Warriors Defeat Spurs, Get 70th Win
The Warriors defeated the Spurs 112-101 for their 70th victory of the season.
Well, that was fun, wasn’t it?
The Golden State Warriors get their hopes for breaking the Chicago Bull’s record alive as they defeated the San Antonio Spurs 112-101. The Warriors took a 2-1 lead in the season series thus far and will fly to San Antonio on Sunday to take them on again as they look to win in that part of Texas in the regular season for the first time in over a decade.
It was the first time to 65+ win teams met in the regular season, but one team was clearly much better than the other. The Warriors tried to come out swinging early on and, in doing so, turned the ball over and their first offensive possession of the night, bringing back memories of their carelessness against the Minnesota Timberwolves just a few nights ago.
Neither team could really get into an offensive rhythm as they showed why they are two of the league’s top defensive teams. Also both Gregg Popovich and apprentice Steve Kerr used a lot of timeouts. Klay Thompson was able to lose Danny Green and knock down an open three for the Warriors’ first bucket of the night. Pop immediately took a timeout, less than a minute into the game, to yell at Green.
When two great teams get together, the fans and media generally overhype it and build up the anticipation that exceeds that actual intensity of the game. But both teams were extremely engaged in this one. The game almost took a turn for the worst for Golden State early on as Draymond Green was called for an over-the-back foul that he didn’t like. He gave the official an earful and was assessed a technical. After giving up a wide open Green three off a timeout, Kerr called a timeout and broke his clipboard out of anger. Throughout the night, the level-headed Kawhi Leonard also showed a little bit of emotion, pleading to the referees for fouls.
The Spurs’ LaMarcus Aldridge injured his hand early on after Andrew Bogut blocked his reverse layup attempt. Aldridge would come out of the game temporarily, but he taped up his dislocated finger and returned to the game later. He finished with just 11 points and 3 rebounds.
The Spurs made a deliberate effort to not give Stephen Curry any looks from beyond the arc. San Antonio’s defenders hounded him, throwing multiple bodies at him everywhere on the court. They kept him in check throughout the first half, but you don’t keep the MVP down for a full 48 minutes. He erupted for 15 points in the third quarter, scoring on mostly a variety of layups and floaters.
The Warriors pushed the lead to as many as 23, but the Spurs chipped away with Golden State’s starters on the bench to start the fourth. The defending champs used a balanced attack to defeat the Spurs. Harrison Barnes scored 21 points while grabbing 8 rebounds. Golden State’s Green added 18, 6, and 7.
The Warriors clinched the top seed and home court advantage throughout the playoffs by beating the Spurs. They also earned the second greatest single-season winning total with their 70th win of the season.