Faced with a Golden State defense that was far too permissive, the Spurs took the lead at the start of the match behind 19 points from the Keldon Johnson – Victor Wembanyama duo (35-32). We had to wait until the second quarter to see the Warriors return to their match.
Like a counter from Gary Payton II on “Wemby”, their defense limits the Spurs to nine points during the last ten minutes of the half while a good passage from Klay Thompson (15 points) allows them to return to the locker room with a four-point lead (59-55).
Golden State drives the point home in the third quarter thanks to Stephen Curry’s 11 points which increase the gap to +14 (86-72). While Steve Kerr’s men think they have done the hardest part, the Spurs end the third quarter with an 11-2 lead to put Chase Center in doubt (86-81). The duo Chris Paul (10 assists) – Dario Saric (20 points, 8 rebounds) however allows Golden State to start the last period with a 15-2 lead to put the Spurs 18 lengths (101-83).
Devin Vassell (24 points) and Victor Wembanyama (22 points, 8 rebounds) then launched into a furious comeback, reducing the gap to 4 points in the last minute, but San Antonio would not be able to reverse the trend. They lost an eleventh game in a row while the Warriors remained alive in Group C of the NBA Cup.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– 24 lost balls for Golden State. In a perfect match to get back in the saddle against Spurs who remained on ten consecutive defeats, the Warriors scared themselves until the end largely because of their 24 lost balls. Lacking concentration and precision, Steve Kerr’s men lost 8 balls in the last quarter when they could have improved their point average. The return of Draymond Green should help the Warriors but narrowly beating the Spurs at home doesn’t inspire anything good.
– Waste for Victor Wembanyama. While the Frenchman acted as a scarecrow to single-handedly slow down Golden State’s attack in the first half, he had difficulties on the other side against the “small” Warriors. Wemby finished the match with 22 points on 8/18 shots, and 8 rebounds, but he also lost 6 balls in 35 minutes of play.
– Chris Paul and Dario Saric shine again. As often this season, the Paul – Saric pair was decisive for Golden State. Substitute again, Paul delivered 10 assists for only one lost ball. His former teammate at the Suns, Saric, was omnipresent. Skillful (20 points at 4/7 from distance), he also grabbed 8 rebounds, delivered 4 assists, and stole 2 balls. They respectively finished the match at +14 and +11 in the +/- column.
