NBA: San Antonio Spurs vs. Golden State Warriors Preview, Odds, Prediction

The San Antonio Spurs visit the Golden State Warriors in a game that closes Monday’s NBA program. The hosts will try to use Golden State’s struggle to post a win and reach a .500 record. Also, beating the NBA champion is always good for the team’s morale, so Gregg Popovich and his boys have a big motive to play well tonight. On the other end, the Warriors had a nasty Sunday evening, because they lost to the Kings in Sacramento. Their plan here is to bounce back.

Preview

San Antonio Spurs (6-7, +255) started the season well, but recently, they had a losing skid that saw them going from a team with a solid positive record to a team who is sub-.500. They have an opportunity here to get back on the right path, yet that won’t be easy.

The negative streak was stopped at home against the Milwaukee Bucks, whom the Spurs beat 117-93. This was a clash of two old friends, Pop on one, and Mike Budenholzer on the other side. We need to say that the guests didn’t have either of their three stars, Giannis, Holiday nor Middleton.

Keldon Johnson had a team-high 29 points for the hosts, and this guy is playing excellent basketball since the year started. Johnson delivers 23.6 points per game and has 5.3 boards, which is excellent for a 23-year-old small forward. When we add that the former Kentucky Wildcat hits 42.9% from downtown, we see that Popovich once again got himself a star. Devin Vassell had 22, while Jakob Poeltl scored 15 and grabbed 10 boards.

Golden State Warriors (5-8, -345) lost in Sacramento last night, 122-115, missing a nice chance to win three in a row. After beating the Kings at home, and the Cavaliers also at Chase Center, they stopped in the capital of California.

GSW didn’t have a solution for Domantas Sabonis, who had 26 points and 22 boards, and also, they allowed the Kings to shoot 51.6% from the field. Meanwhile, the Warriors showed inconsistency in their offensive rhythm, and that’s how they managed to waste a 15-point lead. Championship hangover or something else, we don’t quite know, but the situation in San Francisco isn’t good.

Steph Curry scored 27 points, Andrew Wiggins had 26 and Klay scored 17. Jordan Poole came off the bench to add 18 buckets in 20 minutes, but eventually, the Kings prevailed in this event.

Head to Head Games

Their series last year was odd, because both teams won two games apiece, but they did it on the road – Warriors in Texas, while Spurs beat the champs twice in San Francisco.

Prediction

This should be a very enjoyable game to watch, because both teams nourish the same philosophy, which is fast ball movement, transition and looking for open space. After all, Kerr learned from Pop for a number of years, and he was bound to use that knowledge on the Warriors. Our pick for this event is over 232 points precisely because of that offensive-minded approach from both parties involved. Pop and Kerr have nothing to hide from one another, so this should be a fun affair.

Pick: Over 232 points