On Sunday, 3/30, the San Antonio Spurs (31-41) will host the Golden State Warriors (42-31) in a Western Conference match-up. The Spurs are slumping at the 13th spot in the West, while the Warriors have slipped to the seventh place. Will the Warriors grab a much-needed win here? Read through the preview, total predictions, and player props here.
Spurs: Doing a decent job without their top two players
The San Antonio Spurs will come into this game after squaring off against the Boston Celtics on the previous night. They have put on some tough fights lately, as indicated by their close 8-point loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Stephon Castle had a 22-point, 11-rebound, and 8-assist night, reiterating his claim as the obvious choice for the Rookie of the Year Award.
The team has somehow managed an almost 50% win rate since both De’Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama have been gone. They can thank Devin Vassell and Castle for keeping an otherwise fragile lineup afloat. The defense has struggled, but the offense has come through on multiple occasions because of these two. The Wing rotations have been weak, Chris Paul is a shadow of himself and the Spurs will need a major rethink during the offseason as they fear for Wemby’s immediate future in the league after a serious injury.
Expected Starting Lineup
PG: Stephon Castle | PG: Chris Paul | SG/SF: Devin Vassell | SF/PF: Harrison Barnes | C: Bismack Biyombo
Key Injuries/Updates: De’Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama are OUT for the season.
Warriors: Steph Curry returns at a crucial juncture
The Golden State Warriors will enter the affair after a 16-point win against the struggling New Orleans Pelicans as Stephen Curry put up 23 points. He helped the Dubs erase a 2-game losing streak without him, indicating his importance to the squad. Jimmy Butler III has been fantastic but he needs an ace scorer to thrive at this point of his career. Overall, the Warriors have been in healthy shape since his inclusion.
They are 17-5 since adding Butler to the squad, and thanks to that, they are in contention for sealing an automatic first-round playoff spot. Draymond Green has been huge defensively while supplying his usual reliable playmaking. Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody have done well in the second half of the season, but Buddy Hield has been disappointing. Jonathan Kuminga is coming along well and can be an X factor to end the season on a high.
Expected Starting Lineup
PG/SG: Stephen Curry | SG: Brandin Podziemski | SG/SF: Moses Moody| SF/PF: Jimmy Butler | PF/C: Draymond Green
Key Injuries/Updates: Gary Payton can be OUT long-term.
The Warriors have kind of struggled on the offense this month, accumulating 113.1 points per game(10th worst). But their defense has been brilliant, conceding 109.1 PPG(5th best). On the other hand, the Spurs have breached the 120+ mark consistently, but they will be coming in this game after a back-to-back situation after squaring off against Boston’s loaded defense. Thus, I expect the Warriors to pin them below 105 while scoring over 120.
Stephon Castle to be held under 15.5 points: The Spurs guard has accumulated around 20 PPG in March. But I expect him to be shut down under the 15-point mark here.
Chris Paul to dish over 7.5 assists: CP-3 has delivered 7.6 helpers per game this month but has hovered around the 6 assist mark this month. I believe he will touch his season average here.
Stephen Curry to score over 28.5 points: Curry’s average slipped from 30.7 PPG to 24.8 PPG in March. However, he is always up for a 30+ points night, and I smell one here.
Jimmy Butler to dish over 7.5 assists: JB has delivered 6.5 helpers per game in March, falling under the 5 assist mark in the last two games. However, I expect him to dish over 8 assists here.
The Warriors will enter as the overwhelming favorites since the Spurs will clash against the defending champs on the preceding day. Meanwhile, the Dubs will be stoked after getting their ace scorer who gets things going for them. I believe the Spurs will give some first-half fight but will be blown away in the second half. I fancy a 20+ point win for the Dubs here.
Safe Spread Pick: Warriors-13.5 for +110 at BetMGM
Photo Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images
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