Spurs 104, Warriors 102
Tiago Splitter tipped in the go-ahead basket with 2.1 seconds left and Marco Belinelli scored a career-high 28 points as shorthanded San Antonio stunned host Golden State.
Kawhi Leonard collected 21 points and 10 rebounds and Patty Mills scored a season-high 20 for the Spurs, who sat Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili. Parker (shin contusion) had already been ruled out by San Antonio but Duncan and Ginobili were rested on the second night of a back-to-back on the road.
David Lee recorded 32 points and 13 rebounds while Stephen Curry contributed 30 points and matched a career high with 15 assists for the Warriors. Klay Thompson added 13 points for Golden State but Curry could not get off a clean look on the final play after the officials deemed not to call Splitter's tip offensive goaltending.
Curry gave the Warriors a 91-89 lead on a 3-pointer with 7:01 remaining but Mills’ 3-pointer just over a minute later put the Spurs back on top. Curry and Mills traded jumpers and Andre Iguodala - playing his second game back from an injured hamstring - dove over the San Antonio bench to save a possession that ended with Lee’s layup and a 97-96 Golden State lead with 3:50 to play.
Boris Diaw’s dunk with 47 seconds left restored a three-point lead for San Antonio before Curry buried a 3-pointer from the top of the key to knot it at 102. Belinelli missed an off-balance jumper at the other end but San Antonio got the offensive rebound and Splitter tipped in Diaw’s reverse-layup attempt for the decisive points.
The Warriors jumped out early and held a 12-point lead with two minutes left in the first quarter before a late flurry brought the Spurs within 23-18 at the end of the opening period. Golden State held a 34-20 lead early in the second quarter before Leonard went to work, scoring 14 points in the final nine minutes of the half to give San Antonio a 53-51 lead at the break.
Danny Green’s 3-pointer with 2:21 left in the third gave the Spurs a 75-66 cushion, but Curry responded with five straight points and the Warriors closed to within 82-74 at the end of the third. Thompson’s 3-pointer with 8:37 to play knotted it at 86.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Warriors C Andrew Bogut grabbed 18 rebounds and has collected double-digit boards in seven straight games - one shy of tying his career high. … The contest marked the first time in history that three Australians (Bogut, Mills and Spurs F Aron Baynes) have started an NBA game. … The Spurs scored 31 points off 24 Golden State turnovers.