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Golden State Warriors vs San Antonio Spurs: NBA live scores, blog

21st May, 2017
Where: AT&T Center, San Antonio
When: 11:00am AEDT
Betting Odds: Golden State Warriors $1.22, San Antonio Spurs $4.50 (Sportsbet)
The Golden State Warriors are more likely to chase a championship than records this year. (Photo: AP)
Roar Guru
21st May, 2017
50
1070 Reads

Game three moves to San Antonio where the Spurs fight to keep their playoff hopes alive against a mercurial Warriors outfit.

Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match, starting from 11:00am AEST.

In game one, the Warriors came from nowhere to steal an unlikely victory, and in game two the Spurs looked a shadow of the team that won 62 games in the regular season and were dubbed finals contenders for 2017.

Much has been made of Kawhi Leonard’s injury that he picked up in game one, and despite no structural damage occurring the MVP finalist will not be taking part in game three.

In a playoff series where they had already lost Tony Parker, this is a mammoth double blow for the men from San Antonio.

On game three – the Spurs will need to play as if it is game seven.

Last start, they were flogged by 36 points in a demolition job. Their bigs completely failed to show up – LeMarcus Aldridge in particular had a night to forget, in one half scoring only two points and getting the same number of boards.

This combined with an extremely efficient Warriors outfit at the offensive end should spell warning signs for the Spurs.

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So… No Kawhi, no Parker and a seemingly unstoppable Warriors outfit keen to avenge the demons of 2016. It begs the question; how do the Spurs win?

The answer lies in the battle of the smalls. With Pachulia listed as “questionable” to take the court, the battle between Draymond Green and LeMarcus Aldridge should set tongues wagging.

Whoever gains the ascendancy in this contest within a contest can expect to rack up a number of points and assists.

We know how dangerous the Warriors are in open space, and even with the inconsistent form of Klay Thompson recently, they are the best three-point shooting team in the NBA.

If they are hot and Green can gain the upper hand in the paint, bye bye Spurs.

However, don’t count out Simmons and Mills. If the Warriors start slowly and the Spurs can gain some traction offensively, we may see a thriller.

Not much more needs to be said about the game. As Ginobli says “tonight is our game seven”. It becomes awfully difficult for the Spurs to win this series if they get beaten tonight, even with the incumbent return of Leonard in game 4.

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Prediction
The Spurs will bring a level of intensity not seen in games 1 or 2 tonight. Expect LeMarcus Aldridge to bounce back from an average last start and be extremely productive in the paint. I think the Warriors will still win this in a close affair, but it will not be a blowout.

Warriors by 8

Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match, starting from 11:00am AEST.

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