The Western Conference Finals are underway. Game 1 of this much-anticipated matchup between the Golden State Warriors and the San Antonio Spurs was played on Sunday afternoon.
It was a fully packed Oracle Arena with more than 19,000 hyped and frenetic Warriors fans in downtown Oakland who were ready to give their team a big boost in this opening game. Golden State came into Sunday's matchup having won all eight of their playoff games this year as they swept the Blazers in the first, and the Jazz in the second round.
San Antonio on the other hand just finished off a tough Semifinals series against the Rockets and came into this Game 1 shorthanded since they were playing without Tony Parker.
Parker is out for the remainder of this season with a left quadriceps injury.
Spurs strike first
After an early 8-7 lead for the Warriors, it was all San Antonio in the first half. They closed out the first quarter on a 14-2 run and held a 30-16 lead after the first 12 minutes of the game. Midway through the second period, the Spurs had their biggest lead of the match at 25 points (46-21), and it looked like they are in total control of the game.
At halftime, it was 62-42 for Gregg Popovich's team. The Spurs outscored the Warriors 34-12 in the paint in the first half. The key moment of the game happened in the third quarter when Kawhi Leonard left the game as he injured his ankle.
He left the game with 7:30 left to play in the third quarter and didn't return.
Up to that point, Leonard had a great game as he scored 26 points and grabbed eight rebounds in 24 minutes of playing time. From that point on the Warriors began their comeback.
Stephen Curry scored 19 points in the third quarter as Golden State came within 9 points (90-81) heading into the final period of the game. They outscored San Antonio 32-21 in the fourth quarter and ended up winning the game 113-111.
Golden State outrebounded the Spurs 43-37 and forced them into 19 turnovers. They shot 48.1% from the field while holding the away team to just 7-for-22 from behind the arc.
Stephen Curry leads the way for the Warriors
Only three players scored in double digits for Golden State in Game 1. On a night when Klay Thompson was just 2-for-11 from the field, it was Stephen Curry who carried the load on the offensive end.
He finished the game with 40 points including 7-for-16 from the three-point line. Curry added seven rebounds and three assists as well. Kevin Durant contributed with 34 points and five rebounds.
LaMarcus Aldridge led San Antonio in scoring in this one with 28 points and eight rebounds. Kawhi Leonard added 26 points, while Manu Ginobili scored 17 points off the bench for the Spurs.
The Warriors now hold a 1-0 series lead with Game 2 to be played on Tuesday night in Oakland.
