Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs routed the Golden State Warriors 123-85 on Friday at the Frost Bank Center in an NBA Cup group stage matchup, according to ESPN.
Spurs Start Fast to Crush Warriors
San Antonio opened the contest with 18 unanswered points, the largest game-opening run in franchise history and the worst start allowed by Golden State under coach Steve Kerr, Bleacher Report said. The sequence included Wembanyama finishing a reverse jam off a lob from Stephon Castle before punching the padded stanchion underneath the basket, according to ESPN.
Per #Spurs, both De'Aaron Fox (hip) and Devin Vassell (groin) are AVAILABLE to face the Warriors tonight. #PorVida https://t.co/wyqq09OPoj
The Warriors missed their first 11 field-goal attempts before Gui Santos scored on an and-one layup over six minutes into the opening quarter, Golden State of Mind reported. The first quarter closed with Golden State trailing 38-14 after shooting 20.8 percent from the field and 25 percent from deep.
San Antonio carried a 30-point lead into halftime ahead 66-33, before stretching the advantage to as many as 43 points in the third quarter when Harrison Barnes converted a 24-footer to make it 95-52.
18-0 SPURS RUN TO START THE GAME, UNCUT đź’¨ IT'S THEIR LARGEST RUN TO OPEN A GAME IN THE PLAY-BY-PLAY ERA! pic.twitter.com/0nt6piSDlg
Stephon Castle led all scorers with 32 points on 12-for-18 shooting, adding five rebounds and six assists in 24 minutes, according to Golden State of Mind. Wembanyama contributed 12 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, one steal, and two blocks in 21 minutes of floor time.
Julian Champagnie scored 12 points, Stephon Castle added 11 points, and Keldon Johnson and Carter Bryant each contributed 10 points off the bench for San Antonio. The victory extended San Antonio’s winning streak to 11 games and advanced the team to 2-0 in NBA Cup West Group C play, Bleacher Report said.
Spurs roll the Warriors by 38 points in their first full game without the injured Steph Curry. GSW drop to 8-5. They have two off days before a Monday night game in New Orleans.
“They played a great first five minutes, took it to us. Give them the credit,” Kerr told reporters. Kerr described San Antonio as “the best team in the league, the hottest team in the league.”
Curry Injury Leaves Warriors Short
Golden State played without Stephen Curry, who suffered a right oblique tear during a 115-108 loss to the Houston Rockets on November 11, WJOX-FM reported. Team announcements indicated Curry would be sidelined for at least two weeks, while ESPN’s Shams Charania reported the absence could extend closer to a month, according to Air Alamo.
Before the injury, Curry averaged 27.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.9 assists on 50 percent shooting from the field and 46 percent from three-point range, Air Alamo reported. The Warriors’ injury report also listed Jimmy Butler III out following right ACL repair surgery, Moses Moody out due to left patellar tendon repair surgery, Brandon Williams out with a left hamstring strain, and Kristaps Porzingis listed as not with the team.
With Curry unavailable, rookie forward Yaxel Lendeborg and guard Brandin Podziemski combined for just six points in the first half while each shooting 1 of 8 from the field, according to NBC Sports Bay Area & California. Lendeborg finished the night with three points on 1-for-13 shooting, collecting seven rebounds, one assist, and three turnovers over 24 minutes. Podziemski recorded eight points on 2-for-10 shooting.
Just in on NBA Today — Golden State star Stephen Curry expected to miss close to one month: pic.twitter.com/hRYgkq9kM3
LJ Cryer provided the lone offensive bright spot for Golden State off the bench, scoring a career-high 20 points while shooting 6-for-11 from three-point range with six assists and zero turnovers, Golden State of Mind reported. As a team, the Warriors shot 33 percent from the field, making 31 of 93 attempts, while the Spurs outshot them 48 percent to 33 percent, according to Bleacher Report.
“He’s in the middle of everything,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said of Castle. “He’s an unbelievable impact player. He’s never blinked at anything we’ve asked, never shown any poor body language. He just attacks everything.”
STEPHON CASTLE DROPS 32. SPURS WIN 11th STRAIGHT. 32 PTS 5 REB 6 AST 5 3PM San Antonio improves to 2-0 in West Group C! pic.twitter.com/7UTF5ecx0s
Next Games on Schedule
The Spurs travel to face the Utah Jazz on Sunday, November 15, Bleacher Report reported. The Golden State Warriors travel to play the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday, November 16, Golden State of Mind reported.
Wemby is averaging 36.6 PTS, 13 REB over his last five games, as the Spurs seek to win their 11th straight game in tonight's @emirates NBA Cup showdown! 🍿 Warriors/Spurs 📺 9:30pm/et, Prime pic.twitter.com/LL0GmL5O3p
More on Golden State Warriors
Victor Wembanyama has averaged 36.6 points, 13.0 rebounds and 5.0 blocks over his last five games. He is the first player to average 35/10/5 over a five-game span since blocks were first recorded in 1973-74. The @spurs seek their 11th straight win when they host the @warriors… pic.twitter.com/fTBP2IcXDi
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