What we learned as Warriors win fourth straight with victory vs. Spurs

What we learned as Warriors win fourth straight with victory vs. Spurs originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

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Stephen Curry scored 33 points and dished out eight assists, and the Warriors rallied to win their fourth straight on the road, beating the San Antonio Spurs 117-113 on Sunday at Frost Bank Center.

Coupled with the Houston Rockets’ loss to the Dallas Mavericks, the victory gave the Warriors (40-34) some breathing room in their race to hold onto the final NBA play-in tournament spot in the Western Conference. With eight games remaining for both teams – including a head-to-head matchup on April 4 – the Warriors have a two-game lead over the Rockets.

Draymond Green put together another stellar all-around game with 21 points, six rebounds, 11 assists, six steals and a block, finishing a team-high plus-13.

Warriors rookie Brandin Podziemski added 12 points and seven rebounds. Klay Thompson, back in the starting lineup after sitting out one game with left knee soreness, scored 13 points. Moses Moody scored 10.

Curry, as usual, played a big role in the crucial win. The two-time NBA scoring champ shot 12 of 23 and was 7 of 15 behind the arc. It marks the 10^th consecutive game that Curry has knocked down at least three 3-pointers.

San Antonio (18-57) had the upper hand for most of the first half before Golden State got going in the third quarter.

The Spurs kept it close and got within 113-11 on a pair of free throws by Victor Wembanyama with 59.4 seconds remaining, capping a 9-0 run by San Antonio.

Curry missed a 3-pointer, but Green grabbed the rebound and threw it to Thompson. Thompson coolly connected for his second trey of the game that tied him with Kyle Korver for sixth place on the NBA’s all-time list.

After Wembanyama made two more free throws with 28.6 seconds left, Podziemski had a 3-pointer go in and out, but Green snagged the rebound again and was fouled. Green missed his first free-throw attempt but made the second to seal the victory.

Here are the takeaways from Sunday’s game:

Dubs Dominate In Third

The Warriors closed out the first half with a nice run then carried that momentum over to the third quarter.

Golden State came out on fire and took control of the game while outscoring San Antonio 37-21 to flip the momentum onto the Warriors' side, turning an eight-point deficit into an eight-point advantage.

The Warriors ramped up their energy and were much more active on both ends.

Green, in particular, stood out while putting together a gumbo of a quarter. Green made all four shots he attempted in the third, scored 11 points and had three assists and a pair of steals to help swing things back in Golden State’s favor.

It was a perfect example of how good the Warriors can be when they’re locked in, and how important it is to have Green available.

Sloppy And Choppy Start

For a team that has played fairly well during this road trip, the Warriors got off to a rough, sloppy start in San Antonio.

Offensively, Golden State committed five turnovers in the first quarter and generally looked out of sync. A frustrated Steve Kerr got called for a technical foul for arguing with officials over a non-call.

Defensively, the Warriors allowed the Spurs to score at will in the paint and gave up numerous open looks near the perimeter. San Antonio put up 34 points in the first quarter – six more than Golden State had allowed in the first quarters of its previous two games combined.

The Warriors managed to make a run early in the second quarter but kept hurting themselves with self-inflicted mistakes and a defense that appeared too loose at times.

Where's Wiggs?

Andrew Wiggins had been riding one of his best shooting streaks going into the game, but he couldn’t keep the good juju going in San Antonio.

Wiggins missed six of seven shots, scored just two points and basically was a non-factor in the first half.

Things didn’t get much better for him in the second half, either.

Wiggins never found his rhythm, finishing 2 of 12 with four points. That lack of production was magnified more given that Jonathan Kuminga sat out his third consecutive game with left knee tendinitis. Although they play different positions, the Warriors had to be counting on getting more out of Wiggins to help make up for Kuminga’s absence.

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