Game Preview: Spurs v Warriors

The Golden State Warriors head to the Lone Star State to face off with the San
Antonio Spurs at AT & T Center on Saturday night. The Warriors (52-13) are
clinging to a 1.5-game lead over second-seeded San Antonio in the Western
Conference, and given that they’ll rest four key players Saturday, that may well
shrink to a half-game by night’s end. Golden State’s edge has narrowed over the
last few nights, as they’ve dropped consecutive games to the Boston Celtics, and
most recently, the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Warriors fell by a heartbreaking
103-102 score, as Andrew Wiggins drained the go-ahead free throws with 12.8
seconds remaining. Klay Thompson led the way with 30 points, six rebounds, two
assists and one steal. Stephen Curry posted 26 points, seven assists, six
rebounds and one steal. Ian Clark was the only other player to manage double
digits in the scoring column, as he contributed 10 points off the bench, which
he supplemented with four rebounds, two assists and one steal. Zaza Pachulia
turned in a modest but productive stat line of nine points, five rebounds, three
assists, three steals and one block. Draymond Green struggled, submitting just
six points, seven assists, six rebounds, two steals and one block. Head coach
Steve Kerr has announced that Thompson, Curry, Green and Iguodala will all sit
out Saturday night’s contest for rest, which should thrust the likes of Patrick
McCaw, David West, Clark, Shaun Livingston and Matt Barnes into much more
prominent roles. The Spurs (50-14) saw a nine-game winning streak snapped
against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night, 102-92. Russell Westbrook
spearheaded OKC’s cause with another triple-double, and the Spurs saw Kawhi
Leonard exit the contest in the third quarter with a head injury that was
ultimately deemed a concussion. Leonard did lead San Antonio with 19 points, two
assists, two rebounds and one steal over 26 minutes. LaMarcus Aldridge posted 17
points, six rebounds and one assist. Pau Gasol led the bench with 18 points,
seven boards and one assist as the only other player on the team to hit double
digits in the scoring column. Dewayne Dedmon was the next most productive
starter in terms of overall contributions with eight points, eight rebounds, one
assist, two blocks and one steal. Danny Green registered nine points, three
assists, one rebound, one steal and one block. San Antonio will check in to
Saturday’s contest with a trio of injuries. Leonard has already been ruled out,
while Tony Parker (back) and Kyle Anderson (leg) are likely to be listed as
questionable. Saturday’s game will mark the second of three meetings between the
teams this season. San Antonio shocked Golden State by a 129-100 score on
Opening Night at Oracle Arena on Oct. 25.