The San Antonio Spurs looked better in their second game in the Western Conference Finals without star Kawhi Leonard. It still didn’t matter. While San Antonio hung around early, the Golden State Warriors’ talent was too much as the game wore on and they won another one for a 3-0 series lead.
The Warriors will have the opportunity to sweep another foe when the teams face off in Game 4 in San Antonio. Golden State is 11-0 during the postseason as Leonard’s injury has rendered the Spurs too short-handed to pose a real threat.
San Antonio hopes to get its star back for Game 4, but it truly may not matter with the way the Warriors are playing right now. Golden State should be the road favorite once again in this matchup, with one more win securing its berth in the NBA Finals.
This war on the floor will go down Monday, May 22, 2017, at 9 p.m. ET at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. The game will be televised live on ESPN.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Monday schedule.
NBA Odds
The Warriors were 8.5-point favorites in Game 3 on the road because of their recent dominance and because Leonard missed the contest. They were able to cover that, using a strong second half to run away from the Spurs, 120-108. The scoring total was set at 214.5 and the “over” was the correct choice.
The Game 4 spread will be determined by Leonard’s health, but Golden State will be favored whether he plays or not.
The Warriors are 78-15 straight up this season and 47-42-4 against the spread. Golden State is 24-21-1 against the spread on the road and has gone 45-41-4 against the spread as the favorite.
The Spurs are 69-28 straight up and 49-46-2 against the spread. San Antonio has covered in 23 of 48 attempts against the spread at home this season, and it’s been rare for it to be a home underdog like in this series. The Spurs are 8-4-1 against the spread when receiving points on the season.
Last Time Out
The Spurs led by four points after the first quarter but the Warriors took control by halftime and held on for the win. Their variety of offensive weapons were too much to handle for San Antonio.
Kevin Durant led the way with 33 points and 10 rebounds. Steph Curry added 21 points, six steals and five rebounds.
The Spurs got a big game from Manu Ginobili, who had 21 points in 18 minutes points off the bench. However, San Antonio didn’t have the requisite depth or star power to compete. Since Leonard went down, LaMarcus Aldridge has struggled, which has killed the Spurs’ chances to pull an upset.
Injury Report
Leonard sat once again in Game 3 as his ankle isn’t sufficiently healed after injuring against Houston and aggravating it in Game 1. The Spurs led by 25 points in the third quarter of that one but the Warriors have dominated ever since.
Leonard is one of the finalists for the MVP, alongside Russell Westbrook and James Harden, and his absence has been a critical component thus far in this series. He averaged 25.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game during the regular season and has even been better in the playoffs, putting up 27.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists per contest.
Not only has Leonard been absent, but the Spurs are without point guard Tony Parker for the rest of the playoffs, while reserve forward David Lee injured his knee in Game 3. While the Spurs can overcome the other two injuries, they badly need Leonard to return in Game 4 to have a realistic shot at the win.
Free NBA ATS Pick
The Spurs aren’t going to roll over in this one as coach Gregg Popovich will get them to play hard. However, Golden State continues to show it is just too powerful. If Leonard plays it will certainly give San Antonio a shot at pulling the upset, but he figures to be favoring that ankle even if he’s available.
The Warriors have all their stars healthy and they are rolling. Choose Golden State to finish off the sweep, and if the spread is too low expect a cover. The Warriors are going to make it back to the NBA Finals. The only question is if they will sweep the Spurs or if they must try to get there in five games.
NBA Odds: Warriors 116, Spurs 106
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