The San Antonio Spurs avoided being swept by the Warriors for the second-straight year after defeating Golden State 103-90 in Game 4 on Sunday. The Dubs closed within two points late in the fourth quarter, but were unable to complete the comeback, as Golden State never led in the contest. Kevin Durant carried the offensive load, scoring a game-high 34 points to go with 12 rebounds. Draymond Green filled the stat sheet with nine points, 18 rebounds and nine assists, while Klay Thompson added 12 points and two three-pointers. With the loss, the Warriors now lead the series three games to one.
TEAM LEADERS
TURNOVERS
They say the fourth win is always the toughest to get, and the Warriors didn’t do themselves any favors on Sunday with their sloppy play. Golden State shot themselves in the foot from the opening tip, compiling five turnovers in the first three-and-a-half minutes of action. In fact, San Antonio’s first 10 points of the game came off of Golden State turnovers. It also didn’t help matters that the Spurs took far better care of the ball, committing zero turnovers in the opening quarter, which came to a close with San Antonio leading 30-22, their highest scoring quarter of the series. The Warriors committed 11 first half turnovers, compared to just one for the Spurs.
REBOUNDS
The main reason the Warriors were able to prevent the Spurs from running away with the game on several occasions was their dominance on the glass. Golden State terrorized San Antonio on the boards on both ends of the court throughout the contest. The Dubs held a 17-8 rebounding advantage at the end of the first quarter, and a 37-18 advantage going into halftime. Of the Warriors’ 37 first half rebounds, 16 of them were of the offensive variety, just two short of their season-high for an entire game this season. Golden State’s rebounding dominance continued in the second half, and the Warriors finished the game having outrebounded the Spurs by a margin of 61 to 34. The Dubs’ 61 total rebounds tied a season-high, and their 24 offensive boards marked their most in a game since collecting 26 against the Trail Blazers on April 15, 2005.
THREE-POINTERS
While the turnover and rebounding battles essentially cancelled each other out, the Spurs’ three-point shooting proved to be the difference in the game. San Antonio came into Sunday’s game having shot just 20-of-83 (.241) from three-point range through the first three games of the series, but they were far more proficient in Game 4. The Spurs made at least three three-pointers in every quarter of Sunday’s game, finishing the contest 15-of-28 (.538) from beyond the arc. It coincided with Golden State’s worst three-point shooting game of the playoffs, as the Dubs made just seven of their 28 attempts.
DRAYMOND DOES IT ALL
The Warriors had a 25-0 record all-time when Draymond Green registered a triple-double entering Sunday’s game, and that record will remain perfect as Green fell just short of notching another. In addition to providing his typical relentless defense, Green was a monster on the boards and a critical facilitator of Golden State’s offensive game plan on his way to nine points, 18 rebounds and nine assists. The 18 rebounds marked a playoff career-high, and in recording one steal, he tied Stephen Curry (131 steals) for first on the Warriors all-time playoffs steals list.
UP NEXT
The Warriors will attempt to bounce back and close out the series at home when they host the Spurs in Game 5 on Tuesday night. FIND TICKETS