Spurs take care of Warriors, win 113-100

The first quarter was a back and worth affair with both teams hitting half of their shots on the way to a 55 point period. Kawhi Leonard continued where he left off last night and scored six, grabbed four, and swiped one in his nine minutes on the floor. He hit a strange hanging jumper at the left elbow off of a ball screen at one point. I've never seen that particular move from from before and his repertoire keeps expanding.

Kyle Anderson saw the floor in the first quarter for the second game in a row and this time he wasn't quite as invisible. He was disruptive and blocked a couple of shots. The Spurs also took care of the ball, turning it over just once, while the Dubs, who lead the league in turnovers per game, kept finding their pockets picked by one of the guys in silver and black.

After a rough second quarter the Spurs had shot just 41% by the time the half was over, but they went into the locker room with a 50-44 lead after taking advantage of the 12 turnovers the Warriors committed and limiting their own to just three.

At the end of a very entertaining third quarter the Spurs opened up a 14-point lead after a couple of great plays from the good guys. Manu hit a fantastic layup and Kawhi followed that up by forcing a steal and throwing one down on the ensuing break. Thompson responded with an almost impossible bucket with a couple of Spurs in his face and drew a foul in the process.

Let me say a couple of things about Cory Joseph here. He's been great this season. He just plays hard all the time, strives to make the right play, to never get beat because there was a lack of hustle. He finished with 11 points and four assists in the game, but he was bigger than that. He's completely won me over. From his attitude, to his energy, hustle and confidence, it's great to have him on the team. It's crazy to think that he's the third point guard when the Spurs are healthy.

The Warriors hung around deep into the fourth by responding every time the Spurs would make it an eleven point game, or a twelve point game. An eight or nine-point lead with more than a couple of minutes remaining against the Dubs is not exactly comfortable. The Spurs played well down the stretch and at any moment it seemed like they would break it open to 15+, but that never really happened. The Warriors managed to make it a 10-point game with a little over a minute and a half to play, but Timmy Duncan scored down low and with just a minute 20 and a 12-point lead, that about did it.

A made Klay Thompson three was disallowed because he stepped out of bounds and Kawhi drilled a triple of his own to really close the books on this one. Whi scored an efficient 19 on 11 shots and really seems confident out there. Definitely a big four now.

A daunting start to the Spurs' West Coast trip was handled very well by the good guys. The Spurs are starting to look like the team we expect them to be. The ball moved around well tonight, the team was focused and besides a second quarter where not much fell, the Spurs are rediscovering their collective stroke. It's great to see.

For the perspective of the Warriors fans check out Golden State Of Mind.

Numbers:

28 - Points scored by Tony Parker for the second time in three games. He was great tonight and as usual, he was at his best in the fourth quarter. He scored 12 in the period as he hit five of his six shots. He also tallied three assists on three consecutive Spurs makes right in between his scoring. Excellent game from Tony.

3 - The number of free throws that Manu Ginobili missed in a row, going back to last night. I wonder how many times in his career he missed three in a row. It can't be more than a handful.

28.3 - The percentage that the Spurs were shooting from behind the three-point line coming into the game. The shot 10-for-25 (40%) in this one. That's what we like to see.

1-7 What Danny Green shot from behind the arc. He continues to be cold, but he's getting good looks. He'll be fine and his defense is always a positive.

35 - Minutes played by Big Fun for the second straight night, which produced his 802nd regular season double-double. He had a little trouble scoring, but Timmy was solid everywhere else.

In Their Words:

Manu on the turnovers, or lack thereof:

We played a very sharp game. To tell you the truth I wasn't expecting a performance like that after a game like yesterday. We got here late. If you could have seen me in the morning, my first steps weren't the most elegant ever. It just happens. We were focused today. Probably the fact that we were a little tired made us play a little slower and safer.

Tony on what motivates the Spurs this season:

I think our motivation this year obviously has to be the back-to-back. We don't know how long it's going to last. Timmy, it might be his last year. Manu, it might be his last year. I don't know how long Pop's going to do it, because I know he wants to travel the world and drink wine. We need to take advantage right now and we understand that. We really approach it like maybe it's the last one.

Vine of the Night:

lol warriors fan https://t.co/uhg3seQRKv

— Caleb Saenz (@calebjsaenz) November 12, 2014

Next Up:

The Spurs get two full days off before returning to the Staples Center to take on Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night. That game will be on ESPN at 9:00 p.m. STTOTTM.