Golden State Warriors set to sweep Spurs in first round
The Golden State Warriors are primed to complete their 4-0 sweep against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday at the AT&T Center.
Following a 110-97 win last Thursday at the AT&T Center, the Golden State Warriors are set to sweep the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday at 12:30 p.m., finally putting an end to a rather anticlimactic first round.
The Dubs have controlled nearly every moment of this matchup, convincingly defeating the seventh-seeded Spurs in each contest. Playing without their best players (and possibly their head coach), San Antonio has been forced to rely on names such as LaMarcus Aldridge and Rudy Gay, both of whom have had no answers for the gold and blue.
Considering Golden State’s constant issues with the NBA injury bug, it’s certainly in their best interest to end the round Sunday and use whatever time they have before the start of the second round to rest up.
While no one can ever truly rule out the Spurs, it’s safe to say that the Warriors know what’s at stake and are prepared to do whatever it takes to prevent the series from going back to Oakland. Hopefully the Dubs can avoid adding anymore names to the injury list and start preparing for the New Orleans Pelicans with a full squad.
ICYMI, here's our 4 takeaways from Game 3 vs. the Spurs: What's with all the injuries? What's with KD's 3pt shot? Is Playoff Iguodala a real thing? Take a look: https://t.co/PlNt8kx2Pk
— Blue Man Hoop (@BlueManHoop) April 21, 2018
Game Details
Golden State Warriors at San Antonio Spurs
Tip-Off: Sunday, April 22, 2018 at 12:30 p.m. PDT
Location: AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX
TV: ABC
Radio: 95.7 The Game, Warriors Radio Network
Projected Starting Lineups
San Antonio Spurs
PG: Patty Mills
SG: Dejounte Murray
SF: Danny Green
PF: Rudy Gay
Head Coach: Gregg Popovich
Golden State Warriors
PG: Andre Iguodala
SG: Nick Young
SF: Kevin Durant
PF: Draymond Green
C: JaVale McGee
Head Coach: Steve Kerr
Injury Report
GSW: Stephen Curry (left MCL sprain) and Patrick McCaw (lumbar spine contusion) are listed out for the remainder of the first round.
SAS: TBD, but Kawhi Leonard is for sure not with the team, just saying.
Next: 4 takeaways from Game 3 vs. Spurs
Keys to the Game
The keys to the game are simple: lock in defensively and try to stay healthy.
I think Golden State’s defensive intensity should be the team’s primary focus because this is quite possibly the best team defense we’ve seen them play all year, and it would be a waste of time if they didn’t continue to polish their defensive principles heading into the Western Conference semifinals.
As of Sunday morning, the Dubs are second in the league in defensive rating at 97.8, which is much better than their regular season mark of 104.2 (ninth in NBA). Additionally, the Warriors are operating at a league-high 20.2 net rating, as opposed to their regular season net rating of 8.0 (second in NBA).
The reigning NBA champions have had a slight bit of trouble offensively, but that could defensively change as soon as one former MVP returns to the rotation in the second round.
(All game information provided via Warriors PR)