Game Preview and Prediction: San Antonio Spurs at Golden State Warriors
DeMar DeRozan and the Spurs take on the Warriors (Photo via Twitter)
The San Antonio Spurs (3-1) take on the Golden State Warriors (1-3) on Friday evening in the second night of a back-to-back. The Warriors, on the other hand, will be playing their first game since Stephen Curry broke his hand and underwent surgery. The two-time MVP and three-time NBA champion will be out until at least the start of February.
About six months ago, there was talk about the Warriors possibly being the best team in the history of basketball. They were so good many fans complained that it was unfair. Now? Golden State is an extreme long shot to even make the playoffs. If their championship window isn’t closed, it appears to be on life support. Take these turn of events as a reminder that things can change quickly in this league.
San Antonio Spurs Injury News
Dejounte Murray will sit out the game against the Warriors. While he’s not injured, on top of a minutes restriction, Pop recently revealed that Murray won’t be playing back-to-back games — at least early in the season. Murray played last night against the Los Angeles Clippers so he’ll be sitting out tonight.
While Pop didn’t do much load management last season, it’s possible he could rest LaMarcus Aldridge or DeMar DeRozan tonight. Those two played 36 minutes and 35 minutes, respectively, against the Clippers on Thursday night.
Golden State Warriors Injury News
Where to start? Within the last six Warriors games dating back to the 2019 NBA Finals, Curry broke his hand, Klay Thompson tore an ACL and Kevin Durant tore an achilles. Curry is out three months, Thompson is likely out for the year and Durant signed with the Brooklyn Nets and won’t play until the 2020-21 season. On top of those injuries, Kevon Looney is sidelines with a mysterious neuropathic condition that could put his season in jeopardy.
San Antonio Spurs Starting Lineup Watch
Derrick White is likely to start at point guard in place of Murray. With the Warriors going small due to all their injuries, Trey Lyles will probably get the start at power forward. There’s a chance that head coach Gregg Popovich will start even smaller by switching out Lyles for a player like DeMarre Carroll, who has yet to play a minute this season, or the “noncompetitive” Lonnie Walker IV.
San Antonio Spurs at Golden State Warriors – Prediction
Oddsmakers see the Spurs defeating the Warriors by an approximate score of 114-107. With the Warriors reeling, I think the Spurs will have a wider margin of victory than oddsmakers are predicting.
San Antonio Spurs: 125
Golden State Warriors: 109