdogs.

Bettors who wagered on the Spurs yesterday are getting a bargain, while books are getting shafted because they can get middled due to the discrepancy between yesterday’s and today’s odds.

The Phoenix crowd will be livid and could affect San Antonio. The Spurs, however, have won three titles in the past decade and have made a ton of money in hostile arenas.

You’ll find the latest NBA odds and lines in the best online sportsbook, BetUS.com. Betting on NBA player and game props makes every aspect of the game exciting. Join BetUS.com today to bet on the NBA and make online sports betting work for you!