NBA : Warriors-Spurs in Western Finals Preview

The two best teams in basketball will meet this Wednesday (9:30 PM ET, ESPN) when the Golden State Warriors visit the San Antonio Spurs. Both teams are hot right now, but Golden State is hanging onto first place in the Western Conference by a thread over San Antonio, and the Warriors have already lost twice straight up and against the spread to the Spurs this year, both home and away.

Neither game was close. San Antonio won their regular-season opener 129-100 as 9-point road dogs, and on March 11, the Spurs prevailed 107-85 as 10.5-point home favourites, although both teams rested their key starters in that matchup. Kevin Durant (27.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists per 36 minutes) will presumably miss Wednesday’s game, too, as he recovers from a hyperextended left knee.

There’s still the top seed and home-court advantage in the Western Finals to fight for, but otherwise, both teams are sitting pretty in the standings and can afford to rest their players as much as they like. The only official injury for the Spurs is little-used rookie point guard Dejounte Murray, who’s out with a tender groin and might not make it back until the playoffs.

NBA Odds: Will Warriors, Spurs Rest Their Starters Again?

The Golden State Warriors visit the San Antonio Spurs this Wednesday (9:30 PM ET, ESPN) in a battle of the NBA’s top two teams. But last time they met on March 11, both sides kept most of their key players on the bench as the substitute Spurs rolled to a 107-85 victory over the second-string Warriors (+10.5 away).

At least one of those players will sit out Wednesday’s game, too. Kevin Durant (27.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists per 36 minutes) is recovering nicely from his hyperextended left knee, but he isn’t expected back in the lineup until early April.