Julian Champagnie Questionable
Dylan Harper Out
Jonathan Kuminga Questionable
Alex Toohey Out
De’Anthony Melton Out
The Warriors and Spurs are facing off again tonight. After San Antonio lost to Golden State on Wednesday, they have a quick rematch. This game carries extra importance as an NBA Cup matchup. The Spurs aim for their second win of the season, while the Warriors are still looking for their first Cup victory. Either way, San Antonio is likely eager after Wednesday’s loss.
In their last game, the Spurs struggled to keep the Warriors out of the paint. Even with Wemby looming, they attacked with full force. However, their strength was at the free throw line. Between Butler and Curry, they shot nearly 30 free throws, with the team taking a total of 36. Additionally, the Warriors shot reasonably well, shooting 42% from the field and 37% from three. While those numbers aren't mind-blowing, they were enough when combined with free throws. The more impressive part is how they managed to contain Wembanyama. Although he scored 31 points, he was called for 5 fouls and turned the ball over 8 times. Even though they lack size to stop Wemby in the paint, their constant pestering by smaller defenders proved effective. Especially with Green and Butler constantly floating around, the ball was never safe.
Even though they lost the last game, the Spurs are still dangerous tonight. The biggest thing they’ll have to clean up is the fouls. While Golden State shot 36 free throws, the Spurs only shot 16. They’ll need to reduce their fouling tonight. They have the pieces to beat the Warriors. Wemby’s size alone can be a factor. So if the offense around him can knock down threes and create space inside, he should have a big game. However, defensively, they need to play more straight up. Butler is one of the best in the league at drawing fouls. They need to play off him a little and accept his jump shots; they can’t let him live at the line.
This is shaping up to be a solid game tonight. However, this is one that the Spurs should win. They have the talent on offense and defense to give the Warriors trouble. They just need to sit back and not fall into the Warriors' traps. If they can avoid some of the excessive fouling, they’ll take this game. That’s why I’m going with the San Antonio moneyline, the over on the 234.5 points total, and the Spurs -2.5 spread.
Money line: GSW (+114) / SAS (-135)
Total Points: 234.5
Spread: +2.5 GSW (-108) / -2.5 SAS (-112)
Wemby continues to be the focal point of the offense even with De’Aaron Fox back. In his last game against Golden State on Wednesday, he managed to score 31 points on 22 shots. While not his most efficient performance, the Warriors don’t have the size to match up with him inside. He should be able to attack the rim all night again.
This is a favorable matchup for Castle. While he’s sharing the backcourt with Fox again, he was electrifying on Wednesday. His size poses a real challenge for the smaller Warrior backcourt. With 23 points in Wednesday’s game, he should be able to find those same lanes. Especially with Wemby lurking at all times, Castle’s driving ability will be crucial for the Spurs again tonight.
Podz just hasn’t been the guy the Warriors needed him to be. His scoring remains streaky at best, and against size like San Antonio, he’s severely limited. In their last game, he played 29 minutes but only scored 6 points. On the season, he’s only averaging 11 points a game. With his three-ball completely falling off, he’s going to find it challenging to get things going again tonight.
Butler continues to serve as the secondary ball handler alongside Curry. It’s been effective, and especially in games like this, he’s been indispensable. His ability to isolate and drive, as well as find the open man, is crucial when teams can match size against Curry. Butler will likely see plenty of ball-handling time again tonight, after finishing last game with 8 assists. He’s averaging nearly 5 assists per game this season, so reaching the 6-assist mark should be manageable.