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 Duncan capped a milestone rebounding effort with a late
three-point play that stalled a Warriors rally and helped the Spurs
hold on for a 113-100 victory.
The Spurs' fifth consecutive win over the Warriors completed a
consecutive-nights sweep of last year's top two teams in the Pacific
Division -- Golden State and the Los Angeles Clippers.
Right in the middle of both wins was Duncan, a 38-year-old who
doesn't often play on successive nights.
"I'm really proud of them," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of his
veteran players, including Duncan, who had played 36 minutes in L.A.
on Monday. "Back-to-backs are difficult for an older team, but I
thought they showed a lot of focus and played with a lot of purpose
tonight."
Duncan's key hoop came on a night when he became just the 11th
player in NBA history to record 14,000 career rebounds. He finished
the game with 14,009 after a 13-rebound effort.
 "In 2003 when I hung 'em up, Duncan, (Tony) Parker, (Manu) Ginobili
and Pop, they were all there," noted first-year Warriors coach Steve
Kerr, who won two championships as a player for the Spurs. "They're
still here. I wish they'd go away."
Parker had 28 points and seven assists, and Duncan logged a
12-point, 13-rebound double-double to lead the Spurs (4-3), who were
playing without point guard Patty Mills (shoulder surgery), shooting
guard Marco Belinelli (strained right groin) and center Tiago
Splitter (calf tightness).
Duncan's 12 points left him just eight shy of yet another milestone
-- the 25,000-point barrier.
Down 12 to start the fourth quarter, the Warriors got within seven
on three occasions and then within 94-88 on a jumper by backup power
forward Marreese Speights with 4:45 to go.
But Duncan countered with his big hoop on San Antonio's next
possession, a five-foot finger roll on which he was fouled by
Warriors power forward Draymond Green.
When Duncan dropped in the free throw, the San Antonio lead was back
up to nine with 4:21 to go and the Warriors never seriously
challenged again.
Small forward Kawhi Leonard had 19 points, Ginobili 17 and reserve
guard Cory Joseph 11 in a balanced Spurs attack.
Leonard and reserve center Boris Diaw backed Duncan on the boards
with six apiece as the Spurs limited Golden State to an all-time
franchise low one offensive rebound and no second-chance points.
"There is no way you can win in the NBA getting 23 fewer field goal
attempts," first-year Warriors coach Steve Kerr assured. "I'm
encouraged. The Spurs played great. They can't play any better. Yet
we hung in there."
Shooting guard Klay Thompson paced Golden State (5-2) with 29
points, 15 of which came on five 3-pointers.
Small forward Harrison Barnes added 22 points and point guard
Stephen Curry 16, but the reigning NBA Player of the Week shot
0-for-7 from 3-point range, snapping a streak of having made at
least one 3 in 75 consecutive games.
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In losing their second consecutive game, the Warriors hurt
themselves with 20 turnovers.
Thanks to a plus-seven differential in offensive rebounds (8-1) and
a plus-12 differential in turnovers (20-8), the Spurs managed 23
more shots than the Warriors (93-70) and were able to win despite
being outshot 54.3 percent to 49.5.
"We're too good a team not to get a shot every possession," said
Thompson, who had four of the Warriors' turnovers. "We need to
improve (on the turnovers). Thank goodness it's November and not
April."
The Warriors, whose five-game, season-opening streak was snapped in
their previous game at Phoenix on Sunday, opened a three-game
homestand without power forward David Lee, who is out indefinitely
with a strained left hamstring.
Up six at the half, the Spurs created some separation for the first
time in the game with a 7-0 flurry early in the third quarter to go
up 66-54.
Parker had two hoops and shooting guard Danny Green a 3-pointer in
the run, during which the Warriors missed four consecutive shots
over 2:18.
The Spurs' lead was still 12, 82-70, entering the final period.
NOTES: The Spurs were playing their second back-to-back of the young
season, but coach Gregg Popovich chose not to rest any of his
veteran players, in part because the club has Wednesday and Thursday
off. ... Spurs PF Tim Duncan was rested in both of San Antonio's
visits to Oakland last season. ... Duncan has rebounded a
double-double in five of his six games this season. ... The
Warriors' previous low for offensive rebounds in a game had been
two. ... The Warriors have committed 20 or more turnovers in four
consecutive games. ... PG Stephen Curry's 75-game streak of making
at least one 3-pointer had been the longest in the league and is the
fifth-longest of all-time. ... Warriors guards (Curry and SG Klay
Thompson) have won the NBA's first two Western Conference Player of
the Week honors. ... The Warriors waived second-year PG Namanja
Nedovic before the game. The 23-year-old had not appeared in a game
this season after averaging 1.1 points in 24 appearances last year.
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