ORACLE ARENA, OAKLAND, CA — Two nights after coming back to win Game 1, the Golden State Warriors (1-0) hosted the San Antonio Spurs (0-1) again for Game 2 of the 2017 Western Conference Finals.
The Warriors were without Andre Iguodala (left knee soreness) and Kevon Looney (left hip strain), while the Spurs were without Kawhi Leonard (left ankle sprain) and Tony Parker (right quadricep tendon rupture).
Q1: Too Many Weapons
Kevin Durant got the Warriors off on the right foot with a jumper…
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[protected-iframe id=”9f6dea4e40560e56bf9e32019d8cc8ce-114320562-10106876″ info=”http://twitframe.com/show?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fwarriors%2Fstatus%2F864650038957359104″ width=”360″ height=”225″ frameborder=”0″]Pau Gasol answered with a baseline fade, but Stephen Curry and Zaza Pachulia played pick-and-roll, Pachulia slipped to the rim with Danny Green switched onto him, and Curry hit him in stride for a two-hand smash.
Klay Thompson hit his first jumper off a curl, but Jonathon Simmons, Leonard’s replacement, came back with a jumper, only to get by a behind-the-back pass from Green to Zaza, going past Gasol
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The three gave Steph a triple in 68 consecutive playoff games.
[protected-iframe id=”6687351ae360cfbec136a7b3b8d551ad-114320562-10106876″ info=”http://twitframe.com/show?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FJaeAzizi%2Fstatus%2F864650882469699584″ width=”360″ height=”360″ frameborder=”0″]Simmons came out of the timeout determined to put the Spurs on his shoulders, as he hit an impressive sweeping hook, followed by another dribble-and-pop, but Green got another trey to drop after Curry played cat-and-mouse on the perimeter with a switched LaMarcus Aldridge.
Steph then made a bad lead pass to Pachulia, but Aldridge shot an airball off-balance, thinking he’d get a foul, and Patrick McCaw tapped a miss by Thompson to Durant, who fed Curry for a three-pointer from the right wing, and the Warriors had a 20-10 lead with 4:50 to play.
[protected-iframe id=”681e8efad12fbf4bf835708ae5893304-114320562-10106876″ info=”http://twitframe.com/show?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fwarriors%2Fstatus%2F864653154268217344″ width=”360″ height=”225″ frameborder=”0″]Out of a timeout, Klay ended a series of empty possessions by lobbing to JaVale McGee for a layup after getting doubled at the top, then after Manu Ginobili took a trip to the line, Steph struck again, hitting a difficult pivot-and-launch from the left arc after passing from the right wing to KD up top and cutting through all the way to the opposite side.
[protected-iframe id=”e995a7988c91e6bfd156f06519c6bf99-114320562-10106876″ info=”http://twitframe.com/show?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FKNBR%2Fstatus%2F864653817060614144″ width=”360″ height=”225″ frameborder=”0″]Later, David Lee came in and made Shaun Livingston pay for a bad pass by getting an and-one against him at the other end, and the Warriors’ lead was trimmed to single-digits, 25-16, with 2:13 to go.
Closing out the quarter, Livingston hit a pull-up over Lee, Dejounte Murray got stopped on the dribble by Draymond, then McCaw soared and blocked the shot, directing the ball to a teammate, and Steph came around a pin-down by Green for another three.
Later, Curry drew contact from Ginobili in the right corner and threw the ball up while getting dragged to the ground. The refs reviewed the play and awarded him three free throws, and after a missed jumper at the buzzer from Kyle Anderson, Golden State held a 33-16 lead at the end of one.
Q2: Keeping The Foot On The Gas Pedal
To start the second stanza, Livingston hit a banker on the left side, David West got a scoop after a nice move and an upfake, then added another jumper, and a rare Klay three gave the Warriors a 42-19 lead with 9:24 left.
[protected-iframe id=”2a2aa6cc998b0ff62b993713f6bacdfe-114320562-10106876″ info=”http://twitframe.com/show?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FNBA%2Fstatus%2F864658323811053569″ width=”360″ height=”225″ frameborder=”0″]Livingston hit another jumper after some contact from Gasol in the backcourt bringing the ball up, McCaw hit a three from the top, but Simmons used a massive hesi move against McCaw at the other to go down the lane for a ferocious jam.
That didn’t change the momentum, however, as West got a steal against Gasol, saving the ball on the baseline, then later Durant hit a baseline jumper and McCaw went past Aldridge down the right side for a layup plus the harm, and his bonus free throw gave Golden State a comfortable 54-31 lead.
[protected-iframe id=”8b00aa55fdad966cb6d0853bf965754d-114320562-10106876″ info=”http://twitframe.com/show?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FJaeAzizi%2Fstatus%2F864660220538236929″ width=”360″ height=”360″ frameborder=”0″]Simmons and Durant traded triples, but Ian Clark got open on the left wing as Curry used a fake pass to find him, then McCaw stole the ball from Aldridge rebounding a missed trey from Clark, and found West cutting to the hole, giving the Warriors a 62-35 lead with 3:38 remaining.
Golden State continued to pour it on to close out the half, with Durant hitting a jumper, Steph hitting a three that trickled in plus the foul, and Klay finding Draymond on the roll half of a pick-and-roll, Green scooping the ball past Aldridge.
[protected-iframe id=”c53fc36689fd9320029c8ddaaf45ead8-114320562-10106876″ info=”http://twitframe.com/show?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FJaeAzizi%2Fstatus%2F864663646818848769″ width=”360″ height=”225″ frameborder=”0″]Murray couldn’t hit a runner, Durant got the rebound, Curry told him to go as halftime was drawing near, and KD pulled up for another jumper over an iso’ed Aldridge.
Murray did well to come back with a quick stop-and-pop with 1.9 to play, and Steph front-rimmed a three-quarter-court heave from the Warriors’ arc, and Golden State took a commanding 72-44 lead into halftime.
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