Spurs look clueless in deflating blowout loss to the Warriors

03/30/2025 10:27 PM

The Warriors destroyed the Spurs with a masterclass of offensive execution in a game devoid of silver linings for San Antonio.

After a respectable loss against the Celtics, the Spurs got outclassed in the second game of a back-to-back against the Warriors. Golden State picked San Antonio's defense apart and exposed the Silver and Black's lack of shot creation on a 148-106 walloping.

The first play of the game foreshadowed how things would go for the Spurs. A defensive breakdown resulted in a wide-open dunk for Jimmy Butler. The mistakes on that end were plentiful throughout the first half, with the Warriors using Stephen Curry mostly as a decoy to get the Spurs to send two players to him and taking advantage of the 4-on-3 opportunities that resulted. Their chemistry on offense was as good as San Antonio's communication on defense was bad. It didn't help that turnovers plagued the Silver and Black, both when the starters were on the floor but also when a much more energetic second unit checked in. It was clear the were no answers when Jordan McLuaghlin got first quarter minutes. After one, Golden State was up 17.

The defense improved early in the second frame, in part because Curry wasn't on the floor and the transition buckets resulting from turnovers weren't there, but the Spurs just couldn't buy a bucket. Devin Vassell's shot was off and Stephon Castle couldn't find his touch on drives. Everything was hard for the home team, with Golden State often taking away the Silver and Black's preferred option and forcing tough shots. On the other end, once Curry was back, things got easier for the visitors. An anemic offense that can't create good looks and settles for bad ones, combined with a porous defense that overhelped initially and was late to rotate is a recipe for a blowout, and the scoreboard reflected it. The Warriors were up 24 at the half, and the game looked over.

Vassell got hot to start the second half and Golden State didn't look as sharp offensively, likely due to complacency, but turnovers and general struggles from the rest of the starters killed any chance to make it respectable. Keldon Johnson had a good stretch, but it was impossible to get enough stops to make a dent in the deficit while the Warriors weren't at their best. Once they got it going again, the lead just ballooned. Most of the second half was garbage time. San Antonio is now on a four-game losing streak.

Game notes

• The only starter to score in double digits was Devin Vassell, thanks to a strong stretch in the third quarter. No one else had it going. The others combined for 23 points in 24 shots and as many assists as turnovers. Sochan and Castle struggled from beyond the arc. It was just a disaster of a performance from the starting lineup.
• The defensive breakdowns in the half-court were ugly, but the Warriors are the best at confusing defenses after years of playing together and having the best decoy in the history of the league in Stephen Curry, so there's an excuse. The appallingly bad transition defense is just unacceptable, and it has been a problem for a while. The Warriors scored several times after made buckets, as the Spurs were either late to run back or didn't track their assignments. It was a SEGABABA, and it's late March, but the worst thing that could happen is players forming bad habits.
• Keldon Johnson was once again great at providing bench scoring. He leads all bench players in points in March and had 19 against the Warriors after having 23 against the Celtics the night before. When the outside shot falls, things get easier for him.
• Charles Bassey returned to action after over a month out with injury. He was a mess, which was to be expected. Bismack Biyombo didn't play. Mitch Johnson explained that they just went small because of switchability, but it will be interesting to see if either center gets significant minutes going forward. Johnson seems to favor Sochan and Sandro Mamukelashvili.
• Speaking of Mamu, he finished with a double-double. Julian Champagnie and Jordan McLaughlin were also solid off the bench. Malaki Branham showed his scoring ability in garbage time. Aside from Bassey, the most disappointing bench guy was Blake Wesley, who looked terrified of going for layups and missed his two threes.
• Mitch Johnson did a good Gregg Popovich impression, first doing a full lineup change when the starters played poorly and then getting called for a tech in an attempt to bring some energy to the team when they were down big. Neither gesture worked, but at least he tried.

Play of the game

Mamu is shooting over 40 percent on threes this year and is averaging 21-10-3 per 36 minutes. Granted, a lot of his minutes have been in garbage time or recently, when the Spurs were not playing for anything, but he's establishing himself as a productive bench guy. Whether he should be back next season is a tough question, but he seems like an NBA player.

Next up: vs. Orlando Magic on Tuesday

The Magic will visit San Antonio. They are not as good as the Celtics or Warriors, but it should be a challenging matchup, especially with the size and scoring they have at the forward spots.