by Chuck Sommers
Friday, Jan 13, 2023
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Alamodome, San Antonio, TX
Where to watch: ESPN
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Warriors -8; Warriors -325, Spurs +270; O/U 241
FanDuel: Warriors -8; Warriors -330, Spurs +265; O/U 240.5
BetMGM: Warriors -8.5; Warriors -350, Spurs +280; O/U 240.5
Caesars: Warriors -8; Warriors -357, Spurs +275; O/U 241
Season record
Warriors: 20-21
Spurs: 13-29
We’re nearing the halfway mark of the season in the NBA and it’s been quite the ride so far. Al McMordie is cashing hard at 22-15-0 in the last 30 days, while Doc’s Sports has also had a strong run of form as of late at 14-10-0 (+$3,000). If they’ve been killing it as much as they were in the first half, what does the second half have in store? The only way you’re going to find out is by staying locked on bigal.com and following what our champion handicappers are up to heading into the final 41 games. Trust us, you want to know.
Warriors - Spurs preview, prediction and analysis
Recent form
Warriors: lost 125-113 vs. Suns
Spurs: lost 135-129 at Grizzlies
The good news for the Golden State Warriors is that Steph Curry is back in the lineup after missing 11 games and things will soon be back to the way they were with order being restored in the Western Conference in due time. The bad news is that the Warriors lost in Curry’s first game back against the bangda Phoenix Suns by a final score of 125-113 in which the warriors were 12.5-point favorites.
But it is OK if you are a Warriors fan because Golden State now hits the road to take on the San Antonio Spurs, a team that is barreling toward the bottom in the standings, but we'll have a lot to cheer for in this game on Friday. This game will be taking place in the Alamodome, better known as the football stadium currently used by the UTSA college football program and there is to be an excess of about 50,000 people in this stadium for this game in early January.
I have no idea how the spurs were able to laying the game of this magnitude and I have no idea how this game is considered a neutral site when it is literally in San Antonio, but nevertheless there are going to be 50,000 plus people in attendance to watch Golden State literally blitz the hell out of the spurs and send every one down the river walk crying tears of sadness.
As expected, it was a rust filled showing for the reigning finals and MVP in his return to the lineup. He did have 24 points, but finished just eight of 22 from the floor and only five makes out of 15 attempts from 3 point range. Klay Thompson led the way with 29 points but still shot under 50% by going 10 of 24, and it was Jordan Poole leading the way with 27 points on 8 of 15 shooting.
Curry being out of the lineup has definitely not helped Golden State in its quest to climb its way back atop the Western Conference standings but the fact that the warriors are only 20-21 on the season and haven't completely bottomed out would indicate that this is a good sign for Golden State. Prior to their current three-game losing streak, Golden State had actually won five in a row and got wins over Memphis, Portland, and Utah.
Sure they were all at home and this is the first road game in nine games for Golden State, but it's the fact that they actually won those games when things were seemingly bleak about a few weeks ago. I don't know if we're going to look at Golden State and point to that Memphis win on Christmas Day as the turning point in all this but it is a possibility to think about it.
The rough season that it has been for the spurs has not gotten any better as of lately losing six of the last seven, but covering in six of their last seven. The spurs have been able to keep games close and have played very competitively against some of the top teams in the NBA, including two single digit losses to the Memphis Grizzlies, a five point loss to the Boston Celtics, and a one point loss to the Dallas Mavericks. But the spurs have been able to cover in seven of their last eight overall and while the line has not been released as of right now, I have no doubt that we could be staring at a double digit spread for San Antonio and it could make the betting angle of this very interesting.
Prediction
Even though this is going Be a glorified home game for San Antonio, I can't put it past Golden State knowing that they are going to have a full, healthy lineup and that is going to trump a lot of what San Antonio wants to do. Unlike the other games in recent memory for the spurs, Golden State will not fall short of doing what it should do in this game which is dominate and I believe Curry will lead the way with that. Warriors 125, Spurs 100
Betting trends
Warriors are 15-5 ATS on Friday nights the last 2 seasons.
Spurs are 0-8 ATS against Pacific Division teams this season.
Spurs are 14-27 ATS at home when playing 6 or more games in 10 days the last 3 seasons.
Projected starting lineup
Warriors:
PG: Steph Curry
SG: Klay Thompson
SF: Andrew Wiggins
PF: Draymond Green
C: Kevon Looney
Spurs:
PG: Tre Jones
SG: Romeo Langford
SF: Keldon Johnson
PF: Jeremy Sochan
C: Jakob Poeltl
Injury report
Warriors: James Wiseman (ankle, out), Jonathan Kuminga (foot, out), JaMychal Green (leg, out)
Spurs: Devin Vassell (knee, out)
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert basketball picks today. And if you enjoyed this Golden State Warriors - San Antonio Spurs prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NBA projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
