Kevin Durant, Warriors Bounce Spurs Amid Rumors of Kawhi Leonard's Future

The Golden State Warriors moved on to the second round of the postseason with a 99-91 Game 5 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday.

Kevin Durant scored 25 points to help the Warriors earn a 4-1 series victory and extend their home playoff winning streak to 12 games dating back to last season.

The Spurs, who were without head coach Gregg Popovich for the third straight game, ended their season on a sour note, failing to reach the Western Conference semifinals for just the second time in the past seven years.

San Antonio cut a 16-point second-half deficit to just two with less than a minute to go thanks to a dominant second-half effort by LaMarcus Aldridge. The forward scored 25 of his 30 points after halftime and finished with 12 rebounds and four assists.

Durant seized control when it mattered, however, with 10 of the Warriors' final 14 points, including this key shot with 36.1 seconds remaining:

Golden State struggled from the outside, finishing 5-of-27 from three-point range, but its best players still found ways to get on the scoreboard. In addition to Durant's heroics, Klay Thompson added 24 points, and Draymond Green helped out with 17 points, 19 rebounds and seven assists.

Even with Stephen Curry still out with a knee injury, it doesn't seem as though this team has missed a beat.

Tim Kawakami of The Athletic broke down the series and offered a quick preview of the next one:

The Warriors used a different method than usual to grab an 11-point halftime lead. The defense was the key, as the Spurs netted just 38 points, shooting 31.1 percent from the field. The Golden State offense looked different as well, with only three made shots from beyond the arc in the first half.

Thompson hit just one of those three-pointers but still had no problem scoring 17 points before halftime, including two at the buzzer:

The Spurs remained in contention, but the limited offense struggled to keep up. Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News noted a major problem:

The home team appeared ready to run away in the second half, building a 14-point lead going into the fourth quarter. Durant especially came alive while making big plays on both ends of the court:

Still, San Antonio showed its fight by getting within a bucket before Durant helped Golden State pull away in the final minute.

The season has not gone to plan for the Spurs, who are facing possible major changes in the offseason with two-time All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard potentially available in a trade. Their .573 winning percentage was the lowest since Gregg Popovich took over full-time in the 1997-98 season.

While the team avoided a sweep with its win in Game 4, there will be a lot of questions going forward.

Things are more upbeat for the Warriors, who will take on Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans beginning Saturday.