The Warriors are human after all. Losers in two of their past three games, Golden State’s run at the NBA single-season win record is in jeopardy. The San Antonio Spurs invade Oracle Arena on Thursday looking to deal the Dubs consecutive regular season losses for the first time in a year.
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LOOK AHEAD
San Antonio set a franchise record for wins in a season, which is pretty amazing considering how good the team has been for the past two decades. But the one loss that gives them nightmares took place at Oracle on Jan. 25 when the Warriors blitzed the Spurs 120-90. Sure, the Spurs got a bit of revenge with their 87-79 home win on Mar. 19, holding the high-powered Warriors to a season-low point total, but a 30-point loss is kinda embarrassing.
The Warriors have cruised through the regular season, destroying most everything in their path. But suddenly, with just over week left to play before the playoffs, they look tired and vulnerable on their home floor. The latest setback also pushed their pursuit of a record 73 wins to the brink. A stunning overtime loss to lottery-bound Minnesota forces Golden State to win its remaining four games if it hopes to surpass Chicago’s 1995-96 record of 72 wins.
INJURIES
Reserve center Boris Diaw didn’t travel with the Spurs on their road trip as he continues to mend from a groin injury. Tony Parker has been around coach Gregg Popovich long enough to know how he thinks. The point guard foresees rest for himself and the team’s starters in the final two games against Golden State, but Pop is silent on his plans.
The Warriors welcomed back Andre Iguodala and Festus Ezeli to the lineup on Tuesday, leaving only rookie Kevon Looney, who remains out indefinitely with a hip injury, on the team’s injury list.
KEY MATCHUP
There’s plenty of talk about both teams resting starters in the final week of the regular season as they prepare for the playoffs. The seeds are locked in; Golden State is No. 1 and San Antonio right behind. And with a Western Conference final featuring these two very likely, neither side wants to show too much in the remaining two games between them. However, one player who would relish a shot at redemption is LaMarcus Aldridge. You might remember when the Spurs visited Northern California in the highly-anticipated first meeting between the NBA’s two best teams, Aldridge was a ghost and the Spurs were whacked by 30 points. Aldridge scored a season-low five points on 2 of 9 shooting and his three turnovers equaled his rebound total in 25 minutes. Needless to say it wasn’t pretty. In eight games following that debacle and leading to the All-Star break, Aldridge scored at least 21 points while shooting 60 percent or better from the field six times. He’s looking forward to a second opportunity.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
We’re likely to see plenty of reserves in this game, especially from the Spurs, as both teams will play it close to the vest. The Warriors still have a shot at the NBA record for most wins in a season and they might want to work on overcoming the problems that led to losses in two of their last three games. Golden State committed an uncharacteristic 24 turnovers in a stunning overtime loss to Minnesota on Tuesday, which came two days after a 22-turnover game against Boston when the Warriors home win streak ended. But those miscues could be caused by fatigue after a grueling run, which puts coach Steve Kerr in a pickle over what to do: rest your players or have them play through the problems. Golden State will run its core and that group is better than San Antonio’s spares.
NBA Odds: Golden State 112, San Antonio 107
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Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! Bet on the NBA today as the San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors square off Thursday, April 7, 2016, at 10:30 p.m. ET at Oracle Arena. The contest will be broadcast nationally on TNT.
