The Warriors’ defense was scrambled and unfocused. Their star guard, Stephen Curry, was wholly unproductive. Their immovable force in the middle, center Andrew Bogut, looked like the guy who’s been battling injury all season.
The result, an ugly 109-91 Game 5 loss to San Antonio.
HARRISON BARNES: “We just let them get comfortable. We started off the game turning the ball over, which turned into fast breaks, giving them easy looks. Before, every shot they took, even if they got 3s, was contested. (Tuesday) night, it was just break down after break down. … We were just off.”
Now, the series shifts back to Oracle Arena, where Golden State hasn’t played well this series. The Warriors need a win to force a Game 7 and keep their postseason run alive.
And they’ll need their defense to be much, much better.
A big part was the struggles of Andrew Bogut. He played just 18 minutes, finishing with six rebounds as the Warriors were outboarded for the first time this series. He tweaked his ankle in the second quarter and sat out most of the first half. He started the third quarter. But he clearly wasn’t the same presence inside.
Guard Tony Parker, the engine of the San Antonio machine, looked like the dominant All-Star he did in Game 1. He finished with 25 points and 10 assists in 34 minutes, knocking down his midrange jumper and getting in the lane.
The Warriors blew countless defensive assignments, leading to open looks for the likes of Kawhi Leonard (17) and Danny Green (16). San Antonio shot 51.9 percent from the field and made 10 of 21 3-pointers.
Can Oracle be the cure?
MARK JACKSON: “We’ll be fine. We’re excited about Game 6. We talked about it being a great series. … My guys will bounce back.”
More on the Game 4 win …
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