 |
| Mario Hezonja was the spark of life in this 3-0 victory. |
The surprising highlight was Hezonja's lights-out shooting display, scoring a mighty 35 points and crashing in seven long-range daggers into the heart of the Bay Area tonight.
The Warriors whiffed time and time again in the 1st Quarter, going 5-26 overall, missing every kind of shot imaginable. The Spurs opened on a 12-4 run with five fierce blocks early-on, leading 47-41 at halftime, the result of Klay Thompson getting hot and draining a trio of bombs from distance. Then the brutal screen came by Kyle O'Quinn, freeing up Hezonja for that sniper shot. Moreover, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry fired back showing their combined proficiency from deep waters. Patty Mills joined the fun after a steal by Kawhi Leonard set him up on the perimeter, then Mills dished a pass to Mario for another crushing 3PTer in the corner after the Spurs forced a deflection. Hezonja would strike deep again in the closing seconds from the other corner to all but end this 3-0 spectacle.
Steph Curry was determined to fight until the end, willing the Warriors within eight points by the final buzzer, but they just didn't have the strength to stop San Antonio from engaging in this blow-for-blow shootout, a sign of things to come.
Patty Mills made a fade-away 3PTer for good measure, polarizing the crowd as Biyombo roamed the paint hunting for blocks and establishing his fearsome defensive presence down low. Kawhi Leonard jammed home a runaway dunk, Hezonja made an aggressive layup with the free throw and Iman Shumpert shot back at the Warriors during their failed rally. Mario leapt at Durant, blocking his 3PT attempt late, and then Kyle O'Quinn posterized lil' Steph Curry for a monstrous dunk, making the free throw, having been fouled by Curry (despite Steph being the one falling to the hardwood). Hezonja took the load off Leonard in this game, The Claw finishing with only 16 points.
A/N: A power outage took place just after the game ended, wiping out all memory of stats... 😶