Streaking San Antonio Spurs Silence Golden State Warriors 99-90

Mar 22, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) drives past San Antonio Spurs center Jeff Ayres (11) in the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Saturday night, the San Antonio Spurs continued their magic, came into Oakland to play the Warriors and in a second-round rematch of the 2013 playoffs, they beat them by a final score of 99-90. Hats off to the Spurs, as they are one of the NBA’s best teams. It was a great defensive effort by both teams, but in the end, when it mattered the most, the Warriors couldn’t stop them. What was the main problem?

Stephen Curry finished with 20 points, and Klay Thompson scored 16 points. For the Spurs, Tony Parker dropped in 20 points, and Marco Belinelli, who scored nine points in the third quarter, finished with 15 off the bench. Tiago Splitter chipped in 17 points to go with 14 rebounds. When he scores in the double digits, the Spurs are 21-0.

Starting the game, the Spurs opened 10-for-15 at a scorching 66% from the field. The Warriors could find no answer to the offense, and at one point trailed 20-7. It wasn’t pretty for the Dubs at all, but they still managed to find a way to float around at just a 15-point deficit – perfect striking distance. As bad as it was, the Warriors trailed by just 10 at 32-22.

The second quarter is where the Warriors did all of their work. They were able to cut the deficit behind the bench’s magnificent play, and were able to push the Warriors to a 25-18 quarter that featured some great defense and better offense.

In the third quarter, the Warriors finally took the lead and were able to play closely with the Spurs for the entire quarter. Each team went back and forth with terrific defensive plays. Unfortunately for the Warriors, the starters got tired and had to rest at the end of the quarter. This is where the Spurs did some major damage. A 2-point lead grew to 7 for the Spurs entering the fourth quarter.

The only team that they have lost to this season when leading after the third quarter is the Portland Trail Blazers, who lost tonight as well. With numbers like that, there’s almost no chance that you pull off a win. The Warriors battled hard but in the end, the Spurs were able to make another run into the double digits, and that was it. They had a great chance to end the Spurs’ winning streak, but in the end, the Spurs played harder.

The Dubs now get a five5-day break until they have to play again on Friday against Memphis – one of the teams they are competing with for playoff positioning. Fortunately for them, the Dallas Mavericks play both the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Clippers: two of the better teams in the NBA.