© Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
The Warriors drubbed the visiting San Antonio Spurs Wednesday night, prevailing 141-102. Here are four thoughts from Golden State’s 13th win in 14 games.
The talent disparity showed
Back-to-back nationally televised Warriors matchups lacked their typical appeal with opponents sitting their stars. On Saturday, the Los Angeles Lakers sat LeBron James as he continued to nurse a groin injury that sidelined him for the longest spurt of his career. Fast forward to Wednesday, and the Spurs sat their two most recognizable stars, LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar Derozan, to manage their workloads.
The flow of the game went as you thought it might. The first quarter, like a pickup game, featured free-flowing basketball from both sides. Kevin Durant made his first six shots for 15 points to pace the Warriors. Klay Thompson steadily chipped in, and Stephen Curry waited his turn.
About midway through the second quarter, the Warriors started to get serious, mixing in their best lineups, and the lead grew. By the opening minutes of the third quarter, Golden State led by as many as 20. By the final minute of the third quarter, the lead had ballooned to 33, indicative of the prolific third-quarter Warriors runs we are accustomed to seeing.
At one point, the Warriors’ starting five of All-Stars matched up with a lineup of Lonnie Walker, Bryn Forbes, Dante Cunningham, Chimezie Metu, and Quincy Pondexter — an assortment of forgotten journeymen and NBA babies getting their first extended pro experience. How many of those players would see the floor on the Warriors?
If Wednesday was any indication, not many, if any.
For the second straight game, Klay led the Warriors
Thompson led the Warriors with 26 points, which is hardly an aberration from his normal production. But Wednesday night could have been much more memorable, had he continued the way he started the game in regards to his new favorite hobby: dunking.
Last month, Thompson set a single-game career-high of four dunks. The achievement didn’t pass him by.
Klay was way too excited talking about his 4 dunks ? pic.twitter.com/GSOCoD5CMk
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) January 16, 2019
Wednesday night, Thompson — who once had a bet with Zaza Pachulia regarding who would dunk more in a season — dunked twice in the opening minutes. Later in the first quarter, Thompson eyed another easy dunk, but he got too excited.
"Wow" pic.twitter.com/azshDIPHl0
— KNBR (@KNBR) February 7, 2019
There were at least two more dunk opportunities that Thompson either mishandled or laid up, instead. It won’t go down as a personal record-breaking night, but Thompson has quietly parlayed consecutive ridiculous shooting performances together.
On Saturday, Thompson connected on 10 of 15 field goal attempts and made four of seven threes for 28 points. Wednesday night, he went 11-13 and 4-5 from three-point range for 26 points in 29 minutes.
While Durant started hot and Curry finished strong, Thompson was the constant, methodically getting his buckets. He scored seven points in the first quarter, nine points in the second quarter, and 10 points in the third.
Thompson has led the Warriors in scoring for two straight games.
Boogie is presenting intriguing lineup variations
If you’re bored with these otherwise meaningless regular season games, one dynamic to watch is how Steve Kerr continues to toy with DeMarcus Cousins. Everyone talks about the terror of the team’s starting five, but how Cousins fits with the rotational guys, and which ones best, will be worth monitoring.
Kerr has already seen success with Cousins anchoring a ridiculously lengthy quintet, featuring Thompson, Shaun Livingston, Andre Iguodala, and Draymond Green. That group distanced the Warriors early in the second quarter and started stringing together the stops that weren’t there in the first quarter. After Golden State allowed 31 first-quarter points, the above group started the second quarter and didn’t allow a point until the 8:29 mark. Without their go-to scorers, the Spurs failed to overcome the length of that Warriors lineup, which launched a 9-0 run to start the quarter.
That quintet is now plus-18 in 33 minutes this season.
Speaking of lethal lineups…
You may have heard of this one. Golden State’s Death Lineup — including Curry, Thompson, Iguodala, Durant, and Green — launched an 11-0 run in 84 seconds with fewer than three minutes left in the second quarter.
The Warriors forced three turnovers on four possessions, all of which turned into points. Curry, like he did last game, awoke from his first-quarter slumber to go on a mini 5-0 run. The spurt gave the Warriors the cushion that jumpstarted the blowout.
Like a video game cheat code, the Death Lineup took another prisoner, in the blink of an eye. Go to the bathroom and you’ll miss it. And deploying the lineup in the 53rd game of the season, on four days rest, against a depleted Spurs team… just cruel.