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Golden State at San Antonio NBA Playoffs Odds & Game 4 Pick
When: Monday, May 22, 9 PM ET
Where: AT&T Center, San Antonio
TV: ESPN
NBA Odds: Warriors -12 (216.5)
Why Bet On Golden State?
The Warriors would love to finish this off and then get plenty of rest for a likely NBA Finals matchup with Cleveland. I don’t really see how the Spurs have a shot here without Leonard. The Dubs stayed unbeaten in these playoffs with a 120-108 win in Game 3.Kevin Durant put on an offensive clinic, scoring 33 points with 10 rebounds, four assists, two steals, one block and three 3-pointers. He was on fire in the third quarter with 19 points in that frame, scoring the majority of those points in contested situations. KD scored against eight different defenders, so coach Gregg Popovich just didn’t have an answer. It was his third 30-point, 10-board game in these playoffs to get him to 16 in his career.
Stephen Curry scored 21 points with five rebounds, three assists, six steals and three 3-pointers in 34 minutes. He passed Rick Barry for the Warriors all-time postseason record for points scored. Klay Thompson scored 17 points with six rebounds. JaVale McGee started for Zaza Pachulia (heel) in Game 3, scoring 16 points with one rebound and one block in 13 minutes.
Pachulia is being listed as questionable for Monday’s Game 4. With the Dubs up 3-0 in this series, they have the luxury of holding Pachulia out if they feel there’s any risk of him suffering a setback; particularly with Leonard (ankle) looking unlikely for the Spurs. Andre Iguodala (left knee soreness) is being listed as probable for Monday’s Game 4. Iguodala logged 19 minutes off the bench on Saturday despite the sore knee.
In this postseason, Curry leads the Warriors in scoring (27.9 ppg), steals (2.09 spg), and free throw percentage (.903); Draymond Green leads the team in rebounding (8.7 rpg), assists (7.1 apg), and blocks (2.27 bpg); McGee leads the team in field goal percentage (.735).
Golden State is the third team in NBA history to start the postseason 11-0, joining the 1989 and 2001 Los Angeles Lakers. The Warriors have won 26 of their last 27 games, including the regular season. Golden State has won at least one road game in each of its last 14 playoff series dating back to the 2013 First Round, extending a franchise record.
Why Bet On San Antonio?
Because of injuries, the Spurs tipped off Game 3 against the Warriors with a starting lineup featuring Patty Mills, Jonathon Simmons, Kyle Anderson, Danny Green and LaMarcus Aldridge. It marked the first time all season that particular group started a game together, and the collection had played a combined six minutes all season.Leonard went down in the third quarter of Game 1 and the Spurs just haven’t been the same since. It’s doubtful he plays here; down 3-0, there’s no chance of the Spurs winning the series so no use risking serious damage to their superstar.
When Leonard originally suffered the ankle injury in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Houston Rockets, the club made it clear it will always prioritize a player’s long-term health over single games, a franchise practice that dates back to the early Tim Duncan years.
In addition, Spurs center David Lee is expected to miss Game 4 due to a knee injury. An MRI confirmed that Lee has a partially torn patellar tendon. He will be re-evaluated in a few days to determine whether surgery is needed. Lee suffered the injury in the first quarter of San Antonio’s 120-108 loss on Saturday night and did not return. He left the game with 2:57 remaining in the first quarter, after he scored on a layup contested by Draymond Green.
The only bright spot from Game 3 was Manu Ginobili. He thrived off the bench in scoring 21 points with one rebound, two assists, one steal and two 3-pointers in just 18 minutes. He was the best player for the Spurs and it wasn’t close. Ginobili scored the most points off the bench by a player 39 or older in a playoff game since stats were first tracked in 1970-71. This could be his final game as the future Hall of Fame guard said he’s going to take some time off to decide if he wants to retire.
Ginobili is one of only nine players in NBA postseason history (Kobe Bryant, Scottie Pippen, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Clyde Drexler) and the only Spurs player in franchise history with at least 2,500 points (2,994), 800 rebounds (858), 700 assists (804) and 250 steals (282) in the playoffs. He is only in NBA history besides LeBron to record at least 800 rebounds, 800 assists and 300 three-pointers.
