SAN ANTONIO — Facing the first of two matchups with San Antonio’s 7-foot-5 unicorn Victor Wembanyama and staring down a seventh consecutive road loss, Steve Kerr promised a “drastic” lineup change for a team already doing some serious soul-searching after being obliterated in Oklahoma City on the first night of its back-to-back.
Out was the inconsistent but talented Jonathan Kuminga and the slow-footed 7-footer Quinten Post, and in was steady forward Moses Moody and surprising second-round rookie Will Richard when the Warriors took the Frost Bank Center.
The change paid off as the Warriors won 125-120. Steph Curry bounced back from his 4 for 13 performance against OKC with a 46-point outburst, 22 of those coming in the third quarter. Meanwhile, Wembanyama put up a casual 31-point, 13-rebound, 10 assist triple-double. Jimmy Butler scored 26 as another Warrior who bounced back from a poor showing in Oklahoma City.
The Warriors led by as many as six in the fourth quarter, but could not land the haymaker as the springy Spurs threw counterpunch after counterpunch until late. The Warriors made the stops down the stretch to salt away the much-needed win and snap a six-game losing streak on the road.
The Warriors (7-6) will remain in San Antonio (8-3) for a few more days thanks to a baseball-style schedule that will see the teams faceoff again on Friday night.
Butler’s aggression
Jimmy Butler demanded that the entire team make sacrifices and changes to their game after the debacle in Oklahoma City. But in his case, the needed change involved him taking a more shot-happy approach, rather than scaling back.
After taking just three shots in a little over 20 minutes on Tuesday, he surpassed that total midway through the second quarter. He took 12 shots and a dozen free throws.
He banged in five 3-pointers, the long-distance shooting a must against a Spurs defense that had the gargantuan Wembanyama parked in the paint at all times. Horford’s nine points and three 3-pointers off the bench also helped space a cramped court.
Kuminga hobbled off the bench
Kuminga had a short and painful night off the bench. He entered the game questionable with a gimpy knee, but gutted through 12 minutes in the first half.
He grabbed four rebounds but attempted just one shot, unable to get into the paint off the dribble. He left the game with 32 seconds remaining in the first half, and was ruled out for the second half with knee soreness.
Gary Payton II took his place in the second half. Though Payton’s lost step on defense was apparent – Spurs guards torched him in isolation more than once – his activity helped fuel the 38-24 third quarter run.
In just 14 minutes, Payton II was +14 and had two huge offensive rebounds that led to the Curry 3-pointer to put the Warriors up nine with four minutes remaining.
Moody’s big game
Moody was the team’s every-game starter at the wing in the second half of last season, but a preseason calf injury stunted his momentum going into this season.
But thanks to an improved jump shot and continued excellence as the Warriors’ top perimeter stopper, keeping Moody on the bench was an exercise destined to end sooner rather than later.
In his third start of the season, Moody made 5 of 10 3-pointers and scored 19 points, being one of the few Warriors that did not seem at a severe disadvantage athletically.