The Western Conference Finals appears to be headed for its inevitable end on Monday night in Game 4 as the Warriors go for a third consecutive sweep against the Spurs, likely without Kawhi Leonard for the third straight game. The Spurs have, unsurprisingly, struggled to keep up with the high-powered Warriors without their MVP candidate as Golden State has cruised to victories in Games 2 and 3 after the furious comeback following Leonard’s injury in Game 1.
The Warriors will be looking to earn more than a week off before the start of the NBA Finals with a win and a 12-0 run through the Western Conference playoffs, while the Spurs are looking to force at least one more trip back to Oakland.
We turned to NBA 2K17 to offer us an early prediction of what will happen in San Antonio on Monday night, to see if the virtual Spurs can stun the Warriors or if Golden State will earn some much-deserved time off. You can watch the full simulation here, but we’re going to jump ahead to the results below.
NBA 2K doesn’t see any surprises coming our way in this one, as the Warriors’ offense proves, once again, to be too much for the Spurs in a 103-91 victory. The difference in the game is Golden State’s three-point shooting, as the Warriors go 18-of-47 from distance, while the Spurs struggle from deep, going 5-of-26. The Warriors’ box score shows a pretty even distribution among their Big Three on offense, as all three posted 25 points or better.
Durant’s 27 points led all scorers in the game, followed closely by Curry and Thompson, who was the least efficient of the trio, with Durant and Steph both lighting it up with seven three-point baskets each. On the Spurs’ side, it was LaMarcus Aldridge, Pau Gasol, or bust on offense as their perimeter players failed to get much of anything going to help him.
The interior presence of Aldridge and Gasol kept the Spurs in the game, but the lack of any threat from the perimeter kept them from being able to keep up with the Warriors. Patty Mills had the most success with 16 points, but it took him 14 shots, including 12 three-point attempts, to get there. The shot chart for both teams shows the difference in where each team found their success, with Golden State lighting it up from distance, while the only damage done by San Antonio was around the basket.
Despite the close competition between the Warriors’ Big Three, Steph Curry was the one who earned MVP honors for the game as the Warriors move on to the NBA Finals.
We’ll find out on Monday night if NBA 2K has properly offered us a glimpse into the future, or if like Game 3 in the Eastern Conference Finals, we’ll get a shocking outcome.
