The Warriors have advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals after defeating the Spurs 99-91 in Game 5 on Tuesday night. San Antonio closed within two points in the final minute, but Golden State managed to hang on all the way to the end thanks to some timely baskets. Kevin Durant led the Dubs with 25 points, while Klay Thompson wasn’t far behind with 24. Draymond Green stuffed the stat sheet once again, totaling 17 points, 19 rebounds and seven assists, while Kevon Looney and Shaun Livingston added eight points apiece off the bench. With the victory, Golden State wins the series four games to one.
TEAM LEADERS
BETTER START
After spotting the Spurs several points at the start of Game 4, it appeared the Warriors learned their lesson, and began Game 5 on a much better note. Golden State raced out of the gates to a 9-0 lead, while forcing the Spurs to miss their first six shot attempts. San Antonio would quickly get themselves back in it, but the tone had been set, and the Dubs carried the momentum throughout the contest. The Warriors never faced a deficit of greater than a single point, and led for the entire duration of the second half.
OUT ON THE BREAK
The Warriors played a considerably faster pace than the Spurs during the regular season, and they were able to get out and run on several occasions on Tuesday night. They outscored San Antonio by a 6-0 margin in fast break points in the opening frame, and they were only getting started. Their fast break dominance persisted throughout the game, as the Dubs finished with 21 points off fast break opportunities, compared to none at all for the Spurs.
GREEN GOBBLES UP THE BOARDS
In order to get out on the break, you have to have the ball. And, thanks to Draymond Green, Golden State had the ball quite often. After totaling what was then a playoff career-best 18 rebounds in Game 4, Green one-upped himself on Tuesday on his way to 19 rebounds in Game 5. He also scored nine of his 2018 playoff-high 17 points in the third quarter, notching his second double-double of the postseason.
MULTIPLE MILESTONES
Golden State’s two leading scorers each achieved some personal milestons in Tuesday’s game. First there was Klay Thompson, who finished with 24 points on 11-of-22 shooting from the field and joined Rick Barry (699) and Stephen Curry (652) as the only players in Warriors history to make at least 600 field goals in the playoffs.
Then there was Kevin Durant, who leapfrogged both Paul Pierce and Kevin McHale to move into 19th place on the NBA's all-time playoffs scoring list.
UP NEXT
With their series victory, the Warriors now advance to the Western Conference Semifinals where they’ll take on the sixth-seeded New Orleans Pelicans, who swept Portland 4-0 in the first round.