Spurs complete second straight comeback to take down the Warriors

Today at 11:54 PM

San Antonio came back from a double digit deficit to win their third straight game.

With Wemby returning and the Spurs winning two straight games without him, San Antonio's confidence was at a high going into Saturday night's showdown. That momentum eventually helped them come away with a third consecutive W against the Warriors, even after starting the game poorly.

The contrast between both teams' offenses was noticeable from tip-off. Golden State ran their patented motion offense while the Spurs resorted to taking multiple deep threes with plenty of time left on the shot clock. San Antonio also threw the ball all over the arena, and along with their ill-advised threes, the team looked like they were playing in the All-Star game. As a result, the Warriors quickly built a double-digit lead and the difference in experience between the two sides was put on full display.

San Antonio put the ball more in Chris Paul's hands to stem the bleeding, and CP3 had an immediate impact on the Spurs' offense. He helped the team play at a more methodical pace, and the good guys began utilizing ball movement to create easier shots. However, San Antonio's offense continued to struggle with the Point God on the bench. They fell back on taking unnecessary threes and playing without any flow, which resulted in the Spurs scoring just 38 points in the first half.

San Antonio's offense continued to sputter in the third, and it seemed like the Warriors would cruise to a comfortable win. Fortunately for the Spurs, Golden State went cold too, which allowed Wemby to take over. The French phenom scored on drives, post-ups, and from distance, and what was once a 10-point Warriors advantage suddenly turned into a Spurs lead, and the home team never looked back from there.

Golden State ended up scoring just 13 points in the fourth, and went over three minutes without a field goal at one point. Stephon Castle played lockdown defense on the inferior Steph, and the home crowd helped the Spurs carry the momentum to the final buzzer. The process wasn't always pretty, but the Spurs managed to take down the current #1 seed in the West and have now won three straight.

Game notes

• After some initial frustration, I've now come around on Wemby taking threes to develop his perimeter game. With that said, the types of threes he's taking still peeves me. Specifically, pulling up from the logo at the start of the shot clock should only happen at the end of halves, and it happened twice in the first four minutes of this game. It would be much more beneficial for Wemby to practice taking threes off hand-offs, as he would be more open and those types of sets contribute to the flow of the offense.
• On a team level, such a play could also create opportunities for others. If Wemby isn't able to get off a clean shot, he could then dump it down to the initial ballhandler, who'd roll to the rim. If the opposing big is guarding Wemby, then the lane would be wide-open, and having shooters space in the corners would make this play impossible to guard.
• At the start of the third quarter, Wemby scored on two consecutive possessions in the post. He first got past Trayce Jackson-Davis by pump-faking and making an acrobatic layup before making a turnaround fader at the free-throw line. In order to hit his offensive ceiling, Wemby needs to continue working on his post game as much as his long-range shooting. Without a dominant paint presence, opposing teams can continue getting away with putting their forwards on him instead of their center, which diminishes the advantage of having a floor-spacing big.
• Castle had a slow start offensively but once again came through in the clutch, finishing the game with 19 points and 3 assists and rebounds apiece. Similar to Wemby, he forced up some questionable shots early when better offensive options were available but came up big in the fourth by nailing a deep triple to seal the game. Defensively, he once again showed his elite potential, as he hounded the other Steph and made a crucial steal late in the fourth with Golden State trying to make a comeback of their own. His decision-making still has plenty of room for growth, but the poise that Castle continues to show bodes well for his future.

Play of the game

Wemby and Castle held Curry to just 14 points on 5-16 shooting and the number one seed under 100 points total. I think it's time to officially launch the "Area 51" nickname.

Next game: At Utah on Tuesday

Geez, these guys again? Let's make it four in a row and book a spot in the NBA Cup's knockout round.