The Thursday night matchup between the San Antonio Spurs and the Golden State Warriors could be a preview of what is to come when the playoffs start in 2014. Golden State is getting a boost after finally returning a majority of their roster after injuries, while the Spurs are headed in the opposite direction.
The Warriors are looking to sneak a win past the Spurs as All-Star Tony Parker is not expected to play. Golden State had dropped nine of their last 14 games as injuries hit the team hard. However after getting Anre Iguodala back from a hamstring injury provided a much-needed boost. The team defeated New Orleans 104-93 as both Stephen Curry and David Lee led the way. Iguodala had been out for the past 12 games and will slowly start to play a bigger role with the team.
The loss of Parker proved to not be an issue with the Spurs beat the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night. Manu Ginobili picked up the scoring slack with 24 points while Tim Duncan added 13 rebounds. San Antonio also capitalized off turnovers with 25 points.
The first meeting between the two teams was a defensive effort. Parker drove the Spurs to a 76-74 win with 18 points, but the Warriors had one the previous two regular-season matchups against the Western Conference rivals.
Golden State will likely get carried by Stephen Curry. The star has scored at least 20 points in 11 consecutive points. He is averaging 24.3 points per game ranking him one of the best in the league right now. Klay Thompson is right behind him with 15.3 points per game.
The Spurs got the best of the Warriors in last year's playoffs. Golden State is hoping for a different result this season.
Watch Golden State vs. San Antonio live stream, live stream.
