Oakland, CA – Jarrett Jack scored a season-high 30 points -- 17 of which came in the fourth quarter and overtime -- and added 10 assists as the Golden State Warriors held on for a thrilling, 107-101, victory over the San Antonio Spurs, snapping a 16-game skid in the series.
David Lee had 25 points and a game-high 22 rebounds and Stephen Curry added 18 points and six assists for the Warriors, who have won two straight following a six-game losing streak.
"With all due respect to what Jamal Crawford has done for the Los Angeles Clippers and with all due respect to what J.R. Smith has done for the New York Knicks -- Jarrett Jack has been the best sixth man all year long," Golden State coach Mark Jackson said. "He's carried us at times, been a great voice in our locker room, he's a great competitor and he's been outstanding since day one. When you look at our record and where we are sitting, how you could ignore what he has done for us off the bench with closing ball games and having a calming effect."
Although the Warriors were trying to turn some heads around the league with a victory over one of the NBA's best, it was their new style uniforms that first took the stage Friday night. The team sported yellow pinstripe jerseys which were equipped with short sleeves and while they certainly drew some publicity about the future of NBA on-court attire, they might want to stick with the new threads for a little longer.
Danny Green led six San Antonio players in double-figures with 20 points as the Spurs lost for just the second time in their last 18 contests overall. Tim Duncan scored 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds and Tony Parker registered 18 points and six rebounds in the defeat.
Klay Thompson nailed a deep corner jumper to tie the contest at 98-98 with just under two minutes remaining in extra time. Jack, however, caught fire with a fastbreak reverse lay-in with 1 1/2 minutes remaining to put his team ahead by two. After Green missed a jumper on the ensuing San Antonio possession, Jack made an 18-foot jumper to extend the edge to four points with 56.5 seconds remaining.
Following a San Antonio timeout, Green, though, silenced the crowd as he nailed a triple from the top of the key just six seconds later, to bring the visitors within one.
Just when it looked like Parker was set to put the visitors ahead as he corralled Duncan's blocked shot for his own fastbreak opportunity, his finger roll slipped off the back rim and Lee came down with the rebound. Curry then nailed two from the charity stripe to make it 104-101, but the game wasn't over yet.
Earlier in regulation, Manu Ginobili and Duncan capitalized on a give-and-go, back door inbounds play which sent the game to OT. This time, however, the Warriors were ready, and when Duncan tried to hit Ginobili again on the same play, his pass was tipped away, thus allowing Golden State to hang on for the victory.
"Coach I thought said something really profound the other day in the locker room," Jack said. "You know, when we were going through that six game stretch losing streak, he said 'you know, I relish these moments more than we are winning four in a row, five in a row, seven in a row, because these are the times when you find out who's really with you. When things aren't going great and you have to fight."
As the clock winded down under 15 seconds in regulation, Curry drove to the hoop following the left baseline to draw two defenders, before finding a wide open Jack who nailed a triple from the left wing with 7.3 seconds to spare to put the Warriors ahead by two.
San Antonio turned to who else but Ginobili as the lefty got the ball to Duncan at the top of the key, then cut to the hoop for a give-and-go and uncontested lay-in to tie it up with 4.5 seconds to play.
The Spurs went into the fourth quarter with a 68-67 lead. The visitors followed the guidance of Ginobili, who began the final quarter with a three- point play and running jumper to kick off a 12-0 surge which made it 80-67 with 8:55 remaining.
The home team quickly roared back with its own flurry, as Curry capped off a 13-0 swing with a step-back jumper and a 3-pointer to tie things up at 80-80 with just over six minutes to play.
The action was tied after one quarter of play, 25-25. The second quarter, however, lacked offensive consistency as both teams made only five field goals each and the Spurs outscored the Warriors, 14-13.
San Antonio took a 39-38 margin into the locker room.
"I think we got a little bit stubborn at different periods of the game, didn't move the ball really well," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "They did a great job defensively. That's what allowed them to have the opportunity to win the basketball game. They did a really fine job in that regard."
Game Notes
Golden State was without center Andrew Bogut, who sat out with back spasms and is out indefinitely ... The Spurs now have a 46-6 record versus Golden State with Duncan in the lineup ... San Antonio has won nine of its last 11 games away from home ... The Warriors won the fastbreak battle, 25-2 ... The Spurs shot 38.9 percent (37-of-95) compared to the Warriors' 41.5 percent (39-of-94) shooting effort ... There were 20 lead changes and 17 ties ... Both teams combined for 21 turnovers ... Ginobili finished with 18 points.
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