THE San Antonio Spurs will welcome the Warriors of the Golden State Monday, with information scheduled for 8 p.m. Eastern Time. The Spurs won the first of this series at home in a 126-113 finale at Golden State.
Let’s go.
Warriors give up 3 out of 4
The Warriors found themselves without a lead late in the first quarter, and they never led the rest of the way. The Warriors shot over 46% from the floor, but knocked down only a third of their 3-point tries. The Warriors also lost the battle on the glass, while securing nine offensive rebounds. Jonathan Kuminga led the starters with 26 and Klay Thompson added 27 off the bench. Stephen Curry will miss Monday’s action with Draymond Green likely.
Golden State enters this game averaging 118.7 points per game, which places them 7th in the league. The Warriors haven’t done too much work in the painted area this season as they sit 22nd in paint points scored per game. As has been the case for several years, the Warriors did most of their work from beyond the arc. The Warriors currently sit 9th in the league in 3-point percentage and knock down 15 3-pointers per game. The high-octane style of basketball the Warriors play has led to a high volume of turnovers and that has been the case this season as well. Fortunately, Golden State has been strong on the offensive glass and is making over 12 missed shots per game, which is good for 5th in the league. In addition to their ability to make missed shots, the Warriors have distributed the ball very well this season and that has made the offense difficult to stop when it’s hot.
On the defensive side of the floor, Golden State allows 117 points per game, which ranks them 18th in the league. The Warriors have been league average in stopping opponents in the painted area and are allowing around 50 points per game. They were much stronger around the perimeter. During the season, opponents are shooting under 36% and making about 13 outside shots per game. The shooting defense has hovered around the top 10 all season, but the Warriors have struggled to force turnovers and end opposing possessions early. This hurt their opportunities to score quick counters, but also allowed opponents to make the most of their possessions. Likewise, the Warriors have struggled to keep their opponents off the offensive glass and they will need to stick to the glass here if they want to dominate San Antonio.
Spurs Cap Road Trip with Victory
After a contested first quarter, Spurs took off and never looked back. San Antonio was able to take a sizable lead into the half by scoring 30 points and allowing 16 in the 2nd quarter. San Antonio shot 51% from the field and beyond the arc. The Spurs also won the battle on the glass. Jérémy Sochan And Malaki Branham everyone finished with 20 and Tre Jones added 11 assists. The Spurs should be back at full strength on Monday.
San Antonio enters this competition averaging 112.6 points per game, which places them 22nd in the league. The Spurs are about average in the league in terms of their ability to put up points in the paint. On the season, San Antonio is averaging just north of 51 paint points per game. They haven’t been as strong from outside as they fell to 27th in 3-point percentage. All told, the shooting attack has been inconsistent this season, ultimately dropping the Spurs to sixth in the NBA. In addition to poor shooting, the Spurs got to the finish line at one of the lowest rates in basketball. The offense has struggled to protect the basketball, although Golden State hasn’t been very inclined to force turnovers this season. If the Spurs want to sweep this mini-series, they will need to recover some missed shots and take advantage in the painted zone.
On the defensive side of the floor, San Antonio allows 120.3 points per game, which ranks 25th in the league. The Spurs have struggled to get stops down low this season and the 54.8 paint points allowed per game puts them 28th in the league. They haven’t been much better around the arc as their opponents have made over 13 3s per game with a success rate of around 38%. All told, the Spurs rank in the bottom five in opponent’s field goal percentage, although they have done well to guard without fouling. San Antonio held the Warriors in check on the offensive glass a game ago, but they haven’t been able to post those wins very often this season. Here again, they will have to strongly fence their possessions. The Spurs also struggled to push the ball away, ranking 21st in steals per game. That said, the Warriors tend to be somewhat sloppy with the basketball on the road, which could lead to the Spurs gaining an advantage in the open court. Forcing steals will be key for the defense here.
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Best Bets
Full Game Side Bet
Rating:
San Antonio undoubtedly stole one from San Francisco when they ended their road trip with a victory. The Warriors will have Curry back in the fold here and, frankly, it’s a different team when he commands the court. The Warriors should be able to exploit the Spurs’ poor perimeter defense here and we should also see Golden State rack up quite a few second chance points as the Spurs have struggled to close out the possession. San Antonio won the first game, don’t expect the same result here.
Golden State -5.5
Prediction: Golden State -5.5
Total choice of the complete game
Rating:
It’s a little unusual to see two teams in the top 10 in terms of pace, with a total under 230. That said, there is reason to see this match go under the number. Both of these teams have had ball security issues all season, which will lead to dead possessions and unnecessary movement down the field. Additionally, the Warriors struggled to find their footing in the painted area and the Spurs struggled to connect from the outside. This will play to each defense’s strengths and should support some tight possessions from each offense. Even though the pace is there, these two teams have played slower in their last six games. Take the bottom.
Less than 228.5
Prediction: Under 228.5
