The Warriors used a 49-point third quarter to pull away from the Spurs in a 141-102 victory on Wednesday night at Oracle Arena.
TEAM LEADERS
Push the tempo. The Dubs did that and then some in Wednesday’s 141-102 win over the Spurs at Oracle Arena.
After using an 11-0 spurt late in the second quarter to push their lead to 14, the Warriors opened things up in the third quarter with a near-flawless offensive display. The Dubs put up 49 points in the period, their highest third quarter output of the season and second highest quarter overall – the squad had 51 points in the first quarter of a win in Denver last month.
The Dubs shot 17-for-22 (77 percent) from the floor in the period and tallied assists on all but one of those baskets. Those 16 helpers marked a franchise best for a quarter and their 42 assists for the game were also an NBA season-high.
Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and DeMarcus Cousins each had 10 points in the period, and the Dubs’ 49 points was tied for the most that the Spurs had ever given up in one quarter.
Thompson had a highly efficient night with 26 points on 11-for-13 shooting, including 4-for-5 on 3-pointers, while also tallying six assists. Durant flirted with a triple-double and tallied with 23 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, while Curry overcame a slow shooting start to finish with 19 points and seven assists.
The Spurs were without their two highest scorers, as All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan each sat out the game due to “load management,” and the Dubs took full advantage, running the break at each opportunity. The Warriors made extended outlet passes throughout the game, often ending up with open looks in transition. The result was a season-high 50 fast break points and 66 points in the paint, as the Dubs shot 57.9 percent from the floor and out-rebounded the Spurs 52-30.
With the win, the Dubs’ 13th in their last 14 games, the Warriors take over sole possession of first place in the West, and they’ll look to build on that on Friday when they visit the Suns.