San Antonio came into the game without their only steady point guard, and turned the ball over as much as they assisted in a 132-95 defeat.
SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Spurs (6-8) had no point guard and no answer for the Golden State Warriors in their first meeting of the season.
San Antonio clearly felt the absence of Tre Jones, registering 18 turnovers and 18 assists in the blowout loss. On the other end, Golden State shot a blistering 23-45 from three.
Recap
First Quarter
6’9″ rookie Jeremy Sochan started at point guard with Tre Jones out, and drew the always-tough assignment of guarding Steph Curry. The Spurs struggled with turnovers early on, and Sochan picked up a pair of fouls that sent him to the bench.
Golden State quickly built a double-digit lead, but San Antonio’s bench unit fought back. Keita Bates-Diop hit some big shots, as did Doug McDermott and Josh Richardson.
The Warriors retook the lead with a barrage of threes before Devin Vassell closed the quarter with a Penny Hardaway-esque spin into a stepback, an uncommon move he seems to have mastered. The Spurs trailed 33-26 after one.
Second Quarter
McDermott knocked in another three, and Sochan got back in the game and drove through a foul for a bucket. The Warriors continued to control the game, and built their lead out to 17.
Jordan Poole led the way with 19, Steph added 10, and the Warriors led 61-45 at the break.
Third Quarter
The Dubs opened the second half by ripping off a 15-0 run to take a 31-point lead. San Antonio just couldn’t get anything going, shooting poorly from all areas of the floor and registering more turnovers than assists.
Keldon Johnson hit a pair of threes in a row, then finished inside. Golden State carried a 99-68 advantage into the final period.
Fourth Quarter
Josh Richardson took a shot to the head on a hard foul by Donte DiVincenzo, resulting in a flagrant 2. The game was basically over at that point, and the deep reserves got some run as the Spurs starters rested for tomorrow’s game in Portland.
Game Rewind
The Spurs are coming off a 111-93 home win against the depleted Bucks.
Keldon Johnson had 29 points to lead the team while Devin Vassell added 22 points. Jakob Poeltl finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds while Jeremy Sochan recorded 10 points.
“Great game. I thought our guys were fantastic against a heck of a basketball team,” Gregg Popovich said. “To play them the way we did tonight feels really good. You’re always disappointed when you lose but there are so many good things. These guys are growing.”
INJURY REPORT
THE UNIFORMS
The Spurs will be in their Association Edition jerseys tonight.
5 THINGS TO WATCH:
1. The Spurs have won two-straight games on the road versus the Golden State Warriors.
2. Spurs’ Johnson has scored in double-figures in 12-straight games.
3. The Spurs are 5-0 this season when they record more defensive rebounds than their opponent.
4. The Spurs are 3-0 on the road this season when leading after the third period.
5. The Warriors have won four-straight home games.
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Twitter: @KENS5, @JeffGSpursKENS5