Thompson shines as Warriors sink Spurs
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (AFP) –
Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors dribbles the ball against Danny Green of the San Antonio Spurs during Game Two of the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at AT&T Center on May 8, 2013 in San Antonio, Texas. Klay Thompson drained eight-of-nine from beyond the arc and Curry scored 22 points as Golden State beat San Antonio 100-91
Klay Thompson drained eight-of-nine from beyond the arc and Stephen Curry scored 22 points as the Golden State Warriors beat San Antonio 100-91 in game two of their second round playoff series.
Thompson, who finished just one three pointer shy of the NBA playoff record, had 34 points and 14 rebounds for the Warriors on Wednesday at AT&T Center arena.
Golden State held on for the victory to even the series 1-1 after the Spurs cut into their 20-point third quarter lead by storming back in the fourth.
Thompson wasn’t just an offensive force as he also did a superb job of shutting down Spurs star Tony Parker.
“I told him at halftime that was in the discussion for one of the greatest halves ever, not only for what he did offensively, but what he did defensively,” Warriors head coach Mark Jackson said.
The Warriors had lost 30 consecutive games in San Antonio dating back to February 1997, including game one’s double-overtime thriller, which saw the Spurs come back from 16 points down over the final four minutes of the fourth.
On Wednesday, San Antonio pulled within six down the stretch, but missed six consecutive shots to fall short.
Tony Parker #9 of the San Antonio Spurs and Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors during Game Two of the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at AT&T Center on May 8, 2013 in San Antonio, Texas. Klay Thompson drained eight-of-nine from beyond the arc as the Golden State Warriors beat San Antonio 100-91 in game two of their second round playoff series.
Tim Duncan scored a team-high 23 points, while Parker added 20 in the loss.
Game three is scheduled for Friday at Oracle Arena, where Golden State won both meetings during the regular season.
Curry, who made the cover of this week’s Sports Illustrated magazine, was also hitting his shots. Heading into Wednesday’s game, Curry led the NBA playoffs in assists with an average of 9.6 per game and was third best in points at 27.1 per game behind only Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant.
Thompson and Curry carried the Warriors on their backs in the first half. He and Curry combined for 23 points in the first quarter, matching the Spurs’ total en route to a 28-23 Warrior lead.
He nailed two three pointers to close the first half and give Golden State a 62-43 lead going into the third. His three-point barrage came as a bit of surprise considering Thompson had missed 11 consecutive threes heading into game two.
“We didn’t shoot it very well when we were open,” head coach Gregg Popovich said of the Spurs who shot just 39 percent from the field.
Manu Ginobili was the double overtime hero in game one for the Spurs but he finished with just 12 points and went one-of-six from beyond the arc in Wednesday’s loss.
The Spurs had their moments. Kawhi Leonard’s dunk sparked a 14-2 run that ended with three-pointers from Danny Green and Gary Neal, which cut the Warriors’ lead to seven points, 77-70 in the third.