The Golden State Warriors play against the San Antonio Spurs on Friday Night for their third In-Season tournament game of the season. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 PM PT in San Francisco and can be watched on ESPN and NBC Sports Bay Area.
Previously with the Warriors:
Golden State is looking to bounce back after Wednesday’s road loss against the Phoenix Suns. It was a bizarre game for the Dubs, particularly with regards to the officiating. Not only did the Warriors receive significantly less free throws than the Suns (29 free-throw attempts to the Suns’ 52 attempts), but they also saw starting guard Chris Paul ejected from the game after receiving two technical fouls.
With the game seemingly out of reach in the fourth quarter, head coach Steve Kerr left his bench unit in to finish the game. The group played hard led by veteran center Dario Saric and rookie Brandin Podziemski as they even cut the lead to as close as three points towards the end of the night. Unfortuantely, it was too little, too late as they would ultimately lose, 123-115.
What to watch for tonight:
Friday night’s game holds a lot of significance when it comes to keeping the Warriors’ In-Season tournament hopes alive. They currently rank third in the West Group C standings and face a potential elimination with a loss tonight and a combination of wins from several Western Conference teams.
With their tournament chances at stake, expect Golden State to play with a heightened sense of urgency on Friday night. Fortunately, they get a soft matchup against a 3-12 Spurs team with only one win in the month of November. They’ve lost their last 10 games in a row, including Wednesday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers 109-102.
Having said that, the Warriors cannot afford to underestimate their opponents right now considering they have multiple problems of their own. They still struggle to find consistency on offense, ranking 13th in the league with an offensive rating of 113.2.
One possible explanation for these struggles is their slower style of play this season. In previous years, the Warriors’ offense was among the top of the league in pace of play – thriving in the chaos created by Steph Curry and others. This season, however, they rank 13th with a pace of 99.94. Pushing the ball in transition should be beneficial for Golden State tonight, especially against a bigger team like San Antonio which features this year’s number-one overall pick, seven-foot-four big man Victor Wembanyama.
It should be a fun game. Enjoy the basketball Dub Nation. GO WARRIORS!!!
Projected Starters
Warriors: Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Kevon Looney
Spurs: Jeremy Sochan, Malaki Branham, Keldon Johnson, Victor Wembanyama, Zach Collins
How to watch Regular Season Game #17
Who: Golden State Warriors (7 – 9) vs. San Antonio Spurs (3 – 12)
When: Friday, November 24th, at 7:00 p.m. PT
Where: Chase Center, San Francisco, California
TV: ESPN and NBC Sports Bay Area (available on fuboTV)