Spurs Get Set for West Coast Road Trip: 3 Things to Watch For
Get ready to stay up late.
Following a 111-93 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday, the San Antonio Spurs are hitting the road for an early-season road trip on the West Coast. The Spurs will play five games with the earliest beginning at 8:30 p.m. CT.
Aside from San Antonio's nine-game Rodeo Road Trip in February, the upcoming five-stretch is longest the team will be away from home during the 2022-23 season.
And as they get set for action in the Pacific Time Zone, the Spurs will be faced with some teams that, like them, have been surprises this season for different reasons.
Let's look at a few headlines to watch for in some of the upcoming matchups.
Spurs take on the struggling defending champs. Ball movement battle?
Almost a month into the new NBA season, no one thought the Golden Warriors would be sitting at a 5-7 record despite being relatively healthy. Probably even fewer thought the rebuilding Spurs would have more wins than them (six), though the Warriors can match this total with a win over the Sacramento Kings on Sunday.
San Antonio will visit Golden State on Monday at 9 p.m. CT at Chase Center with eyes set on a road win that would be considered an upset based on preseason trajectory.
Stephen Curry has continued his dominance this season, as he's second in the league with 33.3 points per game.
But despite Golden State's lack of wins this season, coach Steve Kerr's team remains loaded on offense. Still, the stats show that San Antonio is just as dangerousm as the Spurs lead the league in assists per game (29.3) while the Warriors are third (28.6) Both teams should continue to move the ball efficiently in what should be an offensive shootout.
Spurs face surprising Blazers team
The Portland Trail Blazers finally have a healthy Damian Lillard back and a star in the making with Anfernee Simons. And due to their combined efforts, the Blazers (9-3) are somehow first in the Western Conference despite once again having average expectations entering the season. The duo will be quite the test for Tre Jones to deal with in the backcourt.
But Portland has been led by a stout defense under coach Chauncey Billups, as the Blazers are allowing the third-fewest points per game (106.6). Against wing defenders like Jerami Grant and Justice Winslow, scoring will come at a premium for Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell.
Spurs seek revenge against Clippers, look to keep down stumbling Lakers
The Spurs will wrap things up with back-to-back games at crypto.com Arena against the Los Angeles Clippers on Nov. 19 and the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, Nov. 20.
San Antonio fell 113-106 to the Kawhi Leonard-less Clippers on Nov. 4, as the Spurs were unable to overcome the star power of Paul George in a game that got away late.
But in what will be the second of four meetings, the Spurs have a chance at securing a quality win against a team seen as contenders in the Western Conference. Leonard could return come Saturday, but as Spurs fans know all too well, it's a mystery when it comes to the two-time Finals MVP and injury.
Should he play, San Antonio will be faced with arguably its toughest of the road trip, as even without Leonard for most of the season's early portion, the Clippers are hanging steady at 7-6.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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