The Golden State Warriors absolutely decimated the San Antonio Spurs, defeating them 148-106. With Stephen Curry back in the starting lineup, the Warriors took advantage of their roster’s strength quite early. In fact, the game was pretty much over by the end of the first quarter, with the Warriors taking a 17-point lead. The gulf would only increase over the rest of the game.
Stephen Curry played well, despite playing just 26 minutes, putting up 13 points (4-10 FG), three rebounds, six assists, one steal, and one block. Jimmy Butler also put up impressive numbers in 24 minutes, with 13 points (4-5 FG), three rebounds, eight assists, and four steals. Brandin Podziemski led the team in minutes and scoring, with 27 minutes, 227 points (9-14 FG), six rebounds, five assists, and one steal.
On the other hand, it was a subpar night for the Spurs, as their depleted roster couldn’t keep up with the Warriors. Keldon Johnson had 19 points (8-13 FG), three rebounds, two assists, and one steal. Sandro Mamukelashvili had 14 points (6-10 FG), 11 rebounds, four assists, and one steal. Malaki Branham delivered 13 points (4-8 FG), one rebound, and three assists.
The gulf in class between the two sides could not be more evident, not just from the scoreline but in the way the two sides played. The Spurs were out of their depth against the Warriors from the start of the first quarter and never looked like making any kind of return in the game, despite the opponents sitting their important players quite early in the game.
With that being said, here are three key takeaways from the Warriors’ win over the Spurs:
Butler-Curry Connection Continues To Succeed
Stephen Curry made his return to the Warriors squad tonight after getting hurt against the Toronto Raptors. The former two-time MVP picked up a pelvic contusion that kept him out for a few of the Warriors’ important games heading into the final stretch of this season, but his return on the night was much appreciated.
With the win tonight, the Warriors are now 17-2 whenever Jimmy Butler and Stephen Curry start together. While there were concerns in the initial aftermath of the trade about how Jimmy and Curry would fit together, both stars have ultimately proven the critics wrong by forming one of the most formidable duos in the NBA today.
On the night, the pair combined for 26 points (8-15 FG), six rebounds, 14 assists, five steals, and one block. And the fact that both players played less than 25 minutes just goes to show how dominant both they and the Warriors were against the Spurs.
Warriors Shoot Lights Out From Range
The Golden State Warriors shot an impressive 21-44 from beyond the arc, converting 47.7% of their attempts from deep. This is the level of three-point shooting we expect from the Warriors on a nightly basis. Over the last few years, the Warriors haven’t been the same elite three-point shooting team we’ve known them to be before.
This season, the Warriors are bang-average when it comes to their three-point shooting, ranking 15th in the NBA with 36.1%. However, despite their inefficiency, the Warriors do rank fourth in the NBA in three-pointers made per game with 15.3. Despite not being what they used to be, the Warriors are still very dangerous from range.
Steve Kerr will hope that his team can replicate this shooting performance frequently in the playoffs, as they enter the post-season with a significant disadvantage. Whether the Warriors circumvent the play-in tournament or not, they will need some brilliant performances to make a deep run in the playoffs.
Steve Kerr’s Bench Closes Out Win
With the Warriors taking such a commanding lead so early in the game, it allowed Kerr to buy his starting players some well-earned rest. No one on the starting lineup played for more than 27 minutes. Additionally, Kerr opted to play his entire 13-man rotation, given that the Warriors locked up the win very early in the game.
Kerr played eight players from the bench, who all combined to score 61 points. They were led by Buddy Hield, who had 19 points (8-12 FG), five rebounds, four assists, and three steals. It was a clinical performance from the Warriors bench, who helped see out the game and made sure that Kerr didn’t look bad for playing them.
The hope now is that Kerr was able to get an eye on the players he wanted to give more opportunities ahead of the playoffs to see if they could earn their spot in the rotation, and will give them that chance in the final games of the season so that he can lock in his final rotation for the post-season.
The Warriors will quickly turn their focus to the depleted Memphis Grizzlies, whom they play away from home on Tuesday night at 8 PM EST. With the Grizzlies in disarray after firing head coach Taylor Jenkins, the Warriors could get an important win and leapfrog them in the West.
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