Golden State Warriors vs. San Antonio Spurs: Game 2 Prediction, Betting Odds, Kawhi Leonard News

The San Antonio Spurs had their chance to steal the opening game of the 2017 Western Conference Finals, putting pressure on the seemingly unbeatable Golden State Warriors. But after blowing a 25-point lead and losing Kawhi Leonard to another injury, the underdogs could have a tough time giving the West’s No.1 seed a real test before the NBA Finals.

As San Antonio anxiously awaits an update on Leonard’s ankle, it’s difficult to predict anything other than a Game 2 win for Golden State. The betting odds favor the Warriors by a large margin in Tuesday night’s contest with the Spurs having little chance to pull off the upset if their superstar isn’t healthy.

Leonard was undoubtedly the best player on the floor in Game 1, scoring 26 points on a remarkably efficient 13 shots. He added eight rebounds and three assists in 24 minutes before re-injuring the left ankle that he sprained just five days earlier.

The Spurs completely fell apart when Leonard left Game 1 for good, allowing the Warriors to go on an 18-0 run and come back from a 23-point deficit. Golden State outscored San Antonio 58-33 once Leonard left, and Game 2 could be even more proof of just how much San Antonio needs the small forward in order to beat the NBA’s top team.

“We need Kawhi to create, to score,” Manu Ginobili said, via NBA TV. “He means a lot to this team and we were doing really well when he went down. ... We struggled a lot without him and it's a tough break. He's coming from an injury in that ankle and he tweaked it twice in the last minute he played, so we couldn't react to his absence.”

LaMarcus Aldridge was clearly affected by Leonard’s absence, and what had been a brilliant performance turned into another disappointment as the big man couldn’t take over down the stretch.

Leonard will undergo an MRI Monday, though the chances of him being healthy for Game 2 seem unlikely. The Spurs held him out of Game 6 against the Houston Rockets when Leonard first hurt his ankle and had 48 hours rest. Leonard would have nearly the same amount of time off in between games if he tries to take the court in Game 2, and his pain was visible to anyone watching Sunday’s contest.

It isn’t just San Antonio’s offense that stalled when Leonard was sent back to the locker room. His absence allowed Kevin Durant to go on a run of his own, no longer having to deal with the NBA’s best perimeter defender.

Durant ended Game 1 with 34 points on 21 shots, and Stephen Curry led the team with 40 points on 26 attempts. It’s what the Warriors envisioned when they signed Durant in the offseason, teaming up the winners of the last three MVP awards.

Already missing point guard Tony Parker for the rest of the playoffs because of a leg injury, the Spurs can’t survive against the Warriors when Leonard isn’t at the top of his game. The team somehow managed to blow out the Houston Rockets in their second-round clincher without Leonard, highlighting just how dominant Golden State is.

James Harden had maybe the worst night of his NBA career, and Houston had no chance to be competitive against San Antonio. With four All-Stars in their starting lineup, Golden State doesn’t have those kinds of nights, and Klay Thompson’s two-of-11 shooting performance went unnoticed Sunday afternoon.

The Spurs are so well coached that they can beat teams as good as the Rockets when they aren’t at full strength, but getting a win at Oracle Arena just isn’t going to happen. Golden State is 9-0 in the playoffs, having won 24 of their last 25 games.

With Leonard’s Game 2 status currently up in the air, the betting line is 13 points, via OddsShark, and the over/under is 210.

Prediction: Golden State over San Antonio, 115-100