Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors lost their third game in a row and fourth in the last five games when they were beaten by the San Antonio Spurs 104-92 in San Antonio.

The Warriors were again without the services of Steph Curry and Draymond Green. Alfonzo McKinnie, who has been a valuable reserve for the Warriors, did not suit up either. DeMarcus Cousins, who is recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon, is still not ready to play. The Warriors need him to help get the offense back into high gear. The Warriors are also missing the presence of JaVale McGee and David West. McGee signed a contract with the Los Angels Lakers. He provided instant offense when head coach Steve Kerr inserted him into the game for the Warriors. So far, neither Damian Jones or Kevon Looney has been able to replicate what McGee did. That is not to say that they are not contributing, but it seems the electricity is missing. David West, who usually started the second and fourth quarter, has retired. West was a force on the floor and he, too, is missed.

The Warriors, who had won three of the last five games played in San Antonio, looked like the team that had lost 33 straight games in San Antonio before Steve Kerr became the head coach. The Warriors fell behind early in the first quarter. They stayed close and even tied the game at 21. The Spurs then went on a 10-2 run and led the Warriors by six, 33-27, at the end of the quarter.

The Warriors stayed close and actually took the lead 38-37 on a bucket by Klay Thompson. The teams changed leads a couple times later in the quarter. The Warriors led 46-45, but the Spurs went on an 11-2 run to finish the first half 56-48. Kevin Durant had 11 for the half. He had a tough time hitting his shots from the floor as he was 2-for-10. Klay finished with 13, and Quinn Cook had 6.

The Warriors shot just 40% from the floor and were 1-for 12 from 3-point range. The Spurs shot 44% from the floor and made 7 3-point shots in 18 attempts. LaMarcus Aldridge had 10 points and 11 boards. Rudy Gay knocked down 15. He had four 3-pointers in the half. Marco Belinelli, the former Warrior, made 2 3-pointers and had 8 total in the half.

The Warriors’ offense went to sleep to start the third quarter. Neither Durant nor Thompson could make a three-point shot. The Warriors scored just 6 points for the first five-plus minutes in the period. They fell behind by 18 74-56 before the offense woke up. The Warriors finished the third quarter on a 9-0 run to close the gap to 7 78-71. Quinn cook made two threes to help the Warriors close the gap.

The Warriors, in the fourth quarter, continued to play good defense. They played with a lot of energy as they came all the way back and trailed the Spurs 91-90 after Klay hit a three. The Spurs, at this point, shit the Warriors offense down. They scored six points to lead 97-90. Kevon Looney made a hard-earned basket to make it 97-92. The Warriors failed to score, and San Antonio scored the last seven points of the night to win 104-92.

Game Notes and Stats: With the loss, the Warriors drop to 12-6, and San Antonio improved to 8-7. Kevin Durant led the Warriors with 26 points and 10 rebounds. He was 8-for-25 from the floor and 1-for-8 from three-point range. Klay Thompson tallied 25, and he was 3-for -11 attempting 3s. Quinn Cook had 16 points and 8 rebounds. He made one three in four attempts.

LaMarcus Aldridge had a double-double with 24 points and 17 rebounds. Rudy Gay had 19, DeMar DeRozan 20. Belinelli finished with 12, and Bryn Forbes had 10.

Up Next: The Warriors return home to face the Oklahoma Thunder Wednesday night at 7:30 pm inside Oracle Arena.

The Portland Trailblazers, with Damian Lillard and C.J.McCollum, visit the Oracle on Friday night at 7:30 pm.