San Antonio Spurs vs. Golden State Warriors: Postgame Grades and Analysis
Klay Thompson scored a game-high 29 points, but the San Antonio Spurs knocked off the Golden State Warriors 113-100 at Oracle Arena Tuesday night.
Despite playing a few ticks over 30 minutes, Tony Parker paced the Spurs with 28 points on 11-of-17 shooting, dishing seven assists as well.
Though Steve Kerr's team shot 54.3 percent from the field, turnovers were a deciding factor. San Antonio ceded possession just eight times compared to Golden State's 20.
Additionally, the Spurs allowed a single offensive rebound to the Warriors and outscored Golden State in every quarter.
San Antonio Spurs Grades
Tony Parker: A
Manu Ginobili: A-
Kawhi Leonard: B+
Tim Duncan: A-
Rest of Team: B
Golden State Warriors Grades
Stephen Curry: C-
Klay Thompson: B+
Harrison Barnes: A-
Draymond Green: C
Rest of Team: D+
San Antonio Spurs
Tony Parker: A
Put simply, Parker is so difficult to defend when given space for a 15-foot jumper or drive to the basket. Golden State couldn't disrupt him quickly enough, and he tied a season high with 28 points.
Popovich experimented with Parker on Curry defensively, which didn't go terribly. The ability to use that matchup in stints is something San Antonio may consider employing during a potential playoff meeting to provide extra rest for Danny Green.
Manu Ginobili: A-
No matter who was matched up with him, Manu Ginobili basically found whatever he wanted. The veteran consistently lost defenders on screens, amassing 17 points, five assists and a team-high plus-12 rating.
His first-quarter buzzer-beater was brilliant. Ignoring a tendency to shoot a last-second fadeaway, he lost Draymond Green and leaned in for an easy two.
Kawhi Leonard: B+
After a lackluster first quarter, Kawhi Leonard's defense was solid as he cycled between Harrison Barnes and Thompson. The Spurs continued running more offensive sets through the small forward, but he forced some head-scratching jumpers.
However, Leonard buried a pair of three-pointers with less than three minutes remaining to seal the victory. He finished with 19 points and six rebounds.
Tim Duncan: A-
Duncan was an absolute monster on the defensive glass, not allowing an offensive rebound to Andrew Bogut, who entered averaging 2.5 per night. The 7-footer recorded his 802nd career double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing 13 boards.
Rest of Team: B
Danny Green's road struggles continued, draining just 1-of-7 beyond the arc for a season total of only 2-of-20 three-pointers away from San Antonio. Boris Diaw committed a few turnovers on risky passes, but he was still effective in the high post. Diaw logged eight points, six rebounds and four assists.
Cory Joseph provided a spark off the bench, recording 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting, adding four assists and two steals. Matt Bonner chipped in five points and five boards, while Aron Baynes was stout down low.
Golden State Warriors
Stephen Curry: C-
Tuesday was a forgettable offensive night for Stephen Curry, whose 75-game streak with a made triple ended following an 0-of-7 performance. What's more, he was constantly screened out of position and failed to recover defensively.
Curry managed 16 points, six rebounds, five assists and one highlight-reel play, but the star guard will be working on forgetting this one.
Klay Thompson: B+
He's still overcoming poor ball-handling habits, but Thompson's outside shooting is elite—and still improving. The sharpshooter nailed his first three attempts from distance and finished 5-of-6 beyond the arc.
While Thompson is clearly more aggressive in 2014-15, he's playing under better control, too. He netted 29 points, snared five rebounds and collected five assists.
Harrison Barnes: A-
Barnes was guarded by Leonard early yet exploded for an 11-point quarter, capitalizing on switches and unnecessary space provided by the Spurs defense.
Kerr countered the Duncan-Bonner combination by utilizing Barnes at the four, which was a major reason he accumulated a season-high 22 points. Golden State should consider using Barnes off the bench, however, since its reserves are somewhat inept offensively.
Draymond Green: C
He can look ridiculously special one night and then revert into an average complement the next. Green recognized open teammates and tallied four assists, but he never settled down as a shooter, misfiring on 5-of-7 attempts.
Rest of Team: D+
Andre Iguodala couldn't contain Ginobili, and the reserve guard committed three turnovers, too. The second unit dearly missed David Lee because the lineup of Shaun Livingston, Leandro Barbosa, Iguodala, Green and Festus Ezeli was an offensive mess.
Though Marreese Speights carried an utterly disappointing bench, his only minutes came during the fourth quarter where he scored 11 points and canned 5-of-5 from the field. Excluding Speights, the Warriors bench was outscored 40-9.
Coming Up Next
San Antonio (4-3) continues its four-game California road trip against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, Nov. 13, at 10 p.m. ET, and the conference clash can be seen on ESPN.
Golden State (5-2) will host the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday, Nov. 12, at 10:30 p.m. ET, which will be broadcast by TNT.
