Spurs pull off gritty win, defeat Hornets 90-114.

Bryn Forbes lit up the Hornets, scoring 32 points on six 3PTers.

Fresh off a strong showing against the Warriors, the Spurs were initially surprised by the young Hornets coming to town. Dwight Howard showed he can still be a force down low and Kemba Walker made some stunning layups, drawing fouls. Frank Kaminsky also hit some 3PTers, showing off his range.

The Spurs were in a dogfight once they gathered their composure, with Kawhi Leonard battling hard toward the rim but struggling to shoot well, so it took a powerful 18-2 run in the second half to finally burst past Charlotte. A big part of this run was sharpshooter prospect Bryn Forbes, who made 6 three-pointers and got going early via layups in transition. He finished with 32 points on a fabulous 71% shooting, and was on fire at one point in the 4th quarter, a huge spark to the usual Lamb/Shumpert combo (both weake shooters than Forbes) and pulling off two steals to boot.

Patty Mills also made some long-shots on the fast break, as the Spurs stellar passing paid off. Pau Gasol battled with Howard down low, notching a solid double-double of 14 points with 12 rebounds. It was the defensive duo of Biyombo & O'Quinn that made Charlotte's attempt to stay in the game folly: Biyombo had 10 rebounds and 4 blocks, whereas O'Quinn had 5 boards with 3 steals and 1 block. Rudy Gay didn't shoot his best, but finished with 13 points and 2 steals. Kawhi Leonard had 18 points (6-15 FG%), 0-4 3PA) with 4 steals. Tony Parker did not have as strong of a game as the Warriors showdown, but he did make some nice passes for 3 assists and 2 steals. Mario Hezonja had 7 points, Lamb managed 8 points and Patty Mills went 3/3 from deep.

"Bryn is a terrific shooter when he gets going. We were happy to have him back with us for this season. The dog in him likes to fight, and that's what we like here," Popovich spoke highly of Forbes after the game. "He really opened up the floor for us once he made his first few shots from 3PT range," Leonard spoke. "My outside shot wasn't there, and Charlotte was taking it to us because of our poor shooting. He made a big difference for us tonight, no doubt."

In the loss, Nicolas Batum had 27 points and 5 steals (50% shooting, 42% from 3PT); Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 16 points. Kemba Walker cooled significantly, going 4-15 (26%). Dwight Howard had 10 points with 12 rebounds and 2 blocks. The Spurs erupted in the 4th quarter, winning 38-23. San Antonio shot 42% from 3PT territory, and 50% overall. Charlotte also missed 7 free throws, whereas the Spurs had 24 assists to Charlotte's 24 turnovers.

Spurs outlast Warriors, win 97-101 at home.

Despite a 20-point hole, the Warriors just wouldn't surrender.

Driving to the rim, Kevin Durant fell on his face after being ruthlessly blocked by Kyle O'Quinn. In the final seconds, after Steph Curry & Klay Thompson brought the Warriors within 2 points, Durant was knocked to the floor after attempting a corner 3PTer, courtesy of Bismack Biyombo.

The Spurs defense and solid offense was enough to fend off the Warriors in this first meeting of the season, despite Golden State erasing a 20-point deficit, once trailing 36-56 on the road.

The first quarter was won by the Spurs 22-27, but they broke off into a twenty-point advantage in the second 16-29, with the Warriors edging back continuously from there including 23-14 in the third. San Antonio's offense would stall, allowing the opposition to sneak within single digits, making for a fierce final quarter. Golden State would outscore the Spurs 36-31, but it wasn't enough.

Kawhi Leonard outplayed Kevin Durant with 28 points, icing the game at the free throw line to give San Antonio a four-point cushion. Previously, Pau Gasol had missed at the rim but gotten his own rebound and made a put-back layup, otherwise Golden State's next shot would've tied the game. Durant and Curry were also fouled throughout the game, with the Spurs using fouls to slow momentum at times. It cost them some bonus free throw attempts, but Golden State didn't make the most out of them, missing nine crucial free throws, compared to just one miss by the Spurs; when you lose by 4 that has to sting a bit.

Both teams were not the best from long range, despite their typically-stellar numbers, with San Antonio shooting 38% to Golden State's 34%.  Both teams were tremendous on defense, combining for 23 blocks and 13 steals. Every statistical category was close, with Golden State slightly winning rebounds and the Spurs winning in assists.

Steph Curry didn't have his best game, chased all game long, but it was a delight to see Tony Parker have his moment, playing well in this game and making shots. Parker finished with just 11 points, but the shots he made were huge, going 4-5 from the floor and making all three of his 3PT attempts. His effort was needed too as Patty Mills was pestered by Klay Thompson's length all night, finishing with 14 points on 6/12 shooting.

Rounding out the production, Rudy Gay had 13 points but shot just 30%, Pau Gasol had 11, Jeremy Lamb scored 10. Kyle O'Quinn got some burn here, scoring 6 points with 4 rebounds and 3 blocks. Bismack Biyombo had a monstrous 8 blocks with 8 rebounds, a total rim protector in his game.

In the narrow defeat, Durant had 22 points (8/18 shooting) with 3 blocks. Curry had 21 on 9/19, making just one long range shot. Draymond Green had a double-double of 10 & 10 with 2 blocks; Zaza Pachulia had 10 points with 12 rebounds. Klay Thompson shot 3-11, not quite right here. Andre Iguodala was 1-8 tonight, as the Warriors benched failed to contribute much to the comeback led by Durant and Curry (whose drives inside sparked it).

All too familiar was this showdown late, promising further rivalry from these two western conference juggernauts.