The Spurs wanted to extend their win streak to four as they hosted the Warriors on the first of two consecutive games. Unfortunately, Stephen Curry had other plans. The veteran superstar was impossible to guard for San Antonio for most of the game, and with his 44 points, led his team to a 123-120 victory on the road. Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle both had triple-doubles in the losing effort.
The Spurs couldn’t have asked for a better opening frame, as the Warriors looked like the old team with chemistry issues that they are as they labored in the second game of a back-to-back early on. The Silver and Black came out with energy to spare to start the game, pushing the pace and playing physical defense. Stephon Castle was in the middle of it all, face-guarding Stephen Curry to stall the visitors’ offense and creating for himself and others on the other end. As the benches checked in, San Antonio was ahead and looking dominant inside. Both second units struggled to execute, but Golden State could not buy a bucket and had no answer for Castle. After one, the home team was ahead by 14, doubling their opponent’s score.
Holding leads and showing killer instinct is not something the Spurs have been good at so far this season, and the trend continued on Wednesday. For a while, the defense was spectacular in the second quarter, switching in perfect sync to force tough shots late in the clock. Victor Wembanyama had a stretch in which he took over offensively. The only thing keeping Golden State in it was a barrage of Moses Moody threes, but it felt as if the Silver and Black stepped on the gas, they could create massive separation. Alas, Castle got in foul trouble, the offense slowed down, and the veteran Warriors cleaned up their attack and made a push. After trailing by double digits for most of the game, the visitors headed to the locker room down only seven.
Once the Warriors’ offense heated up, it was impossible to stop it. Golden State dropped 43 points in the third quarter to take control of the game, behind a throwback Curry performance. It didn’t help that Castle and San Antonio in general couldn’t escape foul trouble, which gave the visitors the tool they needed to survive when their superstar rested. The free-throw disparity, the open looks the visitors generated, and a shockingly bad performance by De’Aaron Fox, who couldn’t step up offensively when needed, all contributed to a disastrous third period. It wasn’t looking good for the Silver and Black heading to the final frame despite trailing by just eight, because it felt like Golden State was not going to let this one get away.
To their credit, the Spurs never quit. The execution wasn’t good on offense, and defensively, there were too many open threes and defensive rebounds allowed by the two-center lineup. Still, at times, the Warriors felt the pressure of a young, hungry team trying to make a comeback. A great start to the quarter allowed San Antonio to cut the lead to just one, and while the visitors responded, the Spurs made it hard for Golden State to create a big enough buffer to feel safe about the final score. Alas, effort alone wasn’t enough against an opponent that was smart to seek contact, got a fantastic performance from their main scorer, and knew how to counter the bigger Spurs by moving the ball and drawing the big men to the perimeter.
It was a frustrating loss, but one that should also teach the Silver and Black some lessons.
Next game: vs. Golden State Warriors on Friday
The Spurs will have the opportunity to avenge this loss in just a couple of days, as they will face the Warriors once again at home on Friday.