© Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
OAKLAND — Onto the second round.
After the Warriors let their opening-round series extend to five games, they ended San Antonio’s season Tuesday night, edging out a 99-91 win.
This wasn’t a typical Warriors clinic, filled with ubiquitous three-pointers and transition buckets. This was a defensive, grind-it-out game, where Golden State suffocated a limited San Antonio attack.
Most of the game was played at arm’s length, with Golden State steadily leading by around 10 points, until San Antonio made one final push. The Spurs launched a 14-4 run to cut the Warriors’ lead to four points in the final minute. Kevin Durant made a contested midrange jumper, serving as the knockout punch, and Golden State secured the win after a subsequent defensive stop and free throws.
The Warriors controlled the game’s pace from the tip. After starting lethargically in Game 4, Golden State jumped out to a 9-0 run Tuesday night and clamped down defensively. More than three minutes lapsed until the Spurs recorded their first field goal.
San Antonio shot 32 percent in the first quarter to score 20 points. The second quarter showed even more regression, as the Spurs shot just 30 percent to produce 18 points. They trailed 49-38 at half, which was ultimately too much to overcome.
Among the positives in Tuesday night’s win was that Golden State cleaned up the turnovers. After producing 18 turnovers in Game 4, the Warriors had only 10 Tuesday night.
With the exception of Klay Thompson, who scored 24 points on 11-22 shooting, the Warriors didn’t play well offensively. Durant went 8-19 for 25 points. Draymond Green posted 17 points and 19 rebounds. Golden State made only five of its 23 three-point attempts.
It didn’t matter. San Antonio never found an offensive rhythm, reminiscent of the first three games of this series, in which Golden State won by an average of 16.3 points. San Antonio stole Game 4 Sunday afternoon, catching the Warriors on a bad night, but they wouldn’t let the series linger past Tuesday.
Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard’s presence was sorely missed throughout this series. Leonard, a two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, hadn’t played since Jan. 13 because of an injured right quad. The Spurs couldn’t find a second scoring option alongside LaMarcus Aldridge, consistently falling victim to scoring droughts.
The same can’t be said for the Warriors’ upcoming opponent, the No. 6-seeded New Orleans Pelicans, which undoubtedly produced the most impressive collective performance of any team in the first round. They swept the No. 3-seeded Trail Blazers.
Golden State will face a much stiffer test when it welcomes Anthony Davis, Jrue Holiday, and a high-powered offense that has averaged more than 120 points per contest in the last three games. The Pelicans beat the Warriors in their last matchup, 126-120, in Oracle Arena fewer than three weeks ago.
The question looming over the upcoming series is whether, and when, Stephen Curry will return. The two-time NBA MVP has steadily progressed throughout the past month after suffering a Grade 2 left MCL sprain March 23. Before Tuesday night’s game, Steve Kerr said Curry is taking his recovery day by day.
Golden State has now won 10 straight Western Conference series dating back to the 2013-14 season.
