What’s up with the Spurs?
The Spurs recently snapped their five-game losing streak with a 111-93 victory over the short-handed Bucks. Keldon Johnson spearheaded the attack with 29 points while Devin Vassell chipped in with 22 points. Milwaukee was without Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, Pat Connaughton, Grayson Allen, Joe Ingles, AJ Green, and Khris Middleton, and the Spurs took full advantage.
It was a great victory for the Spurs who are still navigating their way through a tough Western Conference. After Dejounte Murray left for the Hawks in the offseason, there was a huge void that needed to be filled.
The 23-year-old Johnson is currently the team’s leading scorer with 23.6 points per game followed by Vassell who’s averaging 21.0 points. The Spurs have been doing a lot of scoring by committee with four other players breaching double figures. They’re also first in assists with 29.3 per game. The offense has been humming albeit not perfectly but there have been flashes of the old Spurs’ brand of basketball where the ball moves beautifully. The defense, on the other hand, still needs a ton of work, ranking 28th in defensive rating.
The season is young and the Spurs can quietly become a Play-In team. A road win against the defending champions would be a huge confidence booster.
What’s up with the Warriors?
Golden State’s road troubles continued after losing to the Kings in Sacramento on Monday. The Warriors remain winless on the road with a 0-7 record. They’ll face the Spurs next at home where they are 5-1 so far.
For the defending champions, home is where the heart is. In the last two games at Chase Center in San Francisco, Steph Curry scored a combined 87 points. He’s doing all he can to keep his team afloat with averages of 33.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 6.7 assists. He’s playing at an MVP level so far with no signs of slowing down.
Curry is backstopped by Andrew Wiggins who’s racking up 18.4 points and is fresh off a 26-point performance versus the Kings. The Warriors’ offense has been relatively okay so far with Curry putting up monster numbers. What’s missing for them is championship-level defense. They’re ranked 27th in defensive rating and they give up the most points at 119.2 per game.
With their game against the Spurs at home, you can expect the Warriors to put on a show in front of their fans. They’ll aim to implement their offensive style while they still work out their defensive schemes.
