Warriors come back from 25 down to win Game 1
The Golden State Warriors came back from 25 points down and defeated the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
Back in November, the Golden State Warriors were excited to debut their new Kevin Durant lineup in the regular season. They were hosting the San Antonio Spurs. Gregg Popovich’s team came, they saw, and they conquered. They left Oracle Arena with a 29 point lead.
Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals looked like it was going to be that same way. The Spurs did everything right while the Warriors played like a lottery-bound team. So, naturally, the lead ballooned really fast.
After going up by 25 points, the Warriors crawled back into the game. They fought and turned it up on both ends in the second half to cap off their comeback. They won 113-111.
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Kawhi Leonard was everywhere. He was stifling defensively and unstoppable offensively. But then his ankle injury that kept him out of Game 6 came back.
After hitting a three-pointer, Leonard took a few steps back in front of the bench and stepped on David Lee’s foot. He was shaken up and was taken out momentarily. After re-entering the game shortly after, he injured it once again as he landed on Zaza Pachulia’s foot.
He shot his free throws then was taken out. He limped to the locker room and was ruled out for the rest of the game. He finished with 26 points.
The Warriors then went on a 18-0 run right after. Stephen Curry turned it on in the second half, knocking down several incredible shots. He finished the game with 40 points, including a game-sealing floater with less than a minute left.
Kevin Durant was signed for moments like these. The Warriors needed someone to make big baskets during the most important time and he did just that tonight. He finished with 34 points, fueling several of Golden State’s big runs.
The Warriors did not play a clean game. They had 19 turnovers and 22 assists. Draymond Green got into foul trouble while Klay Thompson struggled to make shots, going just 2/11 from the field.
The Warriors fought back and, ultimately, Curry and Durant proved to be too much for the Spurs. Leonard’s injury will be the biggest storyline moving forward. This series has the potential to be truly great if the Spurs’ star can play.