To the dismay of NBA fans, Steph Curry tore his right oblique in the first quarter of Wednesday's game against the Rockets. He entered the night as the league's second-leading scorer behind Luka, and the Warriors will be without him for at least two weeks. The Dubs visit San Antonio as the second-biggest underdog on Friday's slate.
The Spurs have won ten straight, and Wemby has been dominant, averaging 36.6 PPG over his last five. Dylan Harper has been remarkable too. The #2 pick in 2025 is averaging 18-5-5 on 50% shooting and has taken over Stephon Castle's role as Robin to Wemby's Batman.
Winning has not meant covering for San Antonio. The Spurs are 5-7 ATS and 3-5 as favorites of 10+. Wednesday's win in Chicago came by five as a 15.5-point favorite against a one-win Bulls team. That ended a four-city road trip, and Dallas lost by one in this building last week as a 12.5-point underdog. The Spurs are 2-4 ATS at home.
Friday is the second NBA Cup group game for both teams, and point differential is a tiebreaker in the Cup format. Because of that, and how this spot looks to the public, most bettors will lay the points with San Antonio. I am going the other way.
Golden State played six straight at the Chase Center before Wednesday's game in Houston, then stayed in Texas for the short trip to San Antonio. They went 42 minutes without Curry against the 9-3 Rockets and lost by seven. Only one of their four losses has come by more than nine. I like the Warriors to surprise many and cover. This is the team that coined "Strength in Numbers" after all.
Warriors vs Spurs prediction: Warriors +12.5 (-117) available at time of publishing. Playable to 11.5 (-110).
