Warriors slip past Spurs, 100-105.

The Warriors were just too good tonight.

A foreboding sign may have been the showman's 3PTer by Steph Curry (23 points, 7 assists 3/5 3PT) on the opening possession over a defensive dash attempt by Kawhi Leonard (28 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals). The Spurs would go down double digits, as the Warriors blitzed into the 70s with San Antonio struggling to eclipse 50.

Klay Thompson had 17 points, but shot just 1/7 from deep and got swatted by Iman Shumpert (18 points) late, once the game got close again. The Spurs mounted a heavy comeback, but ultimately fell short of the mark. Patty Mills (19 points, 5/10 3PT) brought them back with his deadeye to within three points, but the Warriors outran the tired Spurs, also plagued by a poor bench effort.

Draymond Green had 16 points and 10 rebounds with 6 assists. Kevin Durant's quiet night couldn't be capitalized upon by the Spurs, mostly due to Kawhi's cold streak from long range and less than stellar defensive performance, looking noticeably fatigued on the court. Andre Iguodala had 13 points. The Spurs couldn't help but be bullied on the glass, not able to mount any steam ahead. Zaza Pachulia had 10 rebounds, and the highest for the Spurs was nine which just isn't going to be enough. Meanwhile, Pau Gasol had just 9 points and 6 rebounds. Rudy Gay shot 2/9, and above all else Kawhi went 12/31.

The Warriors may have only won by 5 points, and that was after cold Kawhi failed to hit a would-be game-tying long shot, but they dominated the assists column 23-15 as the Spurs coughed up the ball 11 times and had way too many fouls, giving Golden State easy points. Despite the harsh loss, San Antonio did make a noteworthy rally in the fourth quarter that muted too soon, still winning the quarter 30-21 after the Warriors went on a 31-21 second quarter swing. The Spurs now fall to 55-10 on the season, with one final game to come at home against their nemesis, Golden State.

Spurs go on a tear, East bests West, Cavs avenge loss.

Kawhi's strong run led to two blowouts in Denver.

The Spurs hit another win streak, crushing the Jazz on the road as Utah could never build momentum, then crossing over into Denver, braving the wintry weather for two one-sided victories thanks to a strong return to form by Kawhi Leonard, as he scored 30+ on both occasions.

All*Star Weekend followed, which saw a one-sided first half of dominance by the East team transform into a double overtime thriller that looked to be a comeback win for the West twice over, yet James Harden and Steph Curry had two chances to win at the buzzer, squandering DeMarcus Cousins' strong play with a career-high 8 blocks, besting his previous of 7. Kawhi Leonard had his moments in the exhibition of elites, but didn't have his best outing.

Pau Gasol had 11 points and 11 rebounds in the loss.

Then the Cavaliers got revenge for their earlier loss this season to the Spurs, holding off the defending champions with a sound effort all game long, winning 102-111 in "The Land." A notable moment erupted when LeBron slammed the ball through the net over Pau Gasol, 'The King' scoring 23 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists. Danny Green scorched his old team with 15 points, but Rodney Hood was the surprise treat with 15 points whose strong play gave Cleveland an early lead. George Hill had 12 points, as Kevin Love netted 11 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks.

Once again, Kawhi Leonard had a strong effort with 33 points, making some impressive shots from all over the court, netting a quartet of three-pointers, swiping 5 steals. Patty Mills kept the Spurs within striking distance with 17 points and 6 assists, but the Spurs didn't have a strong team effort. Jeremy Lamb went 5/13 for 11 points and 0/4 from deep and Mario Hezonja went 2/10. Iman Shumpert struck out from 3PT territory and even Kawhi's long ball misfired as the game went on. Cleveland won the 1st quarter 28-19, and the 3rd 27-18, shooting better overall (54% v. 44%) and collaborating on 25 assists, dominating the boards 45-36 and only committing 12 turnovers. Taking it on the chin, San Antonio preps for yet another contentious clash with Golden State.

Spurs topple Warriors in second meeting of season, 120-115.

The wound of the four-point loss earlier this season still hasn't fully healed, nor the defeat in the Western Conference Finals last year in the playoffs.

Kawhi Leonard v. Kevin Durant.
Steph Curry v. Patty Mills.
Klay Thompson v. Iman Shumpert.
Pau Gasol v. Draymond Green.

With a fistful of wild cards...

Kawhi Leonard had a whopping 39 points, sharp as a spur, netting seven 3PTers that turned the tide throughout the game for San Antonio. The Claw had 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks, unstoppable on the court. Leonard had 27 points before the 3rd quarter came to a close. In the final .30 seconds of regulation, he drew a foul on Kevin Durant and made the layup to solidify the lead. An exciting showdown that was close from beginning to end, the Spurs had to recuperate once Golden State took two sizable leads. Both teams had 49 rebounds. Closing out on shooters, double-teaming Curry at times, getting physical and playing to its strengths ultimately got San Antonio the victory, . From there, Curry would miss a long shot with his team already down by 5 as Bismack Biyombo dribbled it out.

 Pau Gasol had a strong game, forcing Draymond Green to foul out in the final minute on an and-1 layup at the basket. Green finished with 14 rebounds and 7 points. San Antonio was concerned that Gasol may foul out also, but he managed to play smart enough to be effective, scoring 29 points and 11 rebounds on 10/17 shooting, also making a shot from deep. The third weapon of choice was Jeremy Lamb, whose athletic dunks staved off momentum that continuously built for the Warriors at home. Lamb notched 17 points, making a trio of threes that hit hard in the clutch.

Leonard would not be stopped.

Filling out the bench, Davis Bertans hit two 3PTers for 8 points and nabbed a steal. Iman Shumpert, Tony Parker & Dejounte Murray combined for just 14 points but tried to make life difficult for Curry. Patty Mills unfortunately had an ice cold night (0-6 3PT, 6 points, 3/11 shooting), but luckily the Spurs were able to survive without his aid. A big third quarter (34-25) gave the Spurs some breathing room heading into the final quarter. In the 5-PT defeat, the Warriors missed five free throws. San Antonio ended the 3rd Quarter on a 10-2 run (88-81).

The Warriors gave a tough fight, using its scoring power to make it a 1-PT game several times, but the Spurs were able to hold on despite losing small leads as Golden State made back-to-back-to-back 3PTers. Steph Curry had 23 points and 8 assists, making just 3 long balls and fetching 1 steal. Curry shot just 7/18 from the field. Klay Thompson had 24 points, missing only four shots and making four from long range. Kevin Durant had 19 points with 1 block. Andre Iguodala made his only 3PTer to bring the Warriors within a single point late, scoring 10 points and dishing out 5 assists. Nick Young had 5 early points but went cold on 4/10 shooting. Zaza Pachulia had 11 rebounds for 8 points. Shaun Livingston had 9 points. Overall, the Warriors turned the ball over 16 times but managed 7 blocks.

Strong return by Leonard in road win over Suns, 99-94.

Aggressively driving to the basket all game long, Kawhi Leonard was the lone hope in this Arizona duel against Devin Booker (25 points). The Claw finished with 32 points and 8 steals, hitting a series of clutch 3PTers in transition and a step-back jumper during a mis-match with Tyson Chandler (17 rebounds) in the final minute.

The Spurs sparked two notable runs, as Davis Bertans splashed home long balls for 8 points, stepping up for the struggling Mario Hezonja (DNP). Jeremy Lamb had a posterizing dunk over Chandler as well early on in the game, contributing 13 points and making two nice shots in the corner. Patty Mills made a couple of 3PTers, too, finishign with 10 points. Pau Gasol had 9, as did Iman Shumpert whose two early blocks set the tone for San Antonio's defensive effort. Bismack Biyombo had 7 points to go with 10 rebounds, a block and a steal.

In the loss, Josh Jackson had 13 points, but Phoenix didn't get much help from TJ Warren or Elfrid Payton (3/9). Even Booker shot just 11/21, with Phoenix coughing up the rock 15 times. Luckily the Spurs pulled out the win, after uncharacteristically missing a handful of free throws.

In a play that epitomized the outcome, Tyson Chandler grabbed the rebound with a second to spare before halftime, aiming to heave a prayer from full court distance, only for Biyombo to swat him down, causing the big man to stumble to the hardwood.

Now, the Spurs are one away from victory #50. Next up? Golden State Warriors.

Spurs overcome tough effort by Jazz, 97-106.

Ricky Rubio scored 26 points, but only 5 assists.

Ricky Rubio found himself double-teamed all game long, but until halftime it looked like the Jazz needn't worry about his efficacy to get other teammates involved for easy scores, as Utah held a sizable lead early until midway in the third quarter. The Spurs went on an 12-0 run to tie the game at 46 with two minutes left in the first half, then a 3PTer by Davis Bertans (12 points) gave them the lead with seconds left before the intermission.

It was still touch-and-go until the Spurs pulled off an even stronger rally of 13-2 by the 1-minute mark in the third quarter, now leading 71-80. San Antonio's defense would stifle Utah's responsive efforts to get back into the game. The Jazz got within 6 points, before the Spurs rebuilt the advantage to seize control.

The Spurs won the 2nd Quarter 32-22, the 3rd 26-19 and stalemated Utah 26-26 (to hold them off) in the 4th, shooting 42% to the Jazz's 46%, both teams not quite lighting it up from 3PT territory. The Spurs went 17-17 from the charity stripe, though, which helped considerably to keep them close early, despite Utah only missing one free throw. The Jazz narrowly won rebounds 47-40, but SA had 7 offensive rebounds. Utah committed 18 turnovers, with only Utah scoring two more assists--evidence of Rubio's struggle. He got the ball swiped from him 5 times, despite shooting 61% and making 2/4 from long range. Donovan Mitchell had just 11 points, hounded by Kawhi Leonard on 4/11 shooting, including a crucial turnover late.

Rudy Gobert had some impressive jams in this game, for 16 points and 14 rebounds with 3 blocks, putting pressure on San Antonio early as their attempts down low were swatted down. Thabo Sefolosha had 12 points and a steal on just 5/13 shooting, and Jae Crowder with Derrick Favors combined for just 18 points, with Favors shooting 3/11. Typical sharpshooter Joe Ingles was only 1-5 from long range.

The Spurs were not scoring high individually either, but Bismack Biyombo (after a poor first half showing) clamped down on Utah's driving layup attempts, finishing with 6 blocks, 2 steals, 8 points and 11 rebounds. Kawhi had 15 points with 5 steals. Iman Shumpert had 13 points, Jeremy Lamb had 12 points with 2 steals, and Rudy Gay combined with Pau Gasol for another 20 points. Dejounte Murray got some swipes in on Rubio for 2 steals with 9 points and 5 assists.

Spurs upheave victory against Rockets, 105-110.

Patty Mills made a momentous 3PTer over Ryan Anderson.

The Spurs looked out of it after the 3rd quarter, with faint hope for a comeback at home. Once the final quarter began, James Harden nailed a would-be dagger to seemingly solidify a double-digit advantage. A few more excruciating minutes passed for the home crowd, forced to watch their Spurs struggle to claw back within a 15 point margin of difference.

Then Patty Mills hit another 3PTer, and another, yet another. "Patty Mills has now made six three-pointers in the game," Mike Breen noted on the sideline. Next, Kawhi Leonard hit back-to-back 3PTers, despite a brutal three-quarter performance beforehand. The Rockets, with every reason to be confident in their shooting ability as a team, having pounded the Spurs for three quarters from long range, kept firing. But they began to miss, then its defense finally rewarded San Antonio with a steal here, a loose ball scramble there. Another 3PTer, this time by Rudy Gay alone on the fast break. The actual dagger? Patty Mills--this time over Ryan Anderson after a second-chance rebound, with Mills deep on the perimeter rising up to give the Spurs an 8-point lead with .40s left in regulation.

Baffled, the Rockets called timeout and struck back hard with a floater by Chris Paul, then Ryno made a 3PTer over Kawhi Leonard, cutting the lead to just three once more. But Patty Mills drew a foul and made both free throws, clutch as ever--the only constant force in this game for the Spurs.

Having been walloped in their first encounter earlier this season in Houston, the Spurs went for the gusto from the opening tip, but found themselves getting buried and outpaced by the fiery Rockets, still reeling from the loss to Denver. This remarkable comeback, which included an amazing 24-2 run, will take its rightful place in the hearts of Spurs fans and in NBA history, frankly, as it's been quite some time since one of this size has taken place. San Antonio won the 4th Quarter with astonishing dominance of 36-16. Patty Mills finished with 35 points, netting nine three-pointers.

Patty Mills was on fire against Houston, scoring 35 points.

Kawhi Leonard had quite the rocky night, but finished with 26 points, 5 steals--his defense was huge for the comeback, which included a full-court press for most of the 4th quarter--including a towering block on Eric Gordon that saved the lead which had begun to grow for the Spurs. Iman Shumpert's gutsy effort also paid dividends for 13 points, despite not being able to knock one home from deep.

Rudy Gay had 12 points with 2 steals; Pau Gasol struggled early on down low for just 9 points; Jeremy Lamb got some dunks off for 6 points and pulled off 5 assists. Davis Bertans made a 3PTer in the early stages on the comeback trail for San Antonio; Bismack Biyombo didn't score much but he did manage 13 rebounds, a crucial weapon for second chance scoring with 2 steals and a block.

In the shocking loss, Eric Gordon had 20 points and 6 assists. James Harden had 20 points, but shot just 1/6 from long range. Ryan Anderson finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds, making two 3PTers. Joe Johnson hurt the Spurs early for 11 points, making a trio of threes. P.J. Tucker & Trevor Ariza combined for 16 points but went cold from long range late. Chris Paul had just 6 points with 10 assists. Before the 4th Quarter upheaval, the Rockets won all three prior quarters: 23-18, 36-33, 30-23. They shot better than the Spurs (51% to 45%) but had more turnovers, despite winning narrowly the assists and rebounds columns, also missing three free throws.

STREAK BROKEN: Nuggets stave off Spurs, 110-100.

The Nuggets kept the heat on the Spurs, ending the win streak.

Patty Mills tried his best in far from his best-looking performance, scoring 23 points on 5/16 overall. The young, hungry Nuggets made contested layups, witnessing a serious struggle by the Spurs to fire back with scoring. Kawhi Leonard had just 18 points on 6/20 shooting, going 2/9 from long range despite having 5 steals. Dejounte Murray turned in another strong game with 20 points in the loss.

Snapping the win streak, Denver was led by Devin Harris (19 points), Nikola Jokic (18 points) and Jamal Murray (16 points)--all three making tough shots late to quell the comeback chances--with Will Barton scoring 12 points, Wilson Chandler scoring 11 points with 8 rebounds and 5 assists and Paul Millsap grabbing 13 rebounds for 9 points with 3 blocks. Kenneth Faried also had a monstrous throw-down for 8 points.

Pau Gasol had just 9 points with 9 rebounds; Jeremy Lamb had 9 points on 4/10 shooting. Bryn Forbes was chilly from the perimeter on 1/6 shooting as the Nuggets led 74-57 at one point. A late rally made the margin of defeat more respectable, winning the 4th Quarter 30-23 but it was over. Denver blitzed into the lead after a 32-20 win in the 3rd, following up nicely out of haltime which had them winning the 2nd 31-23. The Spurs only led after quarter one, shooting 36% overall and 22% from long range whereas the Nuggets feasted on them for 57% shooting, dominating the rebounds 42-25 with four more assists and 4 blocks to call their own.

The Spurs now move to 46-7 on the season after this streak-snapping defeat.