The Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs may be off to slower-than-expected starts, but that’s not going to take any luster off this matchup. The defending NBA champion Warriors will hit the road to face off against one of their main challengers for the 2017-18 crown in San Antonio.
Golden State is 5-3 and San Antonio 4-3 in the earlygoing but there is little to fret about at this point. The cream rises to the top over a long NBA schedule and eventually these teams will be at the top of the Western Conference.
This could be an early indicator of how a potential playoff matchup might stack up a few months down the road, although it will mean less if Spurs star Kawhi Leonard cannot play due to injury.
Don't miss the hardwood action from the AT&T Center at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, November 2, 2017. Catch every moment of the game live on TNT.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Thursday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Warriors may have been the favorites either way in this one, but that seems very likely if Leonard misses another game with a quadriceps injury. He is one of the best players in the NBA and will have a big impact on the outcome if he is sidelined.
It’s not trending positively but make sure Leonard is out before making a wager. The scoring total will be interesting to see. The Spurs play low-scoring games while the Warriors play high-scoring ones. The “over-under” will likely split the difference.
Player To Watch
LaMarcus Aldridge -- If Leonard is out, the Spurs’ power forward is going to need to have a huge game to give his team a chance to win. Aldridge has been good thus far this season, averaging 25.7 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game as his usage has gone up without Leonard on the court.
The Spurs have a good supporting cast, with players like Rudy Gay, Danny Green and Pau Gasol pitching in. However, this is a star-driven league, and the Warriors have great players in spades. Aldridge will likely need to score 30 points for the Spurs to be able to keep up with high-powered Golden State.
Key Stat
118.1. That’s the points per game the Warriors are averaging on the season, which unsurprisingly leads the NBA. Steph Curry leads the team in scoring at 27.6 points per game, Kevin Durant is adding 26.3 points per game while Klay Thompson is chipping in with 21.9 points per contest.
Golden State is shooting a robust 51.4 percent from the field and hitting 34.1 percent from three-point range. The reason the team has three losses on the season is because the defense hasn’t been as strong. The Warriors are allowing more than 114 points per game, which is among the worst marks in the NBA.
Some of that is because of the breakneck pace at which the team plays, but there needs to be more of a dedication to defense for this team to really take off.
It’s probably just a focus issue. The Warriors have little to prove in the regular season but do get amped up for big games and should be better against the Spurs.
Free NBA ATS Picks
The home court advantage is important for San Antonio, but we’ve seen this movie before when Leonard doesn’t play. The Warriors rolled in the postseason after Leonard got hurt last season and should be able to claim this victory as well.
Check out the spread because the Warriors may need to win convincingly in order to cover. Take Golden State if the line is in single digits, as the Warriors’ talent will overwhelm San Antonio once again.
NBA Odds: Warriors 113, Spurs 102
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