By George Devine, Sr.

In a low-scoring and generally lackluster contest at Oracle Arena, the San Antonio Spurs prevailed over the home team, 99-90. The visitors, winning their 13th straight game, came into the game with a 52-16 record and bettered it as the Warriors approached the court with a 44-28 skein and could hardly afford to lose if they intend to go forward as postseason play approaches, especially with a winless record against San Antonio.

The Spurs dominated in all periods excepting the second, when the W’s led 25-18. In the final analysis, an 11-0 run at the top of the fourth quarter sealed the deal for San Antonio. Neither team was impressive from beyond the 3-point line, but what made the difference was the height and speed of the Spurs who scored better than the Warriors did up close, and who prevented Golden State from hitting 2-pointers.

Tony Parker led the Spurs with 20 points and 5 assists. Danny Green was next with 18 points and 6 boards. Tiago Splitter was especially valuable with 14 rebounds, and might have scored more than his 17 points had he not gotten into foul trouble with 4. Kawhi Leonard contributed 16 points and 7 rebounds, and Mario Belinelli had 15 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. In short, the Spurs provided a well-balanced “spread the wealth” team effort that was hard to stop, on both offense and defense. They did this while resting Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili.

The Warriors had only two scorers in double digits: Stephen Curry had 20 points, 6 assists and 6 rebounds. Klay Thompson had 16 points, with only 2 rebounds and 3 assists. Draymond Green had 8 points and 6 rebounds, and Marreese Speight had 6 points. Although Andrew Bogut had only 2 points, he made a significant contribution with 17 rebounds.

On Wednesday, April 2, the Warriors face the Spurs again, at San Antonio. Tipoff will be at 5:30 p.m. PDT.