The addition of Kevin Durant has made the already-great Warriors even better. They may be hard-pressed to match last year’s magical 73-win regular season campaign, but the end goal is the NBA championship. Golden State will aim to get off to a hot start, and it will be interesting to see how Durant fits in with the rest of the team in his debut.
This war on the floor will go down Tuesday, October 25, 2016, at 10:30 p.m. ET at Oracle Arena. The game will be televised live on TNT. We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Tuesday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Warriors are the favorites to win the NBA title, and that is the clear goal this season. They shouldn’t have much of a problem finishing with the best record in the league if they avoid injuries.
The Spurs may be the one team which can keep up, so this early-season showdown is already a key one. If San Antonio can steal this one on the road it will be a nice start, although that will be a lot to ask with as good as the Warriors are at home.
Player to Watch
Kevin Durant - It’s nearly unprecedented for a team which had so much success the previous season to add a superstar in his prime, but that’s what the Warriors did.
Durant, a former MVP, nearly led the Oklahoma City Thunder to an upset of the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals, and then joined them as a free agent this offseason. He averaged 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists last season and is the best shooting big man in the NBA.
While his individual numbers may go down with only one ball to go around to so many elite players, Durant’s presence will make the team unbelievably hard to stop when it is on offense.
Home Court Advantage
The Warriors are good no matter where the game is held, but especially so at home. Golden State won 39 of 41 home games a season ago and have a big advantage there.
The Spurs were actually more dominant at home last season, going an incredible 40-1 in San Antonio. However, they were only 27-14 on the road. If this game was in San Antonio the Spurs would have much better odds, but on the road will make it tough on them.
Oracle Arena is one of the loudest and most raucous environments in the NBA, and Golden State will aim to feed off that energy. The Spurs are an experienced bunch, though, and won’t be overwhelmed by the environment. They will aim to stick to the game-plan and try to play good enough defense to take this one down to the wire.
Free NBA ATS Picks
The Golden State Warriors will be the most entertaining team in the NBA, and their potential is sky-high. There is some cause for concern in this one, though. Durant still must figure out how to properly jell within an offense that was so good last season behind Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
All three of those stars are back, and getting on the same page with the ball distribution could take a little bit of time. The Spurs, meanwhile, have basically the same key players returning and have added Pau Gasol, a good passer who won’t change much of what San Antonio intends to do.
The Warriors likely won’t be hitting on all cylinders quite yet, and San Antonio is excellent defensively. While this one may not be perfect, the Warriors have too much talent and should win a close one at home to start the season on the right note.
NBA Odds: Golden State Warriors 105, San Antonio Spurs 99
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