NBA wrap: Warriors breaks out of 'rough patch' in impressive win against Spurs

Coach Steve Kerr said the Warriors had been through a "rough patch" lately, but they looked just fine in an easy win against the Spurs.

Published : Feb 11, 2018 15:02 IST

Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry (right) and Andre Iguodala celebrate a point during an NBA game against San Antonio Spurs.
Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry (right) and Andre Iguodala celebrate a point during an NBA game against San Antonio Spurs.
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Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry (right) and Andre Iguodala celebrate a point during an NBA game against San Antonio Spurs.

The Warriors' "rough patch" seems to be in their rearview mirror now. Playing at home on Saturday night, the Warriors rolled to an easy 122-105 victory over the Spurs.

Golden State (43-13) came into the game having lost three of five games, which in the Bay Area in recent years is cause for minor panic. After an ugly 125-105 loss to the Thunder Tuesday, coach Steve Kerr admitted, “I mean, it happens. The season is so long and arduous and happens to everybody and you go through a rough patch. And we're in a rough patch. But we'll be fine, we'll get out of it.”

The Warriors beat the Mavericks Thursday night, but then again, most teams have beaten the Mavs (18-38) this year. The Spurs offered a tougher challenge to see if the Warriors had gotten through their rough patch.

Read: NBA trade deadline - Cavaliers sends Isaiah Thomas to Lakers

The Dubs didn't look great to start, trailing the Spurs by 12 late in the first half. But it outscored the Spurs by 29 points the rest of the way to sail to the easy win.

Stating the obvious here, but the Warriors have so many options, even when one or two of their stars have a slow night they can still excel. Saturday, Kevin Durant had a quiet game with 10 points, but Klay Thompson had 25, and Stephen Curry and Draymond Green added 17. Move to shut down the 3, they'll punch the ball inside. Shut down Curry on the drive … well, Green will do this:

Kerr and Warriors fans had to like what they saw against the Spurs.

Stud of the Night

Anthony Davis put up 44 points and 17 rebounds in the Pelicans' 138-128 double OT win over the Nets. Kudos to his team-mate, Rajon Rondo, who had a triple-double (25 points, 12 assists, 10 rebounds) in the game.

Dud of the Night

The Clippers visited the 76ers on Saturday night, but left its long-distance game at home. Well, super sub Lou Williams (4-of-10 from 3-point range) was fine, but the starters combined to shoot 4-of-22 from behind the arc in a 112-98 loss to the 76ers.

Highlight

Tomas Satoransky throws down a dunk on the fast break, two of his career-high 25 points. The Wizards forward, who entered the night averaging 5.6 points per game, added six assists. He's been seeing extra court time in John Wall's absence.

What's Next

Cavaliers (32-22) at Celtics (40-17) — The Celtics were quiet at the recent trade deadline, but the Cavaliers just pulled off an extreme makeover of their roster in a bid to shake off their recent funk. It will be fun to see how all the new pieces fit around LeBron James and Kevin Love.

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