The Golden State Warriors continued their trend of looking like a contender … when Steph Curry is healthy. After starting their five-game road trip with back-to-back non-competitive losses while Curry dealt with a pelvic contusion, the Dubs have responded with the return of their star. After an emphatic win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night, the Warriors headed west to Texas, where they destroyed the San Antonio Spurs 148-106.
It was a weakened Spurs team that the Warriors faced, as they’re without All-Stars Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox. But while the Dubs have sometimes let teams hang around too long, there was none of that in San Antonio, as it was Golden State’s game from the tip … they led by as much as 47, but never trailed.
Not only that, but it wasn’t close. The Warriors couldn’t miss in the first quarter, dropping a stunning 44 points to take a 44-27 lead. The offense cooled down in the second quarter but the defense locked in, and the Dubs led 68-44 at the break. There would be no second-half meltdown: the Warriors exploded for 43 third-quarter points, taking a 111-73 lead into the final quarter, resulting in a full quarter of garbage time.
As a result, no one played even close to 30 minutes, meaning Golden State’s stars are well-rested for Tuesday’s huge showdown with the Memphis Grizzlies. Brandin Podziemski led the way for the Warriors with a career-best seven made threes, en route to 27 points on 9-for-14 shooting, with six rebounds and five assists. Five other Warriors scored in double figures: Moses Moody (20), Buddy Hield (19), Draymond Green (14), Jimmy Butler III (13), and Curry (13). As a team, the Warriors shot 57.7% from the field and made 21 threes.
Not only that, but the Warriors got some help in the standings, as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the LA Clippers. That allowed the Warriors to move back into the sixth seed in the Western Conference.
But the game did come at a cost, as Jonathan Kuminga landed awkwardly on a layup attempt, and left the game with soreness in his right ankle … the same ankle that sidelined him for about two months. He didn’t return to the game, but hopefully it’s a mild injury.
