Pat Spencer got the first start of his Warriors career tonight, and did not fail to live up to the expectations. He pulled off a career-high night in their gritty 99-94 win against the Cavaliers.
Following the game, Steve Kerr gave his true opinions on how well the guard played tonight during the postgame press conference. He loved what Spencer brought to the floor so much that he even used an expletive during the press conference that could eventually get him fined.
“He’s really improved his jumpshot, that’s the big thing. Last year, he would turn down a lot of threes, drive in and shoot a lot of floaters,” said Kerr on the evolution of Pat Spencer’s game.
“He’s not Steph, but he’s a threat out there. And that’s what it takes, you have to be a threat from the line to pull out the defense. I just think the shot quality that we’re getting with him now on the floor is way better than it was the last couple of years.”
Kerr rightly pointed out how having a point guard like Spencer, who is also a threat from the three-point range, is perfect to replace a player like Stephen Curry when he is injured.
“Another thing was, his coach realized that Pat is that motherfu****. That became clear. Sorry. Am I allowed to say that?” said Kerr, hilariously.
“It’s just fun watching a guy who’s had to fight for everything, to finally get his moment. And he not only seized it, but grabbed it by the neck. This guy’s a competitor. He loves the competition, he loves to play. His teammates love playing with him, and you love to see that happening,” concluded Kerr on Spencer.
With the Warriors being severely short-handed tonight with six players out, nobody expected them to pull off this win. The formerly undrafted player was pushed into the starting lineup ahead of the likes of Brandin Podziemski at the point guard position.
The two-way player has had an impressive run with the Warriors over the past three games, and the basketball gods finally blessed him as he iced the matchup tonight with game-winning free throws in the final seconds.
Patt Spencer hilariously taunted the Cavaliers audience after nailing the free throw that made it a two-possession game with less than 10 seconds left in the game.
Pat Spencer got his career high in points then told Cavs fans to go home 😂 pic.twitter.com/qJ0klhKW5K
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) December 7, 2025
29-year-old Spencer finished the game with a team-high 19 points tonight to go with his seven assists and four rebounds. He shot 7-of-12 from the floor (58.3%) and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc (75%).
Following the game, Spencer spoke about how his NCAA career helped him step up when his team needed him. The Warriors guard played lacrosse for his entire college career and sees a clear overlap between the two sports.
“It definitely does. I just feel like there’s a real overlap between the two sports. You know, I’m a believer in being an athlete first. Ultimately, you know, my folks raised me to be a team player. Pass first, get other guys involved, and find a way to help the team win.”
“So, you know, if it means scoring a couple of big buckets down the stretch, great. If it means I score zero points, I’m truly happy to do it,” concluded Spencer.
The Warriors improved their record to 12-12 after stealing an unlikely win against the Cavaliers, despite being severely short-handed. It will be interesting to see how Spencer finds his place on the roster when the Warriors are eventually fully healthy.
But Steve Kerr is clearly very impressed with him. The Warriors are now set to face the Bulls tomorrow night, on the second night of a back-to-back. Hopefully, Spencer has earned more minutes on the team’s rotation instead of falling down the ranks when the roster is eventually fully healthy.
