SAN FRANCISCO — Two days after overcoming a 20-point deficit to stun the New Orleans Pelicans, the Warriors faltered again early on Friday night but overcame the slow, sloppy start against the San Antonio Spurs and clinched a 130 -115 victory.
Stephen Curry had 33 points, Klay Thompson had 31 and Jordan Poole added another 27 from the bench to lead Golden State to their fifth win in six games.
Spurs’ fate has already been decided. They join the Houston Rockets and Detroit Pistons as they stand the best lottery odds to land the upcoming draft’s No. 1 overall pick and likely French phenomenon Victor Wembanyama.
But Friday was still a high-stakes game for the Warriors as they seek to maintain their place outside of the play-in tournament in the Western Conference rankings.
The Warriors turned the ball over five times in the first five minutes of the game, and the Spurs forged a lead of up to nine points in the first quarter. San Antonio also led most of the second quarter before a late 12-point burst from Jordan Poole and a dunk from Kevon Looney helped the Warriors to a three-point lead at the break.
There was a scary moment during that run where Draymond Green appeared to injure his right knee after colliding with Spurs guard Tre Jones. Green went to the dressing room before the end of the second quarter but was ready to start the third. He finished the game with four points, 11 assists and six rebounds in 29 minutes.
After the Spurs leveled the game at 90 with 10-51 in game four, Curry and Poole led Golden State in the next minute and 10 seconds with an 8-0 surge.
From there, the Warriors held the Spurs at bay. They surpassed San Antonio in the fourth, 43-27.
Thompson scored 27 points in the second half.
The Warriors remain sixth in the Western Conference rankings. They have the same record (41-37) as the fifth-seeded Clippers, although Los Angeles is currently winning the tiebreak by having a better divisional record.
The Warriors will travel to Denver to play the West leaders Nuggets on Sunday before returning home on Tuesday to host the Oklahoma City Thunder for their final home game of the regular season.
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