Undermanned Warriors battle late, edge San Antonio Spurs in thriller
Fourth quarter burst sends undermanned Golden State Warriors to win over
San Antonio Spurs
>Golden State Warriors guard Damion Lee (1) drives past San Antonio
Spurs guard Joshua Primo (11) during the first half of an NBA basketball
game, Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
>Golden State Warriors guard Damion Lee (1) drives past San Antonio
Spurs guard Joshua Primo (11) during the first half of an NBA basketball
game, Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
By SHAYNA RUBIN | srubin@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: February 1, 2022 at 8:00 p.m. | UPDATED: February 3, 2022 at
12:47 p.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/02/01/undermanned-warriors-battle-late-edge-san-antonio-spurs-in-thriller/

SAN ANTONIO — The Golden State Warriors had eight players out for
Tuesday night’s game.

Not just any eight guys. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and
Otto Porter Jr. watched in street clothes as their team’s rookies and
rotation players took a few punches to the mouth.

On the last leg of a back-to-back, facing one of the best-coached teams
in the San Antonio Spurs, the undermanned Warriors looked dead in the
water down 17 points in the third quarter. Surprisingly, hope prevailed
during a huddle during to start the fourth quarter; a win was in sight
with tighter screws on defense and a little trust in their offensive
prowess even without their stars.

A 14-point quarter for Jonathan Kuminga, a hustle offensive rebound from
Moses Moody and two clutch three pointers from Damion Lee and Jordan
Poole were the touchstones in a fourth quarter triumph that led to a
Warriors 124-120 win over the Spurs at AT&T Center.

“Incredible. What a game, what a win,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “To
dig ourselves out of that hole and to see all our young guys competing
the way they did.”

How did the Warriors dig out of the hole? Here are some takeaways.

- Jonathan Kuminga flipped a switch

The Warriors rookie has been lost at sea lately. Promoted as a regular
starter when Draymond Green went down with a back injury three weeks
ago, Kuminga has quickly slid out of the starting lineup and into spotty
rotation minutes following a few rookie mistakes and defensive mishaps.

He looked lost again in the first half Tuesday, collecting five points
and one three-pointer with three assists and two personal fouls. Kerr
pulled Kuminga aside between stoppages to chat.

“He told me to stay locked in,” Kuminga said. “He saw my stuff wasn’t
going the way I wanted, he told me it’s a long game.”

So Kuminga snapped for 14 points in the fourth quarter, including a
windmill dunk in transition earned on one of five Gary Payton II steals.
A costly steal, too, as Payton II banged his shin on a chair while
trying to save the ball out of bounds and limped to the locker room
after. Payton II will be checked out, but Kerr hoped the injury wasn’t
serious.

A few drives to the rim and a pair of three pointers fueled a
performance in which the Warriors were plus-15 in 29 Kuminga minutes. He
was a focused passer and picked his spots well, a turnaround from recent
games in which he’s lost himself on defense.

“Tonight was a great lesson for him that even when you keep competing
and playing hard, the game can turn,” Kerr said. “I’m really proud of
him because the last couple games haven’t gone well for him. He stayed
with it and was a huge factor in the second half.”

- Moses Moody’s rebound

Stellar stints with the G League Warriors in Santa Cruz earned the
rookie two starts this road trip. Moody the evolved shooter Kerr and the
coaching staff saw on film came to light.

His six three-pointers on Tuesday totaled his count to nine
three-pointers over the last two games. His six three-pointers are one
short of Stephen Curry’s seven for the record of most three-pointers by
a rookie in a single game. He’s been a strong catch-and-shoot option, a
value in the Warriors’ offense. Through those rough three quarters,
Moody’s easy scoring kept the team in play.

But it was a hustle rebound with just under 30 seconds left, the
Warriors down one, that might’ve won them the game. On the play, Damion
Lee’s missed potential go-ahead three-pointer ricocheted off the rim,
primed for one of four Spurs players to grab it in the paint. Instead,
Moody burst into the mix and wrangled the ball from Dejounte Murray
while falling to the ground.

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Moody tossed the ball to Lee, who found an open Poole in the corner to
drain the go-ahead three himself.

“That hustle play at a crucial time, especially for a guy who is fresh
in this league to know how important it is to make this play,” Poole
said. “All credit to him, that’s huge.”

- Poole and Lee

Poole turned a slow start into a hot finish scoring. He finished with a
team-leading 31 points on 9-of-24 shooting, including four three pointers.

Lee was responsible for another clutch three — with two minutes left in
the fourth quarter, lee drained a go-ahead three-pointer that gave the
Warriors their first lead since the second quarter. It was Lee’s
career-high-tying fifth three-pointer made.

--
Shayna Rubin | Oakland Athletics reporter