Golden State Warriors vs San Antonio Spurs 2/1/22: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Betting Odds, Live Stream
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Golden State Warriors vs San Antonio Spurs Matchup Preview (2/1/22)
The Golden State Warriors travel to face the San Antonio Spurs Tuesday night in a matchup between former rivals. The Warriors have rediscovered their dominance from earlier in the season through recent quality wins against the Jazz, Mavericks, Timberwolves, and Nets. Against the Nets, Curry and Klay were very inefficient, but Andrew Wiggins was able to save the day with 24 points and 8 rebounds. Wiggins was selected to the All Star game for the first time in his career. His status as starter was a controversial pick, but there is no doubt as to his impact. Wiggins is an elite 3&D wing filling the familiar role of Harrison Barnes, although at a higher level of play. For this game against the Spurs, Draymond Green and James Wiseman will be out. Otto Porter Jr and Nemanja Bjelica are game time decisions. Porter Jr has thrived in the starting lineup in place of Draymond with five straight games with 10+ points. The Warriors will look to continue their chase of the 1st seed Suns with a win over the surprisingly tough Spurs.
The Spurs are coming off a close 115-110 loss to the Suns. Star point guard Dejounte Murray did not play, which makes the close loss that much better. The Spurs entered the 4th quarter up 12 points, but the experienced Suns took the quarter 36-19. It is disappointing to blow a 12-point lead, yet the fact that they were even up that much is a great sign for their young talent. Sharpshooter Doug McDermott poured in 24 points on 6 threes. Lonnie Walker dominated the Suns second unit to the tune of 22 points and 5 assists on a 47.6 FG%. It was not enough though because the Suns backcourt of Chris Paul (20 points, 8 rebounds, 19 assists) and Devin Booker (28 points, 4 rebounds) rallied the Suns to a victory. The Spurs will look to continue their recent level of play against an elite Warriors team. Dejounte Murray is expected to play, which will be a huge boost. Keita Bates-Diop is questionable; rookie Joshua Primo will absorb his minutes in case of his absence. Primo showed promise against the Suns, scoring 13 points on 5/10 shooting.
Golden State Warriors vs San Antonio Spurs Betting Odds
The Spurs defeated the Warriors 112-107 on December 4th in their only previous matchup this season. The trio of Murray, White, and Walker paced the Spurs. In the starting backcourt, Murray had a near triple-double of 23 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists, while Derrick White scored 25 points on 8/16 shooting. Off the bench, Lonnie Walker IV scored 21 points and grabbed 4 rebounds. On the Warriors side, the sole player who played to their standard was Curry, who scored 27 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, and facilitated 5 assists. The Warriors will seek to even the series 1-1 against the 19-32 Spurs. I am going with the Warriors in this one to win by 8+ points due to their recent play and talent advantage. Curry’s shooting has cooled off since Christmas, but he is still a threat capable of going nuclear any game.
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TV Schedule
Date: 2/1/22
Time: 8:30 PM ET
Arena: AT&T Center – San Antonio, TX
Channel: NBA League Pass
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Golden State Warriors Starting Lineup
PG: Stephen Curry
SG: Klay Thompson
SF: Andrew Wiggins
PF: Otto Porter Jr
C: Kevon Looney
Golden State Warriors Analysis
The Warriors are dealing with a young team who has no expectations. That is a dangerous combination to face, so the Splash Bros will need to have a good shooting night. Dejounte Murray’s defense will definitely affect Curry; it is just a matter of how much. The other Spurs starter Derrick White is a solid defender, but he is not close to Murray’s level. Because of this, the Warriors may use Curry as a decoy whose job is to facilitate the basketball. A 20/10 game is a more likely outcome to me for Curry than a 35-point explosion with 5 assists. Klay Thompson is coming off a horrific pair of injuries, and he is still shaking the rust off. Unexpectedly, Klay has been vastly more efficient as a pick and roll ball handler rather than as a spot up shooter. The Warriors may seek to give the ball to Klay more in order to avoid Murray’s terrifying defense, which could help Klay clear 20 points.
It seems unorthodox, but the Warriors may want to stick Andrew Wiggins’ ferocious defense on Doug McDermott (41.9 3PT%) in order to quench his flamethrower of a shot. With McDermott’s shot dampened, the Spurs would not be able to keep up with the Warriors constant barrage of threes. The Spurs are 1st in the NBA at percent of total points that are two pointers (58.1%). As they would find out, it is incredibly hard for a team that relies on two-point shots to keep up with a team that consistently hits threes. Without McDermott hitting 6+ threes, the Warriors will hold a great edge in shooting.
San Antonio Spurs Starting Lineup
PG: Dejounte Murray
SG: Derrick White
SF: Doug McDermott
PF: Keldon Johnson
C: Jakob Poeltl
San Antonio Spurs Analysis
The Spurs require a strong performance from Dejounte Murray, both offensively and defensively. The Spurs offense often revolves around Murray in the pick and roll, which is problematic since the Warriors are 1st in pick and roll defense (0.76 Points Per Possession allowed). Derrick White’s shot this season (41.9 FG% and 29.8 3PT%) has been an obstacle at times, but as the previous Warriors matchup indicates, he can score 20+ points on an efficient night. White’s success as the pick and roll ball handler gives the Spurs a versatile backcourt since both players can command the offense. Murray will be targeted by the stifling Warriors defense, so White could see the same boost in responsibilities as Klay.
The clear advantage for the Spurs is the center battle between Jakob Poeltl and Kevon Looney. Poeltl cleared the 20 point, 10 rebound barrier in three of his last seven games. Looney’s defense is solid at best, so Poeltl will have the chance to exploit that weakness with Draymond and out. Easy offensive rebounds and second chance points would go a long way for a Spurs team that does not have the perimeter firepower to match the Warriors. Poeltl’s rim protection is vital since the other defenders can stick to the three point line and contest every jump shot without worrying about the opponent driving.
Golden State Warriors vs San Antonio Spurs Daily Fantasy Picks
I like Klay Thompson for three reasons: The Spurs are 27th in Spot Up defense, Klay will have a higher usage with Curry hounded by Murray, and his minutes have increased to the high 20’s the last three games. It is a perfect combination for Klay to have a monster game. I like him to score 25+ points on a great shooting night. I also like Jakob Poeltl to get a double-double in this matchup with 18+ points. Looney is vulnerable to opposing centers, so look for Poeltl to control the glass, get some easy putbacks, and post up Looney.
