Warriors run out of gas in loss to Spurs

On the second night of a back-to-back, the Warriors spent too long running on empty to close out the Spurs

After leading by 17 late in the third quarter, Golden State fell apart. The Warriors didn’t convert a field goal for more than six minutes of the fourth quarter. They got outscored by 25 in the last 12 minutes and 30 seconds, scoring a total of 13 fourth-quarter points.

The younger Spurs had fresher legs, and it showed in their 104-94 win over the Warriors (12-4). The Warriors needed their younger players to pick up the slack for their veterans, but Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield, and Moses Moody didn’t do quite enough to make up for Steph Curry (14 points on 5-for-16 shooting) and Draymond Green’s quiet nights.

Perhaps Jonathan Kuminga could have provided enough individual offense to keep the Warriors afloat late, but he got scratched due to an illness.

Victor Wembanyama scored a game-high 25 points and added nine assists, seven rebounds and three blocks. Rookie Stephon Castle added 19, including several big plays late.

The last time the Warriors blew a lead of at least 17 and lost was last January against the Nuggets.

To build their lead, the Warriors went on both an 11-0 and 7-0 run in a convincing first quarter fueled by Andrew Wiggins (20 points) and Buddy Hield. Wiggins dropped 10 in the opening period and Hield added eight, passing Joe Johnson for 19th on the all-time 3-point leaderboard with a pair of early triples.

Golden State started 5-for-11 from behind the arc, but did a ton of damage in the paint. By sealing smaller defenders like Chris Paul underneath, the back-cuts and motion offense generated consistent looks at the rim even with San Antonio shot-blockers Wembanyama and Zach Collins patrolling the lane.

Hield cashed another 3 to start the second quarter, then two Spurs closed out to him in a split-action, allowing him to dish an assist for a slipping Trayce Jackson-Davis. The Spurs were lost in Golden State’s free-flowing, outside-in offense.

But Steve Kerr had to call a timeout after San Antonio ripped off 10 straight points. Gregg Popovich wasn’t on the Spurs’ bench as he’s recovering from a stroke, but his team played the type of ball-movement basketball his greatest clubs have embraced.

Refocused, the Warriors consistently put Wembanyama in actions on the perimeter, drawing him away from the rim, forcing him to navigate screens, and making him think. Wembanyama was playing in his first game after missing the previous three with a right knee contusion, and the Warriors tested him on both ends.

Wiggins rainbowed a 3 over Wembanyama, giving the Warriors a 50-38 lead as the game clock wound down in the first half. The Spurs’ 38 points were the fewest in any half for them this season, as Golden State’s defensive execution vastly improved from the night prior.

Lindy Waters III, starting his fifth straight game in De’Anthony Melton’s place, drilled a pair of 3s to halt a fleeting San Antonio push in the third quarter. The first of his back-to-back 3s came after two offensive rebounds — an area the Warriors controlled until the fourth quarter.

The Warriors pushed their lead to 17, bottling up Wembanyama and matching San Antonio’s energy. But five straight points, including steal-and-score, from rookie Stephon Castle brought the Spurs back within 10 entering the fourth quarter.

Castle’s sequence totally flipped the game, and appeared to give him confidence heading into the fourth.

Castle played stout defense on Curry throughout the game, limiting the two-time MVP to eight points on 30% shooting through three quarters.

With Curry and Draymond Green on the bench to start the final period, Golden State needed its bench to build up another cushion. Instead, San Antonio went on a 10-4 run, cutting the deficit to four.

So Curry and Green re-entered the game earlier than normal, checking in with over eight minutes left. They’d played 33 and 30 minutes, respectively, in New Orleans the night before.

Wembanyama inched San Antonio within one with a 3, but Curry answered with a deep triple of his own.

Castle knifed inside to tie the game at 90 with four minutes left — the Warriors’ eighth clutch game of the year. Then Castle drilled a 3, giving the Spurs their first lead since the first basket of the game.

The Warriors’ shots kept falling short. Jumps for rebounds didn’t get off the floor. The Warriors went scoreless for more than four minutes, and Curry over-dribbled for a costly turnover. Their 13 fourth-quarter points was their lowest scoring period of the season.

In a flash, the Warriors’ 17-point lead was an eight-point deficit. For the first time this season, the Warriors collapsed and couldn’t find their footing in time to steady themselves.