Scott Ostler — Golden State makes a statement with its defense.
SAN ANTONIO — Shortly after Warriors head coach Steve Kerr arrived at AT&T Center on Thursday evening, a number of his players — some of whom barely knew Gregg Popovich — approached him with questions: How is Gregg holding up? How are you?
Kerr had been close to Gregg’s wife, Erin, who died Wednesday, since he played four seasons (1998-2001, 200203) for Gregg’s Spurs. As Kerr heard the concern in his players’ voices, he recognized that the entire San Antonio organization was motivated by something bigger than the threat of a 3-0 series deficit.
Playing in an emotional environment, Golden State took control in the second half for a 110-97 win over the Spurs in Game 3 of the first round. A series sweep would give the Warriors much-appreciated time to rest before the Western Conference semifinals.
Late in Thursday’s victory, Kevin Durant and Shaun Livingston each sprained their left ankles. Kerr told reporters that Livingston’s injury was a bit
worse than Durant’s, but added, “I think they’ll both be OK.”
Regardless of whether those two return for Game 4 on Sunday, the Spurs face long odds. No NBA team has come back from a 3-0 hole in the playoffs. In fact, only three — the 1950-51 Knicks, the 1993-94 Nuggets and the 2002-03 Trail Blazers — have forced a Game 7 after losing the first three games of a series.
In pushing San Antonio to the brink of elimination, the Warriors showcased their superior talent and depth. Durant (26 points, nine rebounds and six assists Thursday) flirted with a triple-double and Klay Thompson chipped in 19 points on 8-for-16 shooting. Golden State also got contributions from Livingston (16 points) and Quinn Cook (12) on a night the Spurs shot 7-for-33 (21.2 percent) from deep.
“I thought the guys handled themselves really well,” Kerr said. “All in all, I was really impressed with the defensive intensity and just the overall play.”
Long before Thursday, the Spurs had planned a “blackout” for Game 3. No one in the organization could have known how poignant that idea would become. San Antonio announced Wednesday evening that Erin Popovich — Gregg’s wife of four decades — had died earlier in the day. She long had dealt with what was reported as a respiratory illness.
With San Antonio’s leader away to grieve, Ettore Messina — Popovich’s assistant of four seasons — sat in the top seat. A capacity crowd, clad in the black T-shirts that had lined each of their seats, roared with a ferocity Golden State had yet to hear in a road arena this season. After the Spurs won the opening tip, Rudy Gay raced downcourt and hammered home a highlight-worthy dunk.
“They scored first, and the crowd was one of the loudest I’ve ever been a part of,” Cook said. “They gave those guys tremendous energy. Those guys were playing for something more, for their coach and his family. We sensed that early.”
San Antonio muddied up the tempo, attacked the rim and forced the Warriors to shoot 1-for-11 from three-point range in the first half. The problem for the Spurs: Thanks to shooting 20-for-30 on two-pointers, 9-for-9 from the foul line and committing only four turnovers, Golden State entered halftime with a six-point lead. Out of the break, when the Warriors finally started hitting from long range, San Antonio had little answer.
Riding five third-quarter three-pointers, Golden State headed into the fourth with a 12-point cushion. That had spiked to 19 with 6:31 left. With their team’s season effectively over, fans began to file toward the exits.
They missed Durant roll his left ankle near midcourt with 4:36 remaining before taking a while to climb to his feet. Moments later, Livingston collided with Patty Mills and also tweaked his left ankle.
“We want to not come back, limit our road travel and expand our time to rest so we can get our best guys healthy, like Steph (Curry), KD and Shaun,” Thompson said when asked what the Warriors will play for in Game 4. “That’s our motivation.”