Warriors Blow Huge Lead, Lose Game 1 in Double-Overtime to Spurs

May 6, 2013; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward DeJuan Blair (45) drives to the basket against the Golden State Warriors during the first half in game one of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at the AT

The Warriors must be thinking that they should have had this game, and they should have. With four minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Warriors were up by 16 points, and the Spurs closed the game on a 18-2 run capped off by a tying Danny Green 3-pointer.

Stephen Curry was unable to make a contested shot, and regulation ended. The Spurs had luck on their sides tonight as they battled back from a huge deficit to win the game 129-127 in overtime.

It seemed like the turning point in the fourth quarter was when Klay Thompson fouled out of the game, or Tim Duncan went to the locker room with a stomach bug. Either way, the Spurs were able to surge as they saw half their fans leave the building. There was nothing Mark Jackson or Curry or any of the Warriors could do about it.

The Spurs were in the game at halftime, when the Warriors only lead 53-49, but then, Curry lit it up and scored 22 points in the third quarter. He was hitting three after three, making incredible passes, and getting some steals. Better yet, his teammates were involved too. The Warriors had a 92-80 lead entering the fourth quarter, where it all went wrong.

After a dazzling 39 point quarter, the Warriors were unable to keep their lead (what a shock!). The Spurs were able to outscored the Dubs 26-14 in the fourth, with 18 of those points coming in the final four minutes. It was upsetting for the Warrior bench to watch, but again, Jackson couldn’t do anything to stop it. It was punctuated by Danny Green’s three point jumper, which splashed perfectly through the net to put the first dagger in the Warriors’ hearts.

Entering overtime, the Spurs had all the momentum, but the Warriors seemed to hang around. A couple of baskets were scored, and Manu Ginobli missed a jumpshot that would have given the Spurs the win at the buzzer. He would make up for it, however. After a 9-9 draw in the first OT, the game was headed to a second one.

There, the Spurs’ offense really came alive. Although rookie Harrison Barnes hit threes to begin each OT period, the Spurs charged back. On the third to last possession of the ballgame, Ginobli bricked a three from about 27 feet out, and Kent Bazemore scored a layup with 3.9 seconds remaining. On the other end, however, a miscommunication by the Warriors led to a wide open 3-pointer by Ginobli, which turned out to be the dagger with 1.2 seconds left. Jarrett Jack’s desperation three was off the mark, and the Warriors dropped game one in a similar fashion as the Nuggets series.

The Warriors losing streak to the Spurs continues and is now at 29 games. If they can end it next game, they’ll get all the confidence that they need. If not, however, they may be making a very early exit from the second round.