The Golden State Warriors came out hot to take advantage of a San Antonio Spurs team on the second night of a back-to-back. They were red-hot from three and jumped out to a 38-31 lead in the first quarter. The Spurs fought back by getting to the basket and crushing the Warriors in the paint on their way to a 126-113 win. A 24-8 run in the third quarter tied the game, and then San Antonio finished strong in the fourth, outscoring Golden State 32-19 in the final frame.
The Spurs were led by their stars. De’Aaron Fox was in control offensively all game, scoring a game-high 27 points on 11-16 shooting, adding 8 assists and 3 steals. Victor Wembanyama was quiet in the first half, but was crucial to San Antonio’s second-half comeback with 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks. He was locked in defensively in the fourth quarter and completely disrupted the Warriors’ offensive attack.
San Antonio outscored the Warriors in the paint 60-42 and grabbed 14 offensive rebounds. The Spurs turned things around with their physicality in the second half, propelling them to victory.
With Stephen Curry out for the game, Golden State got a vintage performance from Draymond Green, who led the team with 17 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists.
The win extends the Spurs’ winning streak to 6 and improves their record to 38-16. They’ll now get a week off for the All-Star break.
Observations
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The Spurs gave up 38 first-quarter points against the Warriors, which felt like the inverse of San Antonio scoring 47 points in the first frame the night before. The Warriors shot 57% from the field and knocked down 5 three-pointers.
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This was a gritty, hard-nosed performance from Golden State. The crowd was really into it for a Wednesday night regular-season game. The Warriors played exactly how you should when you’re down key players. They moved the ball well, played really hard on both ends, and stuck to their scheme. It wasn’t until the Spurs matched their physicality in the second half that things started to slip away for them.
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San Antonio’s best work came at the end of quarters. The Spurs cut the lead to four with a late-second-quarter hot streak. They rode a 24-8 run at the end of the third quarter to tie the game at 94. In both stretches, San Antonio relentlessly attacked the paint while Golden State missed shots from deep.
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Keldon Johnson set the tone for the Spurs in the third quarter, kicking off their run by scoring on three-straight drives to the basket. Johnson had 21 points and 6 rebounds off the bench. When San Antonio needed clutch buckets in the fourth quarter, KJ delivered.
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Carter Bryant looked good in the first half, tallying 8 points and 5 rebounds in his 9 minutes. The rookie didn’t touch the floor in the second half as the Spurs fought to claw back into the game. This may be a sign that when the games really matter, come playoff time, Bryant may be the odd man out of the rotation.
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A funny moment in the fourth quarter happened when Dylan Harper lost Green defensively, leading to an open layup. Mitch Johnson immediately called a timeout and had some choice words for Harper. He ultimately stuck with the rookie, who closed out the game. Harper had a solid game with 14 points, 8 assists, and 5 rebounds off the bench.
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San Antonio finally got the monkey off their back by beating Golden State. This is a difficult matchup for the Spurs, as the Warriors have the floor spacing and passing to take advantage of the Spurs’ defensive scheme. On the other end, Golden State forces teams to beat them with jump shots. On Wednesday night, San Antonio displayed the blueprint for beating them – penetrating the paint and not settling for kick-out jumpers.
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