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Game Preview: Warriors at Spurs - 11/2/17

The Warriors' road trip continues in San Antonio when the Dubs take on the Spurs on Thursday.

Warriors at SpursThursday, November 25:00 p.m.AT&T Center

WATCH: NBCSBA, TNT
RADIO: 95.7 The Game, Warriors Radio Network

ON TO SAN ANTONIO

After scoring an NBA season-high 141 points in their win over the Clippers on Monday, the Warriors will look to make it two wins in a row to begin their road trip when they take on the Spurs in San Antonio on Thursday. This will be the first of four matchups between the two teams this season, with each side hosting two games on their home court. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. (Pacific). Watch the action on NBC Sports Bay Area and TNT, or listen to the call on 95.7 The Game and the Warriors Radio Network.

LAST TIME OUT
Despite playing their second game in as many nights, the Warriors turned in their best performance of the young season on Monday, racing past the Clippers by a score of 141-113 in Los Angeles. Full Recap

HEAD-TO-HEAD LAST SEASON
The Spurs took two of the three meetings between the teams last season, but it was the Warriors that got the last laugh. The last time San Antonio and Golden State faced off, the Warriors completed a four-game sweep of the Spurs in the 2017 Western Conference Finals.

PROJECTED STARTERS

GSW: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Zaza Pachulia

SAS: DeJounte Murray, Danny Green, Kyle Anderson, LaMarcus Aldridge and Pau Gasol

INJURY & ROSTER NOTES

GSW: Damian Jones is on G League assignment. Team Notes

SAS: Kawhi Leonard (right quadriceps tendinopathy) and Tony Parker (left quadriceps tendon surgery) are out. Team Notes

PASSING UP THE COMPETITION
The Warriors are always at their best offensively when the ball is zipping around from player to player, and their early season offensive success has very much to do with their insistence on sharing the ball. The Dubs totaled 37 assists in their win over the Clippers on Monday, the most assists in an NBA game so far this season. It was the fifth time in eight games that Golden State totaled 30-or-more assists, which puts them in a league of their own. The New Orleans Pelicans (two) are the only other NBA team with multiple games with at least 30 assists this season. The Warriors are currently averaging a grand total of 30.9 assists per game, which is 5.6 more assists per game than the second-ranked team in that category, and a full 10.0 more assists per game than the Spurs.

TEAM LEADERS

GSW
PTS: Curry (28.0)
REB: Green (8.3)
AST: Green (7.3)

LAC
PTS: Aldridge (23.6)
REB: Aldridge (8.4)
AST: Murray (3.7)

SAN ANTONIO SCOUTING REPORT
Many of the mainstays are still in San Antonio, but the Spurs haven’t looked like their typical selves so far this season. That is due in large part to the absence of both Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker, who have yet to play a single game while they recover from their respective injuries. At 4-3, the Spurs have managed to stay afloat despite the absence of their star players, but they’ve struggled as of late, entering Thursday’s game with the Warriors riding a three-game losing streak. Over the course of those three games, the Spurs have averaged just 91.6 points per contest, and they’re the fourth-lowest scoring team in the league to-date (98.1 ppg). Much of their scoring problems can be attributed to their struggles from long range, as their average of 7.0 three-pointers per game ranks dead last in the NBA. The Warriors, on the other hand, lead the league with an average of 13.4 three-pointers per game, and if Golden State is able to establish a significant advantage from three-point range in Thursday’s game, it could prove too much for the Spurs to overcome.