It was a dreaded stretch of the schedule, and it had a dreadful ending. Saturday’s 107-85 loss in San Antonio brought to an end an eight-game stretch in which the Dubs played in eight different cities, seven states and one district over a span of 13 days.
GAME LEADERS
Both the Warriors and Spurs were without several of their stars, but perhaps the way the Spurs shot it, it didn’t matter. San Antonio knocked down 11 of their 18 3-point attempts in the first half and took a 20-point lead into the break. Spurs guard Patty Mills was especially hot, shooting 8-of-10 from the field and 4-for-5 on threes for 20 first half points.
The Warriors didn’t have an answer, but Ian Clark was the closest thing to it. He led the Dubs with 36 points on 15-for-21 shooting. Zaza Pachulia logged a double-double (11 points, 12 rebounds) and Matt Barnes tallied 14 points, nine rebounds and five assists, but it wasn’t enough on a night in which the Dubs shot just 35.9 percent from the field.
This marks the Warriors’ second loss to the Spurs in their three-game season series, and should the Dubs and San Antonio finish the regular reason with the same record, San Antonio would earn the higher seed in the postseason by virtue of winning the season series. Following Saturday’s game, the Dubs hold a half-game advantage over San Antonio for the top record in the West, as well as the entire NBA.
Between the Warriors and Spurs, 11 players have made at least one All-Star Game in their career. But only three of them played on Saturday. None of this year’s four Warriors All-Stars played, as Durant continues to be out with a left knee injury and Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green each sat out the game to rest, as did Andre Iguodala. On the San Antonio side, MVP candidate Kawhi Leonard missed the game due to the NBA’s concussion protocol, Tony Parker sat out with back stiffness and LaMarcus Aldridge sat out with what the Spurs described as a minor heart arrhythmia.
The Warriors have now lost five of their last seven games, and they’re certainly looking forward to a more favorable schedule. After being on the road for most of the last two weeks, the Dubs will play 11 of their 16 remaining regular season games at Oracle Arena. The home-heavy stretch of the schedule begins on Tuesday as the Warriors open a three-game homestand against the Philadelphia 76ers ( Find Tickets).