When a Golden State Warriors team missing Steph Curry faced a San Antonio Spurs team with the Defensive Player of the Year Friday, the result was ugly for the shorthanded Warriors.
Golden State didn’t score for the first six minutes of the game, and the Spurs took a 26-point lead in the first quarter on their way to a 123-85 win in the NBA Cup.
San Antonio Spurs defense was terrible matchup for Golden State Warriors
It’s hard enough to make baskets against the Spurs, led by Defensive Player of the Year Victor Wembanyama, who had 12 points, two blocks and 12 rebounds in just 21 minutes. It was almost impossible with Curry out with an oblique abdominal tear.
The Warriors missed their first 11 shots from the field while the Spurs scored the first five times they had the ball. San Antonio was up 18-0 before Gui Santos finally scored on a layup, not coincidentally on the first Warriors possession after Wembanyama sat.
Not only are the Warriors playing without Curry, but they’re missing his backup at point guard, Brandon Williams. Earlier this season, rookie Yaxel Lendeborg emerged as a secondary offensive option, but he was 1-of-13 in Friday’s loss. Before the game, he suggested he’d try to bait Wembanyama into helping on the perimeter and play physical with the big man — a strategy that did not succeed.