San Antonio Spurs vs. Golden State Warriors 4/14/18, Prediction & Odds

Spurs vs. Warriors Prediction

The Golden State Warriors struggled without star point guard Steph Curry in the lineup in the latter portion of the regular season, dropping three of their last four games. Are the Warriors going to find their way this afternoon as they open the postseason versus the San Antonio Spurs?

Game Snapshot

501 San Antonio Spurs at 502 Golden State Warriors

Saturday, April 14, 2018

Oracle Arena at 3PM ET

TV: ABC

Public Betting Information

According to oddsmakers at YouWager, the Warriors are an 8-point favorite on the spread line. The over-under is set at 206 points. As of Saturday morning, 55 percent of public bets are coming in on host Golden State. Check out our NBA Public Betting Page for up-to-date information.

Leonard still a big question mark

Well, the playoffs are here and San Antonio star small forward Kawhi Leonard isn't. In the nine games Leonard was active this season, he was his usual self even in limited minutes per game. But he has been on the shelf the last several months with a mysterious quadricep injury and is already ruled out for Game 1 versus the Warriors. There is a chance he returns at some point this series, but time is obviously running short and I wouldn't exactly count on it. His absence has been impactful on both ends of the court. But while LaMarcus Aldridge has stepped his game up this season and been given creative leash on offense, San Antonio has no one to duplicate what Leonard provides as one of the NBA's elite defenders. Without him, it's hard to see the Spurs going very far.

Durant ready for huge series?

Any time Curry is out of the lineup, there is a good chance Kevin Durant has a gigantic stat line. His usage rate always rises when he becomes the unquestioned No. 1 option on offense. Durant has seen his numbers dip against San Antonio this season with a 23.7 points per game average in three outings plus 8.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists. But Curry's absence will force Durant to be more aggressive. If the Warriors are going to roll today, it's probably because San Antonio had no answer for Durant. My prediction is a 40-10-8 game.

NBA Betting Odds

San Antonio

The Spurs are 0-7 ATS in their last seven road games. San Antonio is 2-5 ATS in its last seven games versus Golden State. The over is 5-0 in the last five road games versus a team with a winning home record.

Golden State

The Warriors are 0-5 ATS in their last five home games. The over is 5-1 in the last six meetings in Golden State. Golden State is 0-4 ATS in its last four games versus a team with a losing road record.

Prediction:

I'm not sold on Golden State until Curry returns from injury and who knows when he'll be ready. And if he rushes back, he certainly won't be at 100 percent. I expect the Warriors to win this contest, but it should stay close until the end. San Antonio has confidence it can beat the Warriors after rolling to an 89-75 home win on March 19, while on March 10 the Spurs were edged 110-107 at Golden State. Look for Aldridge to make a huge impact and the Spurs to stay within the eight points even if they don't record the straight up upset victory.

NBA DAILY PREDICTION: SAN ANTONIO SPURS +8

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