Spurs continue their home domination over Warriors
SAN ANTONIO -- The friendly confines of the AT&T Center have the San Antonio Spurs surging to some unprecedented streaks.
The Spurs got 24 points and 10 rebounds from Tim Duncan as they defeated the Golden State Warriors 95-88 Friday night, extending their home win streak to 14.
The Spurs have dominated the series against the Warriors by winning 28 consecutive home games against Golden State, the longest such home streak against an NBA team.
"We don't really pay attention to those stats, because every year it's different," said Tony Parker about the 15-year streak against the Warriors. "Every team is different. Golden State is for real. They're a really, really good team."
Golden State showed it early on, setting the tempo and forcing much of the action early on. The Warriors led by 10 points in the first quarter.
Then, down by eight in the third quarter, and struggling to match Golden State basket-for-basket, San Antonio got a late-quarter push from Parker to go up 78-73.
The Warriors tied it 82-82 with six minutes left in the fourth, then the Spurs went on a 13-4 run that was highlighted by Danny Green's 3-pointer with 1:30 left. That was enough to put the Spurs on top the rest of the way.
Parker had nine of his 25 points in the third period and added eight assists. Tiago Splitter added 19 points and Green 13 as the Spurs improved to 31-11.
The Spurs were equally has tough on defense, holding the Warriors to 41 second-half points, and 12 points below their 100.4 points-per-game average.
"Yeah, I think our defense kept us out of it in the beginning," said Duncan on the Spurs' second-half surge. "They were playing very well. Shooting the ball very well. We weren't in the right rotations. We weren't contesting the shots, but we cleaned it up a little bit. Found something that worked, and that definitely took us over the top."
Golden State was without its leading scorer, Stephen Curry, who is nursing a right ankle sprain. His replacement, Jarrett Jack, scored 20 points, while David Lee had 22 and Klay Thompson 20 as Golden State's record dropped to 23-15.
The Warriors played smart, with no turnovers in the first half, and defended San Antonio at the arc.
The Spurs, second in the league in 3-point shooting, struggled from the 3-point line going 5-of-22 (23 percent).
San Antonio's bench was limited to 14 points, but the Spurs outscored the Warriors 44-28 in the paint.
"I thought tonight we matched the Spurs' intensity,' said Lee. "Towards the end of the game, they did what they do best by going to Duncan and Parker and have their role players do what they do. Give them credit. They played a good home game."
Duncan, who was dogged by early foul trouble, picked up his third foul with 4:48 left in the second quarter and sat on the bench until the second half.
The Warriors took it inside behind Carl Landry's 15 first-half points, and led 47-46 going into the locker room. Landry did not score in the second half.
"We competed. We competed on the defensive end," said Warriors coach Mark Jackson. "We took care of the basketball. We executed offensively. They (the Spurs) made some tough plays. They have a history of doing just that. I'm disappointed in the loss, but at the same time I really like the way my team goes after it."
Notes: The second half of the game was delayed approximately 15 minutes as the game crew replaced a bent rim on one of the baskets. ... The Spurs have been on one of the hottest home winning streaks in franchise history. Their 14-game streak is the longest since 2011, when they won a franchise-high 22 games. ... The last time Golden State won in San Antonio was February 14, 1997, four months before Duncan was drafted. ... Warriors forward Richard Jefferson played two seasons for San Antonio before being traded to Golden State, along with guard T.J. Ford and a first-round draft pick, for Stephen Jackson.
