Warriors Get a Big Win in San Antonio, Can They Do It Again Friday Night?
After getting routed by the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday, the Warriors went into the red-hot Frost Bank Center needing to pick up the pieces against the Spurs. San Antonio has begun this season as one of the top teams in the East, and came into last night riding a three-game win streak to go along with their 8-2 record. Golden State, desperately trying to improve their 1-6 record away from Chase Center, had a tall task ahead of them. Yet they showed up and fought hard on a historic night, which saw a great battle between two elite duos.
The Warriors fell behind early on and didn’t show much fire during a first quarter that the Spurs dominated. San Antonio jumped out to a quick lead from tipoff, in large part due to two threes by former Warrior and current league-leader in three-point percentage, Harrison Barnes. Victor Wembanyama got off to a slow start, scoring only four points and one assist in the first, but sophomore standout Stephon Castle stepped up to lead the offense. In the blink of an eye, Golden State trailed 28-14 entering the second period. Then, as if matters couldn’t get worse for the away side, the French specimen and early MVP candidate came to life. Wembanyama started having his way, pulling off fadeaways in the mid-range, spotting up for three, or finding all kinds of angles to pass to his open teammates. Moses Moody helped his team to hang around, cashing four timely three-point shots from the exact same spot. Golden State went on a crucial 9-0 run to end the first half, and reeled the lead back to just seven points.
The third quarter reminded fans of vintage Warrior basketball. During their dynasty run, it would often seem like they got possessed by some performance-enhancing spirit coming out of the locker room. This led them to insane defensive efficiency and offensive explosions, to the point where the team was eventually given the nickname “third quarter Warriors.” Yesterday, the team erupted for 43 points, with their leader, Stephen Curry, scoring over half of those. As the greatest shooter of all time fired on all cylinders, the team followed in his steps. Golden State established an offensive rhythm, while holding Wembanyama and Castle to just 10 third-quarter points combined. Most importantly, the 2022 Champions won the turnover battle, which partially made up for their lack in size and getting out-rebounded.
The Spurs got within a bucket multiple times in the fourth quarter, but never close enough. Once the Warriors took the lead, they didn’t let their opponents sniff the advantage again and closed the game out 125-120. Curry finished with 46 points, while Jimmy Butler once again proved his worth with a quiet 28 points and eight assists. The “Dubs” spoiled the first time two San Antonio teammates recorded triple-doubles in the same game, as Wembanyama finished with 31-15-10 and Castle with 23-10-10.
While this game fascinated many, the teams have to quickly leave last night’s emotions behind as they get ready for another faceoff in an NBA Cup matchup. San Antonio won their first group stage contest against the Houston Rockets, while Golden State fell to the Denver Nuggets. Though their last battle seemed like a must-win for the Warriors, tomorrow’s game could make the Group C standings even more intriguing. Losing again would mark the Spurs’ third loss in their last six outings, a disappointing stat after their 5-0 start to the campaign. They’ll be hungry to avoid back-to-back home losses, especially to the same opponent, but coach Steve Kerr’s team won’t let up either.
A pair of away wins against such a formidable opponent can spark confidence in this team that they can win on the road, and can hopefully help fix their issues away from the Bay. They cannot, however, rely on such an amazing outburst from Curry again. Players like Jonathan Kuminga, who started the season well but has slowed down recently, and Buddy Hield will need to come through for Golden State to win again on Friday. Though a victory despite facing two triple-doubles sounds encouraging, the Warriors need to focus on replicating their third quarter from yesterday and pay attention to details.
