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Is Victor Wembanyama Playing Tonight? (Injury Update, Betting Impact for Spurs vs. Clippers)
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San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama is making a push for the league's MVP award down the stretch of the regular season, as he's currently second behind Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
To be eligible to win the leaue's MVP, Wemby has to play in 65 games, meaning he can only miss a couple more this season. So, even with the Spurs playing the second night of a back-to-back on Thursday, bettors and fans should expect Wembanyama to be in the lineup against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Oddsmakers at DraftKings seem to think that Wemby will suit up after dominating the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday. San Antonio is a 3.5-point favorite (on the road) against Kawhi Leonard and company.
On Wednesday night, Wembanyama scored 41 points and grabbed 18 rebounds while shooting 16-for-22 from beyond the arc. He only played 29 minutes in the Spurs' 14-point win, so that bodes well for his chances of playing on the second night of a back-to-back.
Wemby has not missed a game since March 12, and he's only missed three games since mid-December when he returned from a calf injury.
Every game matters to the Spurs down the stretch of the regular season, as they're just two games out of the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. Wembanyama has been a huge part of the Spurs' impressive season, averaging 24.7 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steal and an NBA-best 3.1 blocks per game. He's shooting 50.9 percent from the field and 35.0 percent from 3-point range.
The Spurs have yet to release an injury report on Thursday, so it is possible that Wemby could end up with a designation. This story will be updated once the Spurs release their report on April 2.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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Peter is a senior editor for Sports Illustrated Betting. He has worked as a writer and editor for BetSided, NBC Sports, the Connecticut Sun and the Meriden Record-Journal covering the NBA, WNBA, NFL, MLB, and more. A New York City resident, he is a hoops fanatic with a soft spot for his New York Knicks.
Follow @peterdewey2