© Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
The Warriors entered Monday night’s game against the San Antonio Spurs without three of their four All-Stars. They finished the game with none of them.
What seemed like a bleak situation worsened when All-Star forward Draymond Green left the game with a ‘midsection contusion’ and didn’t return. Green met Spurs guard Danny Green in the air as Green attempted a layup, and the two collided.
Despite the lack of firepower, the shorthanded Warriors erased a 16-point first half deficit to make the game interesting. Ultimately, Spurs power forward LaMarcus Aldridge was the difference-maker, scoring 11 straight San Antonio points in the fourth quarter, as the Spurs pulled away late in the game.
San Antonio 89, Golden State 75.
For Golden State, health takes precedence over results. With the Warriors entrenched as a top-two seed in the Western Conference standings, they are more focused on returning a healthy lineup before the playoffs start in mid-April.
The Warriors entered the game without Stephen Curry (ankle), Kevin Durant (ribs), and Klay Thompson (thumb). None of these injuries figure to linger into the postseason. The severity of Green’s injury is unknown, although his X-ray results were negative.
Without Green, the Warriors’ complementary players stepped up. They trailed by eight points when Green left the game in the second quarter. By early fourth quarter, Golden State had taken a lead, a result of suffocating defense and shotmaking from some budding young Warriors.
Warriors guard Quinn Cook started in the place of Curry once again. For the third straight game, Cook played well offensively, producing 20 points, five assists, and five rebounds. The more Cook plays, the more comfortable he seems.
Warriors forward Kevon Looney played well for the second straight game. In 21 minutes, Looney scored 12 points on 6-7 shooting, adding seven rebounds.
While Golden State had little to play for in terms of playoff implications, the Spurs entered the game fighting for position in the precarious Western Conference standings. Seven teams are within 4.5 games of one another with a few weeks of regular season play remaining.
The game was tight until the Spurs clamped down defensively and continued to feed Aldridge, outscoring the Warriors 28-12 in the fourth quarter.
One positive within all of Golden State’s injuries is the emergence of Cook, who could prove to be a valuable asset come playoff time.