On Wednesday night, the Golden State Warriors will take on the Indiana Pacers at Oracle Arena, and the debate right now is not whether the Warriors will win, but rather how much they will win by.
15 points? 20? 25? 30 or more?
Vegas says the Warriors are favored by 11, which is generous for a team that has just demolished opponents on all four games of this homestand thus far by an average of 25 points, more than Stephen Curry‘s per game production. The Timberwolves and 76ers had no chance from the opening tip, the Raptors hung in it for the first half until the Warriors went berserk, and then they made a Thunder team with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook healthy look like the 76ers.
So, the 14-22 Pacers, whose leading scorer is C.J. Miles? The Pacers, who have Solomon Hill playing 32.1 minutes per game?
Yeah, there’s no limit to how soundly a beating the Warriors will administer the Pacers.
Key Matchups
David West vs. Draymond Green: This will perhaps be the lone highlight matchup of the night. West and Green are both hard-nosed, high-intensity players who are not afraid to mix it up and be physical on the low block. In addition, both can shoot the jumper with accuracy, although West can’t shoot threes like Green. Nonetheless, regardless of the score between the two teams, the battle of the 4’s will be worth watching.
Roy Hibbert vs. Marreese Speights: If Andrew Bogut and Festus Ezeli remain out, then Speights will be tasked again with handling the opponent’s big man. Hibbert is 7’2″, and will likely get all he wants when posting up and will have a huge size advantage on the glass. But Speights can exploit Hibbert on the other end with his quickness and ability to hit the mid-range jumper. Coming off a 1-of-8 shooting night on Monday, look for Speights to have a strong comeback game.
Stephen Curry vs. C.J. Watson: Remember C.J. Watson, who the Warriors called up from the D-League back in 2008 and has turned into a solid NBA point guard? Watson, who just recovered from an injury, is now starting for the Pacers in the absence of Paul George. Comparing Curry to Watson is unfair, but if anything, it’s always nice to see a former Warrior in Watson take the floor.
Key to Winning the Game:
1. Put it away early: The Warriors are clearly the better team here, and coming out of the game strong like they did against the Thunder will save them a lot of unnecessary time and effort.
2. Don’t turn the ball over: This should be a key to every game, but it is especially key against inferior opponents. Don’t give the Pacers a chance to think they can win by giving them free possessions.
3. Stay healthy: This is an early January game against a 14-22 team from the Eastern Conference. Play hard as always, but the Warriors need to keep it smart and stay out of the medical room.
Prediction
Warriors by 20. Isn’t it amazing how we just expect them to win these types of games nowadays?
For Old Times’ Sake
Turn the clock back nearly a decade, when Stephen Jackson channeled his inner Robert Horry and crushed the Warriors’ hearts with this buzzer beater:
Ironically, Jackson was traded to the Warriors just 46 days later, where he would become an integral part of the “We Believe” squad.