Just about everyone expected the Warriors to take a loss on Tuesday night in San Antonio after Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Otto Porter, and others were ruled out against the Spurs. Instead, the Warriors' young flock rose up and delivered a historic victory, thanks to a remarkable 15-point fourth-quarter comeback.
The Warriors trailed San Antonio 104-89 entering the final frame Tuesday night. The fourth quarter saw the Warriors outscore the Spurs 35-16, with rookie Jonathan Kuminga pacing the team by pouring in 14 points over the final 12 minutes, including a layup with 2:35 remaining that tied the game at 114.
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With the top two scorers in Curry (26.0 PPG) and Wiggins (18.3 PPG) unavailable, it was Jordan Poole and Damion Lee who combined for 51 points in the victory. It was Gary Payton II who grabbed five steals in just under 17 minutes, and rookie Moses Moody who knocked down 6-of-10 3-point attempts, something a Warriors rookie hasn't done since Steph was in his first year. Chris Chiozza hit a trio of 3-pointers, and even G League star Quindarry Weatherspoon had six points and played over 15 minutes.
Nights like Tuesday are what separates championship-caliber teams from average teams. NBA teams have a handful of "scheduled losses" every year where they decide to rest players for the good of the long-term outlook. After a win over the Houston Rockets the night before, the Warriors would not have sweated a loss to a well-coached Spurs team with four of their top five scorers out of the lineup.
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Instead, it was the Warriors' young players that rallied and defied the expectations, stepping up and delivering a dominant fourth quarter that advanced the team's win streak to seven games.
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors will have some time to gather themselves coming up, as they host the Kings on Thursday night and then travel to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder early next week.
This outstanding depth should serve the Warriors well over the remainder of the regular season as they jockey for playoff position, and will be a factor in the postseason.