Spurs at Warriors
The experience and execution of the San Antonio Spurs has allowed them to grab control of their Western Conference semifinal series against the Golden State Warriors. The Spurs will have a chance to close out the series when they visit the Warriors for Game 6 on Thursday. Golden State star Stephen Curry was held to nine points in Game 5 and has shot under 50 percent in each of the last four games while struggling through an ankle sprain.
San Antonio guard Tony Parker has been battling a calf injury but showed no signs that he was slowed while collecting 25 points and 10 assists in Game 5. The All-Star slashed through the Warriors perimeter defense and made Curry work hard at both ends of the floor. “Our energy was good,” Parker said after the game. “We got the 50-50 ball. That was huge for us tonight. … Tonight we played for 48 minutes.” The Spurs even outrebounded the Warriors for the first time in the series 38-36 as Tim Duncan got the better of Andrew Bogut down low.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
ABOUT THE SPURS: San Antonio used a 15-0 run in the first quarter of Game 5 to seize control and did not trail the rest of the way. After shooting poorly in the fourth quarter and overtime during the Game 4 loss, the Spurs hit 51.9 percent from the field back at home for Game 5. Two of the biggest contributors were Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green, who each came up with big shots to help slow Golden State runs. Coach Gregg Popovich was quick to credit the effort on defense and on the glass. “The series for us is all about the defense,” he told reporters. “…We got a lot of mismatches. They love those mismatches, so we have to play intelligently. I thought we did that tonight. But we followed up the defense with a board. There is no stop until the board is secured.” Duncan secured 11 boards and is averaging 11.2 in the series.
ABOUT THE WARRIORS: Golden State got this far with a lot of energy and some incredible shooting performances from Curry and Klay Thompson. The Warriors did not have either one of those things in San Antonio on Tuesday. Curry and Thompson combined for 13 points on 6-of-22 shooting, and Thompson, whose 8-of-9 performance from beyond the arc helped Golden State even the series in Game 2, did not even attempt a 3-pointer. “I was terrible, plain and simple,” Curry told reporters. “They outplayed us as a team. Individually, I didn’t have anything on either end. (I was) a step slow, my shot wasn’t falling and I was trying to make plays but defensively I lost a little focus.” Coach Mark Jackson pulled Curry and Thompson with over four minutes left to give Curry all the time he could to rest up his ankle for Game 6. The Warriors pulled off an overtime home win in Game 4 and have gone 4-1 in their own arena this postseason, with the lone setback coming to the Spurs in Game 3, 102-92.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Duncan (143) needs one more double-double to snap a tie with Wilt Chamberlain and move into sole possession of second place on the all-time playoff list. Magic Johnson leads with 157.
2. Barnes is the first player in history to record 25 or more points in back-to-back playoff games after never reaching that mark in the regular season.
3. Golden State F David Lee played 12 minutes on Tuesday - his longest stretch since suffering a torn hip flexor in Game 1 of the first round.