Warriors instant analysis: Wembanyama outduels Green in final game before All-Star break

SAN FRANCISCO – With the All-Star break only a few hours away, it would have been understandable if the Warriors’ effort was a bit lacking on Wednesday night against San Antonio. 

But playing against one of the West’s top teams, the Steph Curry-less Warriors lost 126-113 to the Spurs in a game that was close for much of it.

Draymond Green was on triple-double watch while guarding Victor Wembanyama, putting up 17 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. Wembanyama responded by scoring 26 and blocking two shots. Neither player wanted to give an inch to the other as there was plenty of grappling and uncalled fouls as the duo battled for positioning.

De’Anthony Melton scored 17 while Moses Moody put in 17 points. De’Aaron Fox chipped in 27 points and eight assists for the Spurs, and Keldon Johnson poured in 21 and No. 2 overall pick Dylan Harper scored 14 and had seven assists off the San Antonio bench.

The Spurs used a 39-13 second half run to turn a 16-point deficit into a 10-point advantage.

Though Steph Curry sat out his fifth consecutive game with runner’s knee, the Golden State offense still found a way to zip up and down the Chase Center floor against a San Antonio outfit playing the second leg of a back-to-back, at least early on.  

The Warriors had 12 assists on 14 made baskets in the first quarter, and led 38-31 after 12 minutes. Maintaining that lead in the second quarter was far more difficult, as the Spurs got the Warriors into the foul bonus just three minutes into the period. Strong play from Gary Payton II helped the Warriors enjoy a 67-63 at halftime despite foul trouble. 

Golden State led by as much as 16 in the third before a 24-8 Spurs run, spearheaded by Keldon Johnson and the bench, pulled San Antonio within striking distance. By the end of the third, a buzzer-beating De’Aaron Fox midrange jumper had tied the game at 94 going into the fourth quarter.

San Antonio pulled away from there.

Because no Warriors will be participating in any of the All-Star weekend activities, the players will have until Feb. 19 to rest.

Guarding Wembanyama

Shutting down All-Star Wembanyama was – as it is on most team’s scouting reports – the top priority for the Warriors. He had scored 31 and 26 points in the November’s baseball-style series in San Antonio against Golden State. 

But in those high-scoring games, Draymond Green made his life difficult, and Wednesday was no exception even if Wembanyama eventually found a way to get free.  

Draymond Green began the night on Wembanyama, being eight inches shorter but making up for that by using his lower center of gravity to deny the Spurs superstar favorable position. 

Kerr did his best to mirror Green’s minutes with Wembanyama’s throughout the night. When the Spurs took him out and put Luke Kornet in, the Warriors then subbed in either Quinten Post or Al Horford. 

Nobody is going to stop Wembanyama, of course, but Green certainly made things more difficult than the Lakers did the night before, when Wembanyama put in 40 easy points in 26 effortless minutes. 

Most of Wembanyama’s first-half buckets came on tough jumpers, and it was actually one of his non-Green possessions that drew the loudest cheers from the Chase Center crowd. Late in the second quarter, 6-foot-1 Pat Spencer forced 7-5 Wembanyama into a tough jumper that clanked off the rim. 

Gary Payton II bobblehead day

Gary Payton has guarded elite scorers, been the sparkplug for a championship squad, and long been one of coach Steve Kerr’s favorite players. 

Now, after Wednesday night, one can add “Has a bobblehead night in his honor” to Payton II’s resume. 

In addition to scoring 10 points and passing out five assists in 14 minutes, Payton received a standing ovation after hawking down Devin Vassel on the fastbreak late in the first half and pulling off the spectacular chasedown block.