Warriors Trounce Spurs in Game 2, 136-100

The Golden State Warriors defeated the San Antonio Spurs, 136-100, on Tuesday
evening at Oracle Arena in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals. The Warriors
lead the series, 2-0. The Spurs (0-2) knew they had their backs to the wall
coming in, having suffered a deflating loss in Game 1 and facing life without
All-Star forward and team leader Kawhi Leonard (ankle) in Game 2. Unfortunately
for San Antonio, there was no inspired performance the likes of which they’d put
together in their series-clinching win against the Rockets in the semifinal
round, a game in which they’d also been forced to play without their team
leader. The Warriors (2-0) made a statement that there’d be no encore right from
the jump, building a commanding 33-16 lead that they’d never come close to
relinquishing. Golden State wrapped up the night with excellent success rates of
56.2 percent from the field, including 48.6 percent from three-point range. They
complemented that with stellar defense, even without Andre Iguodala (knee),
holding the Spurs to sub-40 percent shooting while also forcing them into 18
turnovers. Jonathon Simmons, filling in for Leonard, was the lone bright spot
for coach Gregg Popovich, leading San Antonio with 22 points, three rebounds and
three assists. Davis Bertans followed with a bench-leading 13 points, which he
supplemented with four rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block. LaMarcus
Aldridge posted eight points, four rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a
steal over a modest 27 minutes. Pau Gasol contributed seven points, eight
boards, one assist and one steal. Patty Mills and Danny Green supplied a pair of
matching five-point efforts, while Dewayne Dedmon registered a near
double-double off the bench with nine points and nine rebounds in 20 minutes off
the bench. Stephen Curry paced the Warriors with 29 points, seven rebounds,
seven assists and three steals. Patrick McCaw saw extended time in the blowout,
posting 18 points, five assists, three rebounds and three steals over 27
minutes. Kevin Durant managed 16 points, three assists, two rebounds and one
block. Draymond Green filled out the stat sheet with 13 points, nine rebounds,
six assists, two steals and two blocks. Klay Thompson managed 11 points, six
rebounds and four assists, while Shaun Livingston and Ian Clark contributed a
pair of 10-point efforts off the bench. The two teams now head to San Antonio
for Game 3 on Saturday night.