The San Antonio Spurs avenged their 30-point loss to the Golden State Warriors from earlier in the season on Saturday night, downing the league’s top team with an 87-79 conquest.
Advertisement
The teams carry the No. 1 and No. 2 records in the National Basketball Association.
The Warriors thumped the San Antonio Spurs that night, a 30-point victory that delivered a resounding message to the rest of the league. San Antonio leapt a mental hurdle as a team. Derrick Rose scored 22 points to lead the short-handed Chicago Bulls to a 92-85 victory over the Utah Jazz, snapping the Jazz’s four-game winning streak…. Instead, the Spurs started 6-8, 250-pound veteran Boris Diaw at center, and the portly old pro produced 14 points, eight rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal while giving Harrison Barnes fits on the low block. The All-Star point guards are the leaders of their respective teams and can take over a game at any time. The last time they won in San Antonio was way back on February 14, 1997.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Warriors winning the first matchup 120-90.
Advertisement
As usual, the Splash Brothers took charge for the Dubs as Klay Thompson exploded for 39 points and reigning Most Valuable Player (MVP) Stephen Curry added 31 points (with nine rebounds, 10 assists). The Warriors were without Andrew Bogut and started small with Draymond Green at center. With an opportunity to send a message before the playoffs, look for the Spurs to come out focused and better prepared tonight versus the Warriors, who have failed to cover in four of their last five games playing on back-to-back nights. Curry hit his first 3-pointer of the game on his eighth attempt with a 35-foot rainbow over Aldridge midway through the third quarter that brought the Warriors back to even at 55-55. Tim Duncan didn’t play in that game but it didn’t matter because Curry had 37. And they now sit just three games above San Antonio for the all-important No. 1 seed in the playoffs, an unnerving thought for a team on pace to win 70 games. The matchup in San Antonio should be seen as a championship test and will require the team be at their best, especially since they will continue to be without the services of their all objective piece in Andre Iguodala. One of those three is the Warriors, coming into San Antonio for the first time this year. Boston will host second-place Toronto on Wednesday before going on a five-game West Coast road trip that includes consecutive games against the Clippers, Trail Blazers and Warriors. On Saturday, San Antonio’s prized offseason acquisition delivered, showing off his usually reliable mid-range game on his way to 26 points and 13 rebounds on 11-for-25 shooting. “They’re both great shooters, but Tony Parker, Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green played great tonight”. The Warriors were led by the infamous Latrell Sprewell and his 24 points per game. This one was going down to the wire.
