Golden State Warriors 112-92 San Antonio Spurs: 5 Talking Points

The Golden State Warriors ran out comfortable winners against the San Antonio Spurs in the battle between the top two teams in the Western Conference last season. The Spurs started off strong and led by as many as 19, but the Warriors stormed back with a dominant second half and won comfortably at the end. While we can't draw too many definite conclusions based on this game due to Kawhi Leonard's absence, we did find out some things about both teams.

Here are the five talking points from this exciting contest:

#5 LaMarcus Aldridge stepped up, well sort of

LaMarcus Aldridge (L)

After his pitiful showing in the Conference Finals after Kawhi got injured, all eyes were on Aldridge. He has had a good start to the season but, questions remained as to whether he could deliver in a big game and he did somewhat. He got a double-double of 24 points and 10 rebounds while also registering 2 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals. He was the reason why the Spurs jumped out to an early lead, scoring 15 in the 1st half. The Spurs will need him to keep this up till Kawhi comes back as no one else on the team has provided a consistent scoring threat.

He did struggle, however, in the 2nd half as the Warriors started to key in on him. That shouldn't be the case when Leonard comes back and should Aldridge continue to put up performances like this, there is cause for optimism among the Spurs faithful.

#4 The rest of the team did not

Patty Mills #8

While Aldridge showed up, the rest of the team did not. Kyle Anderson was the only other Spur to score over 15 points. While they did manage to pound the Warriors on the glass, grabbing 10 more offensive rebounds, there just wasn't enough of a scoring push. Danny Green only scored 8 and Patty Mills had 6. They also turned the ball over a lot in the second half, which led to the Warriors streaking away.

They didn't get much of a boost from their bench either and the 3 point shooting was woeful. While Aldridge hit 2/4, the rest combined to hit 5/20. Ball movement was another problem in the 2nd half as the Spurs only had 7 assists after 12 in the 1st half.

While Aldridge did drop off in the 2nd half, it was largely due to the lack of support, as the Warriors started to focus solely on him as the rest of the team struggled to get going. They also allowed the Warriors to shoot 50% from 3 and combine that with turnovers and poor shooting and they have no shot at winning.

#3 Turnovers continue to be a problem for Golden State

Draymond Green (R)

Let's face it, the only way these guys are going to get into trouble is turnovers and there were plenty in the 1st half. It continued a recurring theme this season, as they ranked in the top 5 in turnovers coming into this game. The Warriors were very sloppy to start off the game and gifted fastbreak opportunities to the Spurs. They had 9 turnovers in the 1st half and only managed to force the Spurs into 6. That changed in the 2nd half and so did the game.

They only had 5 turnovers in the 2nd half and forced 10 turnovers from the Spurs to turn the tide of the game. It seems like the Warriors are just going through the motions in the 1st half of games and playing careless basketball and turning it on in the latter stages. This attitude will be the reason for many of their losses, as they seem to be taking this regular season lightly and pacing themselves for the Playoffs.

#2 Kevin Durant was the difference

Kevin Durant

Apart from turnovers, the other reason for the Warriors falling behind in the 1st half was Kevin Durant struggling to score. He went 1-of-9 for 5 points at the halfway stage but caught fire later on. He went 8-of-9 in the second half and helped the Warriors stretch their lead and keep the Spurs at bay. Durant continues to be the difference maker on both ends of the court and it was his performance in the 3rd quarter which shifted the balance of the game. He scored 15 in the 3rd as the Warriors outscored the Spurs by 11 to seize control of the game.

KD finished with 24 points, 5 assists, 8 rebounds and continued his terrific start to the season in terms of shot blocking with 3. He remarkably ranks 2nd in the league behind only Rudy Gobert.

#1 The Warriors defense stepped up

Steph Curry #30, Rudy Gay #22 and Draymond Green #23

There were plenty of concerns regarding the Warriors defense this season coming into this game. They have ranked among the bottom 10 teams in Defensive Efficiency after ranking 2nd last year. They put those concerns to bed and showed they can turn it on when they have to. After they limited their turnovers in the 2nd half, the Warriors clamped down on the Spurs, only giving up 37 points in the half and cruising to the finish line.

They held the Spurs to 39.2% shooting from the field and a paltry 29.2% from 3. They also forced 10 turnovers in the 2nd half which was very impressive considering the Spurs came into this game averaging only 14 per game. Provided they limit their own turnovers, the Warriors should be fine defensively in the long run.