Golden State Warriors: Next Stop, NBA History
11 Apr, 2016
The Golden State Warriors got a momentous victory in the one place they hadn’t won in nearly two decades.
Now, they’re one victory away from topping Michael Jordan and the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls.
Stephen Curry had 37 points and the Warriors beat the San Antonio Spurs 92-86 on Sunday night for their 72nd victory, tying Jordan’s Bulls for the season record.
“We can get to 73,” forward Draymond Green said. “That’s the significance for me of 72.”
The defending champions will finish the regular season at home against Memphis on Wednesday night.
“Obviously, we’re in the moment, enjoying the ride,” Curry said. “The goal is to win a championship. That’s the goal. But we put ourselves in a great position to end the season with a win and do something no team has done in the history. That’s an amazing accomplishment.”
The Warriors got No. 72 by doing what nobody else had this season – beating the Spurs in San Antonio.
The Spurs had won 48 consecutive regular-season games at home, including an NBA-record 39 straight to this season. Golden State also ended a 33-game skid in San Antonio that dated to 1997.
“Definitely sweet because we broke the streak,” Warriors guard Klay Thompson said. “That’s all the media would talk about for the last few years. It’s tough to win here. It definitely was huge for us.”
San Antonio sat Tim Duncan for rest and was without an injured Boris Diaw. It had not lost at home since March 2015. The Spurs also fell to Golden State on Thursday night in Oakland, 112-101.
The Warriors dominated the fourth quarter in taking the season series 3-1. Curry controlled the action with a series of layups when San Antonio’s defense attempted to run him off the 3-point line.
“They just exploded,” Spurs forward David West said. “Steph just took over the game. We weren’t able to get to him, keep bodies in front of him.”
Curry had 20 points in the second half.
In their lone victory over Golden State this season, San Antonio managed to slow down the game. The Spurs tried to match the Warriors’ pace Sunday, though, leading to a tense and at times sloppy game.
LaMarcus Aldridge had 24 points to lead the Spurs, who have lost three straight for the first time this season. Kawhi Leonard added 20 points but shot 7 for 22 while continually being harried by Green.
Green got a technical for charging directly toward Monty McCutcheon at the scorer’s table after the official ruled he fouled Leonard in the first half. With Andrew Bogut screaming from the Warriors’ bench for teammates to grab Green, the energetic forward followed McCutcheon across the court to continue his argument. A second technical was not issued.
Green finished with 11 points, and Thompson added 14 for Golden State.
AP
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