The defending champion Golden State Warriors will travel to San Antonio for a matchup with the Spurs at AT&T Center on Sunday, and while this matchup won’t have the luster it did when Kawhi Leonard was playing in it, the game should still be entertaining. The NBA betting odds show that the Warriors are favored in this game, but the Spurs should definitely not be overlooked as their good coaching and fundamentals keep them competitive in nearly every game.
After all, the Spurs are still coached by Gregg Popovich, and they sit right in the middle of the pack in the Western Conference standings, so it’s not like the playoffs are out of the equation. As for the Warriors, well, they began the season dominating their opponents, but they’ve hit a bit of a rut — by their (high) standards, at least. Stephen Curry is dealing with a groin injury, which has him sidelined, and Draymond Green was recently seen getting into it with Kevin Durant late in a loss to the Clippers. Not only that, the heated altercation spread into the locker room.
Still, there’s a lot of time from now until the playoffs, and that’s what the Warriors care about. A title is not won or lost in November, and it’s safe to say that the Warriors will round into form in the spring. The team’s biggest free-agency acquisition, center DeMarcus Cousins, hasn’t even suited up to play for the Warriors yet.
The Warriors still have plenty of scorers, and the players to stretch the floor and give opposing defenses fits. For the Spurs, their gameplan will likely be to muddy up the game — beating up on the Warriors a bit and playing them physical, in hopes of controlling the glass. Defending the perimeter and limiting second-chance shots will be key. They’ll also need to shoot well from the floor. As for the Warriors, they’ll look to dictate the tempo and play their run-n-gun style, while knocking down three-pointers at will.
This matchup should be fun to watch, so make sure to tune in to see which team comes out on top.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
