Without an injured Stephen Curry, the Warriors' attack struggled throughout the first half, remaining below 36% success and 30% at 3-points. The Spurs do not have the same problem. They benefited from porous individual defense and zone defense from Golden State to take control of the game. Jeremy Sochan (20 points, 5 rebounds) and the trio Keldon Johnson – Dominick Barlow (19 points, 8 rebounds) – Devonte' Graham do what they want and the Spurs return to the locker room at +19, behind a 10/16 at three points 13 points ahead (62-43).
The gap reached +21 in the first action of the third quarter before the Warriors woke up. Thanks to two winning shots from Brandin Podziemski and Klay Thompson (27 points), they passed a 16-4 against Spurs to return to -9 (68-59). Gregg Popovich's men let the storm pass and responded with a new festival of 3-point shots from Malaki Branham (20 points, 3/6 to 3-points), Julian Champagnie (17 points, 5/8 to 3- points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists) and Keldon Johnson (22 points, 5/9 from 3-point range) to take the lead (96-79).
The Warriors and Jonathan Kuminga (26 points) attempt a last stand but there is nothing to do. The Spurs respond to each mini-run and move towards a fully deserved victory.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– Chris Paul and Trayce Jackson-Davis start. Without Stephen Curry, Steve Kerr logically started the meeting with Chris Paul. He also inserted rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis into the starting five, replacing Andrew Wiggins. This decision demonstrates a desire to align the pivot's minutes with the veteran leader. The two players get along well on pick & roll, and Trayce Jackson-Davis offers a target on the “roll” for CP3. The playmaker is at his best with this interior type. This night, the duo unfortunately did not shine and Steve Kerr started the second half with Draymond Green in position 5.
– The San Antonio Long Distance Festival. Without their two best players, the Spurs played simple and unselfish basketball (33 assists) that the Warriors were never able to slow down. The Texan backs systematically beat their direct opponents one-on-one. Golden State's rotations behind the action lacked intensity and rigor, leaving one or more Spurs completely open, and the latter took advantage. At 3-pointers, they shot 4/7 (57%) in the first quarter, 6/9 (66%), in the second quarter and 6/10 (60%) in the third quarter to finish the match at 52%. This is the first time this season that they have finished with more than 50% success by far!
– One step forward, two steps back for the Warriors. After his men's demonstration against Milwaukee, Steve Kerr was optimistic for the final sprint of the regular season. With the receptions of Chicago and San Antonio, the Warriors had to be able to continue their climb in the standings and they masterfully got their feet wet. They lost the game and Stephen Curry against the Bulls and were out of their depth on both ends of the court against the Spurs. They never managed to endanger the Spurs defense and made a series of errors in defense. Instead of falling on the four teams ahead of them in the standings, they got bogged down. They will have to respond on Monday against the same Spurs, in San Antonio, before two matches which count double in Dallas and Los Angeles, against the Lakers.
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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.
