The Golden State Warriors had the best record in the Western Conference going into their matchup with the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday. The Warriors had shocked many with their scorching start to the season, going 12-3 through their first 15 games.
The Warriors sprinted off to a 17-point lead against an upgraded Spurs squad, but they were unable to maintain it. San Antonio overcame the deficit and won 104-94 behind the play of Victor Wembanyama, who finished with 25 points, nine assists, seven rebounds, and three blocks.
The Spurs’ comeback effort was mostly focused on the fourth quarter, when they defeated Golden State 33–13.
After the game, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr talked to media about what went wrong.
Kerr acknowledged that the Warriors had run out of gas and stated (via San Francisco Chronicle reporter Sam Gordon)
“We have to learn how to perform under pressure when we’re exhausted since this is a requirement of the NBA. Tonight, we didn’t do that, but we’ll improve.”
In this game, Steph Curry was not at his best, scoring only 14 points on 5/16 shooting. His longtime teammate Draymond Green, who fouled out in less than 27 minutes after going 0/5 from the field, didn’t do anything to assist him. Green did contribute eight assists and seven rebounds, but his performance was lacking altogether.
As the Warriors battled to stay afloat during those minutes, Golden State’s bench was maybe the game’s biggest problem. Buddy Hield finished in double figures with 11 points, but Brandin Podziemski had a team-worst -14 plus/minus and failed to make a basket in more than 15 minutes of play.
