Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was delighted with a 112-102 win against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night. Kerr attributed the team’s win to better play in the second half. After a slow start in the first half, the Dubs were able to turn the tables in the third quarter, out-scoring the opposition by 32-18.
Jonathan Kuminga scored 21 points whereas Klay Thompson added 20 for the Golden State Warriors in the absence of injured Steph Curry, who is recovering from a sprained right ankle.
“We weren’t doing anything differently, just the effort and the connection,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “If one guy is out of place and everybody’s giving great effort, it still results in two points. I just felt we were better connected in the second half and as that went, we picked up some momentum.”
Golden State rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis scored 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Meanwhile, San Antonio Spurs had beaten the Warriors by 126-113 on Saturday but could not replicate the same result despite the return of Wembanyama and Devin Vassell.
“They made 51% of their 3s last game,” Golden State guard Brandin Podziemski said. “Tonight, holding them to 38% was definitely a big key for us, but also just showing what we’re about and not letting anybody punk us.”
Wembanyama feels his team didn’t have answers to the Warriors’ physicality on the court.
“So, obviously, consistency is always (important), but today I think it’s also responding to the physicality that they put,” Wembanyama said. “We didn’t have a strong enough response.”
“I saw that he overplayed it, and he overplayed it to my right. Obviously, I’m left-handed,” Jackson-Davis said of his one-hand dunk over Victor Wembanyama. “So, I think I spun or got to my left hand and then I had to step on him. I just tried him. I told (Kevon Looney) before the game that if I got the chance to try him, I would. At the end of the day, sometimes you dunk on people, sometimes you get dunked on. It’s just a basketball play.”
Golden State Warriors has now won nine out of their last 10 road matches. The Warriors will next take on the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.
