Heading into the Warriors’ opening-round playoff series against the Spurs, there was some talk that the defending champions had reason for worry. After all, Steph Curry was out, his team had struggled in his absence, and Kawhi Leonard was potentially set to return for San Antonio, and the Spurs have a reputation for stepping up in the postseason. Maybe San Antonio could give Golden State a run?
Well if Game 1 of the series was any indication, the Warriors had absolutely nothing to worry about.
Behind 27 points from Klay Thompson, 24 from Kevin Durant and 15 from a gold-grilled JaVale McGee, the Warriors crushed the Spurs 113-92 on Saturday to seize an emphatic 1-0 lead in the series.
This was one of those games when there was simply no stopping Golden State. Thompson and company shot 54.3 percent from the field including 45.5 percent from long range, while grabbing 10 offensive rebounds to the Spurs’ three. Thirty two of the Warriors’ 44 baskets were assisted.
KLAY SPLASH! ☔#DubNation #NBAonABC pic.twitter.com/Lwu8ttXmpT
— NBA (@NBA) April 14, 2018
Though Thompson and Durant were the Warriors’ top stars Saturday, McGee made his mark as well. Wearing what appeared to be a gold grill, McGee put up nine points in the first quarter alone as his team staked an early lead. He wound up with a season-high 15 to go with four rebounds and two blocks.
Early 8 for JaVale McGee on 4-4 shooting!@warriors 14 | @spurs 8 midway through Q1.#DubNation #NBAonABC pic.twitter.com/mgrVyFHZul
— NBA (@NBA) April 14, 2018
Optimistic Spurs fans (or Warriors doubters) might point out that Saturday’s game came without Kawhi Leonard, who might return later in the series. But Kawhi won’t likely be 100 percent after sitting most of the season, and besides, San Antonio appears much more than one player away from competing with Golden State.
In most cases, it’s unwise to draw too many conclusions from a single game. But in this case, given how brutal Saturday’s game was and how great the Warriors can be when they’re clicking, let’s just say there’s a lot of reason for optimism by the Bay.
