Monday, April 16, 2018

NBA Playoffs: Golden State and San Antonio Game Two

NBA Playoffs 2018

Spurs Look to Avoid 0-2 Start to NBA Playoffs



The San Antonio Spurs and the Golden State Warriors will meet Monday in game two of their NBA Playoffs series. The two perennial powerhouses will square off at Oracle Arena. The Spurs are looking to avoid starting the series down two games to none.

Oddsmakers opened the Warriors as -9.5-point favorites versus the Spurs, while the game's total opened at 207. The line has held pretty steady, but the total is down to 204.5 or 205 at most sportsbooks.

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT, FS Southwest (San Antonio), NBCS Bay Area (Golden State)

The Warriors came into the NBA Playoffs injured and slumping. They quickly proved they can flip the switch to playoff mode at a moments notice. They had a dominating Game 1 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday.

The Warriors will try to keep the pressure on and get off to another hot start to make it a 2-0 cushion when they host the Spurs in Game 2 on Monday.

Golden State dropped 10 of its last 17 games in the regular season. They struggled on defense during the stretch and in Game One. They tightened things up that end and held the Spurs to 17 first-quarter points.

Spurs Have to Get Offense Going in NBA Playoffs



San Antonio's starting unit was awful and only LaMarcus Aldridge (14 points) scored in double figures among the starting five.

The Spurs shot 40 percent from the floor in Game 1. They managed only three offensive rebounds in the 113-92 shellacking. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich started Rudy Gay in the second half over Kyle Anderson to generate more offense. He could insert Gay into the starting lineup for Game 2.

Coach Pop switched to Pau Gasol at center in the Spurs' turnaround against the Rockets last season. That is a move he also could make Monday, with Gasol having come off the bench in Game 1.

Spurs PG Tony Parker - a career 46.1 percent shooter in 222 postseason games - went 1-of-8 from the floor on Saturday.

Warriors Concentrating on Defense in NBA Playoffs



After leading the NBA in scoring during a 58-win regular season, the Warriors focused on defense in Game 1 of the postseason. Coach Steve Kerr moved Andre Iguodala into the starting lineup. This was an attempt to give the game a defensive tone from the start.

The Spurs shot just 35 percent in the first quarter. They were held to 17 points, falling behind by as many as 14 points. It looks like the strategy worked.

The Spurs finished the game at 40.0 percent from the floor. The Warriors held five opponents below 100 in the playoffs last season. They won all five of games.

The Golden State defense was especially tough on San Antonio star LaMarcus Aldridge. He was held to 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting. Aldridge also shot 5 of 12 in the Spurs' regular-season finale against New Orleans. That loss that dropped San Antonio into the undesirable first-round matchup with the Warriors.

Aldridge averaged 23.1 points and 18.0 shots from the field during the regular season. JaVale McGee had the defensive assignment on Aldridge. He actually outscored him 9-4 in the Warriors' first-quarter runaway.

 



Golden State Warriors NBA Playoffs Betting Trends





San Antonio Spurs NBA Playoffs Betting Trends

























































































Next up:
San Antonio home to Golden State Thursday, April 19

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