Offense meets defense when the Golden State Warriors (53-17) travel to San Antonio to take on the Spurs (40-30). The game starts at 9:30 p.m. ET on Monday, March 19, 2018, and will air on ESPN.
The game’s Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 206 points with San Antonio opening as a 6.5-point favorite.
Golden State Warriors at San Antonio Spurs ATS Prediction
The Warriors come in on a high note after beating the Phoenix Suns in their last outing, 124-109. The Warriors forced 19 turnovers and had an effective field goal percentage of 0.595 (above their season average of 0.577). Golden State was led by Draymond Green, who contributed 25 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.
In the Spurs’ last matchup, they were victorious over the Minnesota Timberwolves, 117-101. The Spurs had a fantastically low turnover percentage of 4.7 (better than their season average of 12.1) and had an offensive rebounding percentage of 36.8 (above their season average of 23.2). LaMarcus Aldridge was the game’s leading scorer with 39 points on 14-for-22 shooting.
San Antonio might struggle to find the bottom of the net as they battle against one of the NBA’s best defenses. Golden State currently ranks seventh in defensive efficiency, while the Spurs rank 18th in offensive efficiency. It will also be a tale of two tempos as the fast-breaking Warriors rank fourth in possessions per game, while the more half-court oriented Spurs rank 29th.
Golden State has an excellent 53-17 straight up (SU) record, but they are just 29-38-3 against the spread (ATS). Vegas is exceedingly precise when predicting totals of Warriors games, with an even split between overs and unders.
Meanwhile, San Antonio owns records of 40-30 SU and 35-31-4 ATS. Vegas has typically been fairly accurate when predicting totals of Spurs games, with 38 unders compared to 31 overs.
The Warriors have won all three matchups against the Spurs this season, including a close 110-107 victory in their last matchup. Golden State was unable to cover as an 11-point favorite and the game finished with a total of 217 points, which was 5.5 points below the projected point total of 222.5 points. The Warriors made 20 of their 23 free throws (87.0 percent) and had a better turnover percentage (8.7 vs. 10.4). Kevin Durant recorded a double-double with 37 points and 11 rebounds.
Golden State Warriors vs. San Antonio Spurs ATS Pick
NBA Pick: SU Winner – Spurs, ATS Winner – Warriors, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes:
Golden State is 15-19-1 ATS on the road with 19 overs and 16 unders.
At home, San Antonio is 20-13-1 ATS with 18 overs and 16 unders.
San Antonio is 27-10 when they allow under 100 points, while Golden State is 13-3.
The Spurs are 32-10 when they score over 100 points, while the Warriors are 50-12.
Golden State ranks first in fast break points per game (20.3) while San Antonio ranks 22nd (10.2).
The Spurs rank 10th in second chance points per game (12.9) while the Warriors rank last in second chance points allowed per game (13.8).
San Antonio ranks ninth in points off turnovers allowed per game (15.2) while Golden State ranks 27th (18.8).
The Warriors rank 12th in three pointers attempted per game (29.6) while the Spurs rank 27th (24.4).
San Antonio ranks 15th in steals allowed per game (7.7) while Golden State ranks 28th (8.8).
The Spurs rank 12th in points allowed in the paint per game (43.5) while the Warriors rank 25th (46.9).
Golden State ranks first in assists per game (30.0) while San Antonio ranks 12th (23.0).
Both of these teams are great at blocking the ball. The Warriors lead the league with 7.7 blocks per game while the Spurs are fourth with 5.6 blocks per game.
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Golden State is 2-3 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs.
San Antonio is 3-2 ATS with 4 unders and 1 over over their last five games.
The Warriors have been outscored by an average of 0.4 points in their last five games. On the season, Golden State has defeated opponents by an average of 7.9 points.
During their last five games, the Spurs have scored an average of 102.0 points per game (0.4 below their season average) and allowed an average of 95.8 points per game (3.5 below their season average).
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