Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) shoots against San Antonio Spurs guard Malaki Branham, right, during the first half at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Fri Mar 31, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors welcomed the San Antonio Spurs to the Chase Center Friday night. The Spurs, coached by Greg Popovich, came to town with a record of 19-57. The Spurs are in rebuild mode, but several players are NBA caliber.

The Spurs’ mission Friday night was to upset the Warriors’ applecart. The young Spurs played with passion. San Antonio’s defense kept making stops on the Warriors. In the first period, the Spurs forced the Warriors into five turnovers in the game’s first five minutes.

The Warriors offense was cold. The Spurs led by nine, 19-10. The Warriors defense allowed the team to tie the game 23-23. The Spurs finished the quarter leading 26-23. The Spurs kept the Warriors at bay for most of the second period. Things changed when Jordan Poole entered the game midway through the period.

The Spurs were leading 44-40 when Poole hit a three. Poole made 12 of the W’s last 14 points in the period to give the Warriors a three-point lead 54-51 at the end of the first half. Poole led the Warriors with 15. Stephen Curry had 14. Poole and Curry each connected on three threes. Klay Thompson was cold. He finished the half with four points. Malakio Branham led the Spurs with 14.

The Warriors played better in the third period. Unfortunately for them, the Spurs outscored the Warriors 37-33. Klay Thompson made four threes to pace the Warrior offense. The Warriors led by eight at one point, but San Antonio found its offense, and they finished the third quarter leading, 88-87.

The Spurs felt they had a chance to get a victory. They had played well for three quarters. The fans were getting nervous. Could San Antonio do it? The Warriors answered the question. The Spurs could not get the win. They fought hard, but the Warriors big guns came to life in the fourth quarter as they overwhelmed the Spurs 43-27 to win the game 130-115.

Game Notes- with the win, the Warriors are 41-37. The Warriors are 32-8 at the Chase Center. Golden State has four games left in the regular season. Three are on the road. The Spurs dropped to 19-58.

The Warriors outscored the Spurs 76-64 in the second half. One of the key players in the fourth quarter was Gary Payton II. Gary played 17 minutes and had seven points, eight rebounds, and one assist. Payton made several defensive plays. He stole the ball twice and was a force on the floor.

Curry led the Warriors with 33 points. Curry made seven threes. Thompson scored 27 points in the second half to finish with 31. Thompson also made seven threes, all in the second half. Poole had 27 points, two boards, and six assists, and he made six threes.

Jonathan Kuminga played well on both ends of the court. Kuminga finished with 17 points and eight rebounds. As a team, the Warriors made 21 threes in 49 tries. The Warriors weakness was turnovers.

They turned the ball over 14 times, leading to 23 points for the Spurs. The Spurs had six players in double figures. Keldon Johnson had 22. Malaki Branham 19. Gorgui Dieng, averaging 3 points a game, knocked four threes and finished with 14.

The Warriors meet the Denver Nuggets Sunday night in the Mile-High City. The game will start at 5:30 pm.