Sunday’s NBA Playoff action only featured a single tilt. But it was a good game as the Golden State Warriors defeated the San Antonio Spurs in overtime to tie their series 2-2. Here’s the full game recap.
Golden State evens series with San Antonio after 97-87 overtime win
The Golden State Warriors desperately needed a win in their series with San Antonio to avoid falling in a perilous 3-1 hole. It took everything they had in regulation, but they evened up the series at two games apiece after a late comeback for a 97-87 win in overtime. It was the first time in this year’s playoffs that the Warriors trailed heading into the fourth quarter and came out with a victory.
The Warriors had guard Stephen Curry in the lineup and it’s a good thing they did. Fresh off another ankle injury in Game 3, it was unknown if he would play in the contest. But Curry was back to his old self with 22 points in his 39 minutes of action. Golden State’s athletic backcourt again gave the Spurs fits on Sunday. Starting shooting guard Klay Thompson had only ten points in a whopping 51 minutes, but Jarrett Jack came off the bench to add 24 of his own including some clutch baskets late in regulation. The trio shot just under 50% in the contest.
Golden State also got some big games from their frontcourt, too. Harrison Barnes led all scorers with 26 points and added ten rebounds. Center Andrew Bogut had only five points but recorded a game-high 18 rebounds. That frontcourt also got a small boost by David Lee, who had five rebounds in only eight minutes of action. Lee played a bit more than he did in Game 3 and you have to wonder just how far he can take it after suffering what was believed to be a season-ending injury. He appears to be close to playing double-digit minutes soon.
San Antonio got off to a strong start, taking an eight-point lead into halftime. The Spurs defense held Golden State to only 37 points in the first half, but the Warriors used some second-half runs to close the gap.
Behind three quick three-pointers, Golden State went on a 13-3 run early in the third quarter. Then, down six with less than four minutes to play in the game, the Warriors used an 8-2 run to tie the game and send it into overtime on late buckets by Thompson and Jack. Jack was spectacular late in the fourth quarter, scoring eight points in the last five minutes of play.
Once the game reached the extra period, there was little doubt about who the better team was on Sunday. San Antonio went absolutely cold in the extra session, scoring only three points, and were outscored 13-3. The Spurs were 1-10 from the field and despite their experience, couldn’t get anything going.
In defeat, the Spurs had solid performances from their big three of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili. The trio combined for 57 points and Tim Duncan added 15 rebounds. But the rest of the team shot only 33% from the field and the Spurs were out rebounded 65-51.
The series resumes with Game 5 on Tuesday night in San Antonio.
