Golden State has accomplished plenty in two seasons. The Warriors steamrolled to the NBA Championship last season and are chasing the league record for wins this year. One thing they haven’t done is win in San Antonio. The Dubs have a chance to end the Spurs 34-game homecourt winning streak and their own 32-game regular season losing skid at ATT Center when the clubs meet Saturday in primetime.
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LOOK AHEAD
It would have been understandable for the Spurs to look past the Portland Trail Blazers, who they trounced 118-110 on Thursday, with an eye toward Saturday’s matchup against the Warriors. No chance. Starting with San Antonio’s 109-101 triumph Mar. 10 over Chicago, a victory that started its current five-game homestand, and leading into the rematch with Golden State, the Spurs appear to be as healthy and locked in as the unit has been this season.
Coming off a full day of rest – there is no practice scheduled for Friday – San Antonio will host a Warriors club fresh off an outing the night before in Dallas and look to go 35-0 at home this season. Golden State got ticked off by its last loss. Since falling to the Lakers on Mar. 6, the Dubs scored at least 115 points in six straight games, topping 120 in each of their past four heading into Dallas. Golden State is 16-1 SU and 11-6 ATS in the second of their 17 back-to-backs so far this season.
INJURIES
The Warriors will be without Finals MVP Andre Iguodala for at least another week as he recovers from an ankle injury sustained on Mar. 11. The team has also moved on from the loss of backup center Festus Ezeli, who hasn’t played since Jan. 25 due to arthroscopic knee surgery.
San Antonio got through Thursday’s game injury-free and will have its full roster available for Saturday’s showdown with Golden State.
KEY MATCHUP
Much like he’s done all season, Warriors guard Stephen Curry went off against the Spurs when the teams met in Oakland on Jan. 25, hitting 6 of 9 three-pointers for 37 points in the 30-point victory. And that was against the best defensive team in the league. Curry does this to everybody, which is why he’s a lock for back-to-back MVP awards. Don’t worry about fatigue being a factor down the stretch. Curry didn’t play the fourth quarter of Golden State’s last two home games, but he managed to riddle the Knicks with eight threes and 34 points in just 28 minutes of run time on Wednesday. Over the last four games of the homestand, Curry averaged 32.5 points on 56.5 percent shooting and became the first player to make 300 threes in a season.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
When the teams first met this season on Jan. 25, Golden State delivered a 120-90 shellacking by moving the Spurs out of their comfort zone. The Warriors dictated tempo and forced the Spurs to play at a pace they’re not accustomed to, which played a role in what is still a season-high 25 turnovers. Coach Gregg Popovich says everything done by the Spurs defensively revolves around Tim Duncan. But Duncan missed the first matchup due to knee problems.
With Duncan out of the mix and LaMarcus Aldridge still learning to fit into the team’s system alongside Kawhi Leonard, L.A. had more turnovers than made field goals in that loss and finished with five points. This time, though, Duncan is healthy, coming off a night in which he scored 11 points on 5 of 6 shooting, pulling down seven rebounds and adding two blocks. The Warriors had the luxury of letting their stars rest during the fourth quarter of a blowout of the Knicks on Wednesday, so overexertion shouldn’t be a concern in the back-to-back. Still, the Spurs have something to prove from that first meeting and they do just that.
San Antonio 112, Golden State 106
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Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The matchup between the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs will take place Saturday, March 19, 2016, at 8:30 p.m. ET at the ATT Center. Watch the game live on ABC.
