Warriors nip Spurs in big comeback
Warriors overhaul 25-point deficit
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA— Stephen Curry scored 40 points and Kevin Durant 34 to power a second-half comeback that lifted Golden State over San Antonio, 113-111, in the opener of the NBA Western Conference finals. The Spurs squandered a 25-point lead and might have lost star forward Kawhi Leonard, who left the game with a sprained ankle.—
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA— Stephen Curry scored 40 points and Kevin Durant 34 to power a stunning second-half comeback that lifted Golden State over San Antonio 113-111 Sunday in an NBA playoff thriller.
The Spurs squandered a 25point lead and might have lost star forward Kawhi Leonard, who left the game for good with a sprained left ankle early in the third quarter.
Golden State seized a 1-0 edge in the best-of-seven Western Conference final, which continues Tuesday in Oakland.
The winner plays defending champion Cleveland, Boston or Washington in the NBA Finals.
“We just controlled what we could control and played smarter,” Curry said. “It’s the playoffs. You’ve got to take a win any way you can get it.” Curry credited the reversal of fortunes in the dying minutes to “aggressiveness, paying attention to details and obviously we’ve got to make shots.”
The much-anticipated matchup between the most pro- ductive NBA scoring attack of Golden State, which led the league with 67 wins, and the top NBA defense of the Spurs, next best at 61 wins, met high expectations.
Kawhi Leonard scored 18 of his 26 points in the first half and LaMarcus Aldridge added 17 of his 28 in the opening two quarters as the Spurs seized a 62-42 half-time lead.
But Leonard left the contest for good with 7:53 to play in the third quarter, limping to the locker room with a left ankle sprain.
“Just very painful because I tweaked it before,” said Leonard. “It’s hard to tell [about Tuesday]. I definitely couldn’t go [the rest of Sunday’s game]. But we’ll see how I get better each day.”