Here we go ladies and gentlemen! The NBA’s top two teams—the San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors—are set to meet again this Thursday night at Oracle Arena. This will mark the third meeting between these two heavyweights and the home club has emerged victorious in the previous two. Will that be the case again? It’s the worst cliche in all of journalism – “Only time will tell.”
Read on below for a better look at this highly-anticipated Western Conference matchup. And while you’re at it, check out our preview of the showdown between the Toronto Raptors and Atlanta Hawks.
[sc:NBAArticles ]San Antonio Spurs vs. Golden State Warriors Preview
Where: Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA
When: Monday, April 7, 2016, 10:30 PM ET
Line: San Antonio Spurs (+7) vs. Golden State Warriors (-7); total: 210.0 – view all NBA lines
TV Broadcast: TNT
Betting on the San Antonio Spurs (65-12)
[sc:NBA250 ]San Antonio’s still probably thanking God for Kawhi Leonard, who came up huge in the clutch during its nail-biting victory over the Jazz on Tuesday night.
Leonard scored just 18 points, but two of those points came from this game-winning jump shot in the final seconds of the fourth quarter. That win gave the Spurs win No. 65 and also extended their winning-streak to four games.
Now, Leonard and co. will look to keep moving on the right track when they pay the defending champion Warriors a visit tonight. And as always, defense is going to be the best offense for the Spurs, who are yielding a league-low of 92.5 points per game.
Living proof of this defensive prowess, came in San Antonio’s second meeting with the Warriors on March 19 at the AT&T Center. In that game, Stephen Curry was held below his usual averages, as he posted just 14 points on 4-of-18 shooting. The entire Golden State team was also limited to a season-low of 79 points.
Meanwhile, the Spurs’ offense cannot be overlooked. Yes, their breathtaking defense has forced them into low-scoring games this season, but even so, they are still a team loaded with a lot of firepower. San Antonio ranks within the top 10 of the league in terms of scoring (104.0 points), field goal percentage (48.7) and assists (24.7).
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Betting on the Golden State Warriors (69-9)
Can the Golden State Warriors break the all-time wins record of the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls? The answer to this question is no longer a confident “Yes” especially when you consider how the defending champions have been playing as of late.
Well, Golden State’s still winning games but their overall defense and carelessness, specifically, have left a lot of their fans concerned. The Warriors, who now need to win their last four regular-season games to make history, head into tonight’s showdown against the San Antonio Spurs averaging 19.7 turnovers along with a defense that’s allowing 114.7 points in the previous three contests.
Adding more pressure to the Warriors is the fact that they’ll be trying to avoid losing back-to-back games for the first time this season after Tuesday night’s overtime loss to Minnesota. That could definitely become a reality if Stephen Curry and co. continue to play the way they’re playing now.
Speaking of Curry, this could be the perfect opportunity for him to cement his bid for a second-straight MVP trophy. He’s coming off a rare miserable shooting performance (7-of-25) against the T-Wolves, and it’ll be very interesting to see how the NBA’s No. 1 scorer is going to bounce back against San Antonio’s league-leading defense.
In any case, expect Curry and the rest of the Warriors to make all the necessary preparations and adjustments against the Spurs, who pose the biggest threat to Golden State’s hopes of repeating as champions this year.
GSW is 8-2 SU and 4-6 ATS in its past 10 games at Oracle Arena.
Writer’s Prediction
If the Spurs sit some of their starters in this game, they are going to lose. If not, they should be able to hand the Warriors their third loss at Oracle Arena.
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