Boy, are we in for a treat this Monday night, as the Golden State Warriors will host the San Antonio Spurs for the first of four regular season meetings between the two best teams in the NBA.
Both the unstoppable Warriors and the immovable Spurs have dominated most of their adversaries from the league all season long, and this upcoming clash will be a great measuring stick for both clubs as they march along their respective stellar bids at another NBA title.
[sc:NBA250 ]Can the Warriors stay undefeated in Oakland, or will San Antonio notch its 14th-consecutive victory? Let’s now take a closer look at what should be a game of epic proportions. Afterwards, check out more of Monday night’s intriguing basketball matchups with our previews for Miami vs. Chicago and Minnesota vs. Cleveland.
[sc:NBAArticles ]San Antonio Spurs vs. Golden State Warriors Preview
Where: Oracle Arena, Oakland
When: Monday, January 25, 10:30 PM ET
Line: San Antonio Spurs (+4.5) at Golden State Warriors (-4.5); total: 209.0 – view all NBA lines
Betting on the San Antonio Spurs (38-6)
[sc:NBA240banner ]For as much attention as the Golden State Warriors are getting this season, the San Antonio Spurs just continue to do what they do best and win, win, win.
The 108-95 drubbing of the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday was another convincing victory for the Spurs, their 13th win in a row. The star of that contest this time around was Manu Ginobli, who had a season-high 20 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the field to go with five huge steals.
And in typical fashion, the Spurs defeated the Lakers behind excellent defense first and foremost. The team amassed 10 steals and 13 blocks in the contest, and held Los Angeles to shoot just 45.2 percent from the floor. As it stands, San Antonio is the only team in the NBA that is allowing less than 90 points per game.
The Spurs’ firepower shouldn’t be overlooked, though. One would assume that their slow-tempo offense paired with their tough D is a recipe for low scoring totals, but on the contrary, they still rank within the top 10 of the league in points scored, rebounds and assists per game. They also have the NBA’s best score differential of plus-14.5, not Golden State.
What’s got to be concerning for the Spurs, though, is that elder statesman Tim Duncan (sore knee) has been scratched-off from Monday night’s contest. However, the team just won in Los Angeles without the services of LaMarcus Aldridge all the more, which just proves that the Spurs’ roster is definitely stacked from top to bottom. Then again, if Aldridge’s back spasms continue to bother him, Monday night’s showdown could very well tip in Golden State’s favor all of a sudden.
While the Warriors have indeed looked invincible at Oracle Arena indeed, it’s worth noting that San Antonio is no slouch at all on the road. The team has gone 8-2 over its last 10 games away from home (7-3 ATS), and each of those two losses were decided by just four points or less.
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Betting on the Golden State Warriors (40-4)
With their 122-110 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Friday, the Golden State Warriors have gotten impressive victories over three of the East’s best ball clubs in succession, with the Bulls and the Cavs the other two precedents.
Now the Warriors must try to upend the next-best team in the league after them: mighty San Antonio. It looks as if Golden State’s home court advantage will be thrown out the window, considering that the Spurs have won four of their past five games played at Oracle Arena (SU/ATS).
However, the Warriors did win the most recent affair: a solid 110-99 win in February of last year. The other four losses, by the way, were all from the seasons before head coach Steve Kerr took over the reins in the Bay Area.
Speaking of Kerr – who missed the first half of this season dealing with a back injury – his boys certainly gave him a nice welcome gift on Friday with the win over Indiana. Stephen Curry had his second triple-double of the season with 39 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists to go with eight three-pointers, while Draymond Green finished with 22 points, 11 boards and four steals.
Kerr will also be extra-motivated this Monday going up against the team the he helped win two championships as a player himself. With San Antonio virtually being the only one left standing in the way of his own team’s bid at repeating as NBA champs, you bet that he’ll pull out all the stops to make sure that he and the NBA’s best scoring team will draw first blood on the NBA’s best defensive team.
Writer’s Prediction
The Warriors survive a thriller on their own home court to notch their 39th-straight home victory, 117-115.
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