The Warriors pushed their record back to .500 Friday night, and they took an unfamiliar path to get there.
A wire-to-wire triumph on the road.
Golden State’s 144-113 victory over the Spurs before an NBA-record crowd (68,323) at the Alamodome in San Antonio was a matter of exercising its superiority over a rebuilding squad regardless of venue.
Eight Warriors scored in double figures, led by 25 points from Jordan Poole and 22 from Donte DiVincenzo as the Warriors lifted their road record to 4-16.
Here are three observations from a win in which Golden State (21-21) posted its highest-scoring game of the season:
Classic four shine
Golden State Warriors
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The foursome of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Kevon Looney and Klay Thompson – teammates since 2015 – played one of the most complete games this season as a group and as individuals.
All four shot at least 50 percent from the field, with three of the four scoring in double figures. Thompson put in 16 points, Curry 15 and Looney 12.
And Green took care of the glass, gobbling a game-high 12 in only 29 minutes. He added four assists, three steals and one block to finish plus-20, tops among the starters.
Perhaps best of all, the four combined for a total of six turnovers, which were more than offset by their 16 turnovers.
By declining to play down to the level of their opponent, a trap the Warriors have fallen into a few times this season, the this became one of the rare games in which none of the four were needed in the fourth quarter.
JP and Donte brought the heat
Both Poole and DiVincenzo faced off in this giant barn during their collegiate careers, with Donte coming away with warmer memories, having scored 31 points to lead Villanova over JP’s Michigan team in the championship game.
On this night, as teammates, Poole and DiVincenzo combined for 47 points to lead one of the more impressive bench performances this season.
Poole’s 25 points came on 8-of-16 shooting, including 2-of-6 from beyond the arc. He added six assists and three rebounds.
DiVincenzo’s 22 points came on 7-of-17 shooting, including 4-of-12 from deep. He added seven rebounds, five assists and two steals.
Curry’s return this week allows the bench backcourt to get plenty of time together to build chemistry. The JP-Donte combo has tremendous potential, and that much was visible with their work against the Spurs.
Ferocious from the jump
The Warriors, who practically trademarked the concept of playing catch-up after sluggish starts, abandoned the tendency against the Spurs.
They sprinted to a 17-4 lead in the first four minutes, making seven of their first 10 shots and holding San Antonio without a field goal.
And when the Spurs responded with a 9-0 run, the Warriors quickly recovered to take command, never let up and were not threatened at any point.
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The incessant attacking at the rim covered some of Golden State’s defensive lapses and, moreover, showed a team determined not only to win but to dominate.
