The Golden State Warriors (62-6) and their first-ranked offense travel to San Antonio (58-10) to take on the Spurs and their first-ranked defense. Action begins at 8:30 pm ET on Saturday, Mar. 19 and can be seen on ABC.
The Spurs enter this game hoping for similar success after topping the Trail Blazers 118-110 on Thursday. Tony Parker was a key piece, recording his third double-double of the season with 18 points and 16 assists. The Warriors, meanwhile, are coming off a 130-112 win against the Mavericks on Friday. Klay Thompson was the game’s top scorer, registering 39 points on 14-for-22 shooting.
LaMarcus Aldridge has taken his game to another level over the last five games for the Spurs. During that stretch, he has averaged 23.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.4 blocks. Thompson has been hot for the Warriors. In the same five-game span, he is averaging 26.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 0.6 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 5.6 three-pointers.
This showdown pits one of the league’s top offenses against one of its elite defenses, as San Antonio currently ranks third in the NBA in offensive efficiency and Golden State is fifth in defensive efficiency. Also, the Warriors’s first-ranked offense (offensive efficiency of 113.4) will face off against the first-ranked defense of the Spurs (defensive efficiency of 96.2).
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Warriors winning the first matchup 120-90. In the victory, Stephen Curry led all scorers on the team with 37 points.
The Spurs have gone 58-10 Straight Up (SU) and 40-28 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 58-10 SU and 40-28 ATS against the Western Conference. The Spurs are one of the best in the NBA in terms of free throw percentage, shooting an impressive .804 from the free throw line. San Antonio is the most disciplined team in the league with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.00.
In the other locker room, the Warriors have 62-6 SU and 37-28-3 ATS records. Against the Western Conference, Golden State is 62-6 SU and 37-28-3 ATS. The Warriors are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking second in the NBA at 1.97.
Golden State beat San Antonio in their most recent meeting this season, but the win was not enough to overtake San Antonio in the most recent head-to-head series. Its record is now 2-8 SU over the last 10 meetings. With a 7-3 record, the Spurs also have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – GS
Notes
“San Antonio is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games “.
“San Antonio is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games “.
“The total has gone UNDER in 9 of San Antonio’s last 12 games “.
“San Antonio is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home”.
“San Antonio is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Antonio’s last 6 games at home”.
“San Antonio is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Golden State”.
“San Antonio is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing Golden State”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 9 of San Antonio’s last 13 games when playing Golden State”.
“San Antonio is 17-7 ATS in its last 24 games when playing at home against Golden State”.
“San Antonio is 24-1 SU in its last 25 games when playing at home against Golden State”.
Golden State’s offense and San Antonio’s defense are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per game and points allowed per game respectively. Golden State puts up an average of 0.0 points per game, while San Antonio gives up 0.0 points per game.
Golden State and San Antonio are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Golden State puts up an average of 0.0 points on the road, while San Antonio gives up 0.0 points at home on average.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Spurs are 48-4 on the season. When the Warriors score fewer than 100, they are a losing 1-4.
When the Spurs give up 100 or more points, they are 10-6. When the Warriors hit triple digits, they also have a winning record (61-2).
The Spurs have the third-best offensive rating in the NBA (109.7). The Warriors are also in the top half of the league based on their defensive rating of 101.4 (ranked fifth).
Golden State beats San Antonio in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Warriors average 102.2 possessions and 1.134 points per possession, while the Spurs average 95.5 possessions with 1.097 points per possession.
San Antonio has an average effective field goal percentage of 53.2%, second-ranked in the NBA. Golden State is a stellar 9-2 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, San Antonio attempts 18.0 three pointers and Golden State attempts 31.0 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Spurs have a 1-2 record while the Warriors have a dazzling 57-5 record.
San Antonio has the best assist to turnover ratio in the NBA this season with 2.00. Golden State ranks slightly lower, at second, with an A/TO of 1.97.
The Golden State Warriors are one of the best rebounding teams in the league, earning 46.4 rebounds per game (ranked third). The San Antonio Spurs rank 10th, rebounding 44.3 times each contest.
The Golden State Warriors rank 19th in offensive rebounding, while the San Antonio Spurs rank fourth in defensive rebounding.
On average, the Spurs force a turnover rate of 15.0%, ranked ninth in the NBA. When the Warriors turn over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a tremendous 28-3 record.
