Warriors run out of gas in tough loss to San Antonio Spurs

On November 24, 2024By Littum

On the second night of a back-to-back, the Warriors spent too long running on empty to close out the Spurs

After leading by 17 late in the third quarter, Golden State fell apart. The Warriors did not convert a field goal for more than six minutes of the fourth quarter. They were outscored by 25 in the final 12 minutes and 30 seconds and scored a total of 13 points in the fourth quarter.

The younger Spurs had fresher legs and it showed in their 104-94 win over the Warriors (12-4). The Warriors needed their younger players to catch up with their veterans, but Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield and Moses Moody didn’t quite do enough to make up for Steph Curry (14 points on 5-for-16 shooting) and Draymond Green’s quiet nights.

Perhaps Jonathan Kuminga could have provided enough individual attacks to keep the Warriors afloat late on, but he was scratched by illness.

Victor Wembanyama scored 25 points and added nine assists, seven rebounds and three blocks. Rookie Stephon Castle added 19, including several big plays late.

The last time the Warriors blew a lead of at least 17 and lost was last January against the Nuggets.

To build their lead, the Warriors went on both 11-0 and 7-0 runs in a compelling first quarter fueled by Andrew Wiggins (20 points) and Buddy Hield. Wiggins dropped 10 in the opening period and Hield added eight to pass Joe Johnson for 19th on the all-time 3-point leaderboard with a pair of early triples.

Golden State started 5-for-11 from behind the arc, but did a ton of damage in the paint. By sealing smaller defenders like Chris Paul underneath, the back-cuts and motion offense generated consistent looks at the rim, even with San Antonio shot-blockers Wembanyama and Zach Collins patrolling the lane.

Hield drained another 3 to start the second quarter, then two Spurs closed out on him in split action, allowing him to dish an assist to a sliding Trayce Jackson-Davis. The Spurs were lost in Golden State’s free-flowing, outside-in attack.

But Steve Kerr had to call a timeout after San Antonio ripped off 10 straight points. Gregg Popovich wasn’t on the Spurs bench as he recovers from a stroke, but his team played the type of ball-moving basketball that his biggest clubs have embraced.

Refocused, the Warriors consistently put Wembanyama in actions on the rim, pulled him away from the rim, forced him to navigate screens and made him think. Wembanyama played in his first game after missing the previous three with a right knee contusion and the Warriors tested him at both ends.

Wiggins rainbowed a 3 over Wembanyama, giving the Warriors a 50-38 lead as the game clock wound down in the first half. The Spurs’ 38 points were the fewest in any half for them this season as Golden State’s defensive performance improved significantly from the night before.

Lindy Waters III, starting his fifth straight game in place of De’Anthony Melton, drilled a pair of 3s to cap a fleeting San Antonio push in the third quarter. The first of his back-to-back 3s came off two offensive rebounds — an area the Warriors controlled until the fourth quarter.

The Warriors pushed their lead to 17, bottled up Wembanyama and matched San Antonio’s energy. But five straight points, including a steal-and-score, from rookie Stephon Castle brought the Spurs back within 10 entering the fourth quarter.

Castle’s sequence turned the game around and seemed to give him confidence heading into the fourth.

Castle played solid defense on Curry throughout the game, limiting the two-time MVP to eight points on 30% shooting through three quarters.

With Curry and Draymond Green on the bench to start the final period, Golden State needed its bench to build another cushion. Instead, San Antonio went on a 10-4 run to cut the deficit to four.

So Curry and Green re-entered the game earlier than usual, checking in with over eight minutes remaining. They had played 33 and 30 minutes respectively in New Orleans the night before.

Wembanyama inched San Antonio within one with a 3, but Curry answered with a deep triple of his own.

Castle chipped in to tie the game at 90 with four minutes remaining – the Warriors’ eighth clutch play of the year. Castle then drilled a 3, giving the Spurs their first lead since the first basket of the game.

The Warriors’ shots kept falling short. Jumps for rebounds did not come off the floor. The Warriors went scoreless for more than four minutes and Curry overdribbled for a costly turnover. Their 13 points in the fourth quarter were their lowest scoring stretch of the season.

In a flash, the Warriors’ 17-point lead was an eight-point deficit. For the first time this season, the Warriors collapsed and couldn’t find their footing in time to stabilize.