Warriors need growth for Kerr’s Steph-Draymond plan to succeed

Warriors need growth for Kerr’s Steph-Draymond plan to succeed originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Steve Kerr came into this season with a plan that was designed exclusively for Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, the oldest men on the Warriors’ roster. The coach saw an opportunity to lean into his agenda Saturday night in San Antonio.

With the Warriors taking a 17-point lead over the Spurs into the final two minutes of the third quarter, Curry and Green were watching from the bench. Kerr hoped to keep them there.

That’s his plan. If the Warriors are playing on consecutive nights, as they were in San Antonio, Curry and Green would either sit one of the games or their minutes would be curtailed. An 81-64 lead over the rebuilding Spurs was playing into Kerr’s plan.

Until the Spurs demolished it. With the bench fading and the Spurs closing within four with 8:06 left, Kerr was compelled to summon Curry and Green for the final eight minutes.

Their rescue efforts were no match for the rampaging Spurs. The Warriors scored 13 points over the final 13:55, San Antonio responded with 40 and Golden State headed to the airport wearing a 104-94 defeat.

“A disappointing loss because we had control of the game mid-third and it felt like we were about to break it open,” Kerr told reporters at Frost Bank Center. “But we didn’t.”

That 33-13 rout in the fourth told quite the tale. The Warriors in the fourth shot 21.1 percent from the field, including 20 percent beyond the arc. They committed four turnovers, off which San Antonio scored seven points.

The Spurs, held to 41.9-percent shooting, including 25.7 percent from deep, through three quarters, recovered to shoot 52.2/33.3 percent in the fourth. They outrebounded the Warriors 14-11 and committed only two turnovers.

Star center Victor Wembanyama dominated, with 12 points, five assists and two blocks in 11 minutes.

“The way that the third quarter ended was a killer,” Kerr said. “We had a 15-point lead and the ball with 35 seconds [remaining], so we’re going to get a 2-for-1 and hopefully go up 17 going into the fourth. And then we get a turnover, and they score…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/warriors-growth-kerrs-steph-draymond-055344192.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2024-11-24 05:53:00

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