As at Chase Center on Saturday, the Spurs continue their domination over the Warriors to start the match. This time, it was 16 points from the duo Victor Wembanyama – Devin Vassell (17 points, 5/14), both absent this weekend, who punished the Golden State defense. It takes 8 points from Chris Paul and two winning shots from Brandin Podziemski (14 points, 8 rebounds) off the bench to limit the damage (36-25).
The Warriors, however, launched a 14-4, capitalizing on their opponents' lost balls and on their offensive rebounds, to catch up (43-43). Despite the skill of Klay Thompson (21 points), the Spurs keep the lead thanks to Zach Collins and Julian Champagnie to return to the locker room at +2 (60-58).
The Warriors get angry: 30 – 6!
In the wake of Wembanyama, the Spurs started the second half with an 8-0 (68-58), before exploding in full flight. The Warriors raise their voice in defense and collectively attack the San Antonio racket to respond with a 30-6 to go from -10 to +16 (90-74)!
Keldon Johnson (16 points) and Victor Wembanyama put the Spurs back on track but with Chris Paul (19 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists) at the helm and an aggressive Jonathan Kuminga (22 points), the Warriors keep more than ten points in advance. Wemby pushes again in the last minutes but it's a monumental poster by Tracee Jackson-Davis (13 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists) on the Frenchman who puts the match definitely out of reach for the Texans. This is Golden State's first victory without Stephen Curry this season (1 victory – 4 defeats).
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– Victor Wembanyama too lonely for his return. After missing the last two matches, the Frenchman was back last night. He dominated the “small” Warriors in the paint in the first half but could do nothing to stop the bleeding in the third quarter. With his back against the wall in the final period, Wemby took responsibility and tried to bring his team back into the match. He scored 12 of his 27 points in the final quarter, but only 4 of 12 on shots. Wembanyama was also posterized by Trayce Jackson-Davis late in the match, as he tried to steal the ball.
– Golden State's fatal 30-6. Dominated in the paint in the first half (32-20), notably by the Wembanyama – Collins duo, the Warriors completely reversed the trend in the second half. Trailing by 10 points at the start of the third quarter, they took out the barbed wire to force the Spurs to take mid-range shots and long shots. By collecting defensive stops, they were able to get ahead of the Texan defense, scoring 20 of their 32 points in the paint to pass a 30-6 Spurs in 10 minutes. Their domination near the basket continued in the fourth quarter (12-4), for a total of 32 points to 16 in the second half. This is what turned the meeting in their favor.
– The Warriors are making the Spurs pay for all their mistakes. The Warriors lost one ball less than the Spurs (14 against 15), and took 3 fewer offensive rebounds (10 against 13). However, they took advantage of every opportunity to make San Antonio pay. They scored 28 points on Texans' loose balls (+21 in this area), and scored two more points on second chances. This advantage started from the start of the match, with four 3-pointers from Golden State coming on offensive rebounds to allow the Warriors to come back to the score. They used the same tactic to pull away in the third quarter.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
