Golden State Warriors vs. San Antonio Spurs: Postgame Grades and Analysis
It hasn't happened often this season, but the Golden State Warriors came out flat Sunday. On the road against the surging San Antonio Spurs, the league's best team trailed from the first minute and hardly stood a chance thereafter.
The defending champs took the W in their home building, 107-92—though the Spurs lead was even more lopsided most of the way.
It was an onslaught from the get-go, led by Kawhi Leonard, who racked up 11 points and three steals over just eight minutes in the first quarter. He finished with 26 points, while Tim Duncan posted 19, and the Warriors—who shot just 32 percent from three—couldn't keep up.
| Stephen Curry | B |
| Klay Thompson | C- |
| Andre Iguodala | C |
| Andrew Bogut | B |
| Rest of Team | F |
| Tony Parker | B- |
| Danny Green | A- |
| Kawhi Leonard | A+ |
| Tim Duncan | B+ |
| Rest of Team | A- |
Golden State Warriors
It began as a rare off night from the field for Stephen Curry, who rocked a 48.1 shooting clip entering Sunday's game. He wound up leading the Warriors in scoring, finishing with 24 points on 9-of-17 shooting. He racked up six assists but turned the ball over four times.
Like the rest of his team, Curry opened up flat—he air-balled a floater well short of the rim in the early minutes and missed a number of good looks. But Spurs guards began leaving him open in the third quarter, and it resulted in the kind of shooting you'd expect from the three-point king.
For a quick moment, it seemed as if Curry may have been able to shoot Golden State back into the game—cutting a 23-point lead down to 15 early in the second half during his hot run. But San Antonio's firepower was just too much to overcome.
Klay Thompson: C-
The second Splash Brother failed to post better numbers than his backcourt-mate. Klay Thompson made just three of his team-high 10 field-goal attempts in the first half, when the Spurs made their run to break away on the scoreboard.
He took just one shot in the second half, finishing with six points total over his 24 minutes.
Unlike Curry, Thompson wasn't able to make an impact in other areas to help counteract his futility from the field. He posted zeroes in the rebound and assist columns over the first half and finished with just two dimes.
Continuing with the theme for Golden State, Andre Iguodala wasn't able to make a tangible impact. He wound up scoring 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting, though most of it was strung together well after the score was already settled.
He was effective from three, nailing a pair of triples to cut the lead to 14 about halfway through the third quarter. Whenever it got too close for comfort, though, the Spurs always countered—typically with an energizing, crowd-pleasing play from Leonard.
Andrew Bogut: B
It didn't pay off with a victory, but Andrew Bogut did plenty of little things to help keep Golden State competitive. He went for 10 points and seven rebounds, making five of his seven attempts.
Under the rim, he made a number of key swats, directing rebounds toward teammates, though they had trouble converting those extra chances into points. He landed a energizing slam dunk in the beginning of the second half, but it didn't end up shifting momentum the way Golden State had hoped.
Bogut had a good individual performance, but even a defender of his caliber wasn't able to contain the Spurs' offensive attack. San Antonio making a killing in transition also hampered Bogut's ability to protect the rim.
Rest of Team: F
Draymond Green shot poorly, going just 2-of-11 on the evening for only six points, though he grabbed seven rebounds and had six assists.
He was indecisive with the ball, often passing up open attempts for reckless drives and wildly heaving attempts in the post against bigger players. Harrison Barnes had a miserable night, recording no points, rebounds or assists over his first 22 minutes—ending with four points and two boards over 28 minutes.
Leandro Barbosa went for 12 points, David Lee scored five and grabbed six rebounds in 14 minutes and Justin Holiday went 3-of-6 for eight points. Marreese Speights was a non-factor, logging just two rebounds and an assist over his 11 minutes.
San Antonio Spurs
Tony Parker: B-
Tony Parker wasn't a tremendous factor in this one, primarily because he didn't need to be. He went for eight points and five assists over his 23 minutes, landing four of his nine attempts from the field.
Gregg Popovich opted for Corey Joseph for most of the second half, with the score separated by 20 most of the way. Parker did manage to dish off a pretty feed to Duncan for an energizing bucket before Pop pulled him for the night.
Danny Green: A-
Leonard was the driving force in the first half, when San Antonio made its initial run to jump in front. But Danny Green played the role of Robin beautifully.
He was there in transition to help draw the defense out to the perimeter, and he knocked down four of his six looks from downtown. He finished with 18 points and six boards and was a team-high plus-25.
Defensively, he was a factor, coming away with three blocks—including a vicious one on Curry under the rim in the first half and a swat of Holiday's half-court heave at the end of the second quarter. It was a great all-around night for Green in the victory.
Kawhi Leonard: A+
It should go without saying by now, but Leonard is an absolute monster on both ends of the court. He showed it tonight from the very first minute.
By the time Popovich pulled him from his first shift in the first quarter, eight minutes in, Leonard had 11 points, three boards, three steals and two assists—the Spurs led by 18 just 10 minutes into the game.
By the end of the night, he finished with tied with his season-high at 26 points, coming away with seven steals and grabbing five rebounds, going 11-of-17 from the field.
The 23-year-old was a one-man highlight reel against the Warriors, sending the home crowd into a frenzy with ridiculous steals—sometimes prying it directly out of an opponent's hands—and nailing shots from all over the floor.
Tim Duncan: B+
Duncan enjoyed about as good of a final stat line as he'll put up these days, going for 19 points and seven rebounds over 24 minutes. He did it the way he typically does, with craftiness on both ends—drawing tricky foul calls and benefiting from great plays made along the perimeter.
Pop had Duncan sit through most of the fourth quarter. He made six of his seven attempts and hit seven of his eight free throws. He was one point away from his eighth 20-point game of the season
Rest of Team: A-
Like it usually is for San Antonio, it was a team win through and through. Every player except Jeff Ayres was on the board with at least two points, and the team shot 53 percent from the field.
Aron Baynes had eight points and five boards, while Corey Joseph had nine points and six rebounds. Manu Ginobili had six points, five assists and four rebounds to go along with a number of flashy plays to set up teammates for buckets. The Spurs totaled 27 assists, and five players had at least three.
Up Next
Now 51-26, the Spurs have all the pressure on the Los Angeles Clippers to maintain that five seed—the teams are tied momentarily as the Clips play the Lakers at 10:30 p.m. ET. They've won seven straight and 10 of their last 11, and they have five left to play. Next, they'll take on the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday.
The Warriors, after losing for the first time since March 13, are 63-14, still with home-court advantage locked up throughout the postseason. Falling by 15, it was their most lopsided loss of the season—their Christmas Day loss to the Clips, by 14, was their previous low-water mark. Their next game is Tuesday against the New Orleans Pelicans.
