San Francisco -Harrison Barnes silenced the arena with a buzzer-beating three-pointer, sealing a 114-111 win for the San Antonio Spurs. It was a must-win game for Golden State to avoid the Play-In Tournament, but the loss ends their hopes of securing a guaranteed playoff spot.
Unfortunately for the Warriors, the Western Conference is stacked with strong teams, and the loss drops them from the 6th seed to the 7th, officially placing them in the Play-In. Despite leading by as many as 12 points in two separate quarters, Golden State couldn’t shake San Antonio, who stayed within striking distance and ultimately frustrated the Warriors down the stretch.
“I felt like we never, other than the first five minutes of the game and the first five minutes of the third quarter, I never felt like we had control of them defensively,” said Steve Kerr. “So we left the door open, we know they’re a really good three-point shooting team. They made 17 last night against the Clippers, and hung in there, and gave them a tough game. So this was not a surprise to see this kind of effort from the Spurs. We just couldn’t contain them defensively and when you do that you leave the door open for shots like they hit, like the one Harrison (Barnes) hit.”
The Warriors came out strong with a 9-0 start, draining threes and dazzling with fancy passes and alley-oops. Clearly having fun, they closed the period with a 32-23 lead. But, the Spurs got back in it, tying the game at 35-35. After a fun, high-energy first quarter, the Warriors came out flat on defense, allowing San Antonio to tie it up and take the lead. Golden State fought back to close the gap, trailing 55-51 at the half.
The Warriors regained the lead, 57-55, with back-to-back buckets from Stephen Curry. Brandin Podziemski, who had a quiet night with 7 points and 5 assists, knocked down a jumper, followed by another mid-range shot from Curry. Then Curry drilled a three, extending Golden State’s lead to 75-66.
Curry connected again from beyond the arc to make it 82-70. With that three at 9:32 in the third, Curry reached 300 made threes this season, marking the sixth time he’s hit that milestone, an NBA record. Golden State wrapped up the third quarter leading 88-76. Curry finihsed with 30 points and 8 rebounds.
Tonight’s loss snapped the Warriors’ streak of seven straight wins in clutch games, defined as contests where the score is within five points with five or fewer minutes remaining. Golden State fell to 25-19 in clutch games this season and has now played in 44 such games, tying the Rockets for the second-most in the NBA (trailing only Minnesota with 46). The Warriors are now 6-6 in games decided by three points or fewer.
Photo by GSW/X
