What we learned as Steph struggled in Spurs’ comeback win against Dubs originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
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The Warriors desperately need a day off. Searching for an ounce of gasoline to get them to the final buzzer, the Warriors tanked and couldn’t find another gear in a 104-94 loss to the San Antonio Spurs Saturday night at Frost Bank Center.
Andrew Wiggins scored a team-high 20 points, giving him 20 or more points in four straight games.
But Steph Curry had an extremely bad night, scoring just 14 points on 5-for-16 shooting as he couldn’t find his shot.
In the first quarter, the Warriors shot 50 percent from the field and 45.5 percent on three-pointers. They finished the night shooting 37.9 percent overall and made just 31.8 percent of their shots from long range.
Victor Wembanyama was a game-high plus-16 with 25 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in his first game back from injury.
Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ ugly loss before returning home after their two-game road trip.
Implosion in the fourth quarter
With just under two minutes left in the third quarter, the Warriors pushed their lead to 17 points, their largest of the night. No team scored for the next 55 seconds until Malaki Branham made it a 15-point deficit for Spurs. Everything changed after that.
The Spurs went on a 7-0 run in the final minute of the third quarter and carried that momentum into the fourth quarter as the Warriors were outscored 33-13.
How cold did the Warriors go? Curry hit a three at 6:38 to give the Warriors a 90-86 lead. The Warriors didn’t score again until Draymond Green made a free throw at the 2:08 mark. Their next shot wasn’t until Curry made a three at 1:19.
That means the Warriors lost five minutes and 19 seconds without making a shot in the fourth quarter. Game over. It’s that simple.
The loss marked the first time the Warriors have lost by 10 or more points in a game in which they once led by at least 17 points since November 27, 2000.
Tired legs
The Warriors’ two oldest players, Curry (36) and Green (34), looked like their two oldest players on the second night of a back-to-back. Although the Warriors had played one back-to-back before Saturday night, this was Curry’s first this season. He was hurt when they played back-to-back nights against the Pelicans late last month.
Curry and Green each had to play more than 30 minutes the night before in New Orleans. Coach Steve Kerr let them both start the fourth quarter until there were eight minutes left, knowing he would need his two stars to lead the Warriors to a win.
Curry played 32 minutes and Green gave Golden State 27 before fouling out. Together they scored 15 points. Curry had fourteen.
Green missed all five of his shot attempts, including three three-pointers. Curry was a modest 5 of 16 from the field and went 3 of 10 from beyond the arc. The Warriors needed other players, especially young legs, to step up.
Not enough. Curry and Green have started the season great. This was an evening to quickly forget for the dynamic duo.
Attacking Wemby
There must be a limit to the three-point revolution in the NBA, and Wembanyama should be the test case for everyone to watch. Need proof? Take a look at his first-half shot chart.
Not a single shot in the paint while going 2-for-6 from 3-point range. Here’s how his shot chart finished for the entire game.
The Frenchman preferred playing like Ray Allen rather than an imposing big man, and the Warriors took advantage of his tendencies. This also applies to both sides of the ball. After the first quarter, they had a 10-point lead – 14 to 4 – when it came to points in the paint. At halftime, the Warriors had doubled the Spurs’ points in the paint, 24 to 12.
But as their legs wore out, the Warriors finished with just two more points in the paint than the Spurs: 44 to 42. Wembanyama made 13 three-pointers, but also had three blocks.
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