The Golden State Warriors backcourt of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson jacked up a combined 46 shots Wednesday night in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals against the San Antonio Spurs. Luckily for them, 20 of those shots fell for the "best shooting backcourt of all-time" as Golden State upset the Spurs on their home floor, 100-91.
Thompson had a career night, hanging 34 points on San Antonio on 13-of-26 shooting, which included an unconscious 8-of-9 performance from beyond the arc. Thompson also gave the Warriors 14 rebounds in a dominant outing. Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich didn't have much to say about how his team failed to impede the streaking Thompson, outside of praising him.
"Klay was unbelievable," Popovich said. "A lot of those shots were tough. Some of them were wide open because of mistakes, but other ones were difficult shots, either contested or off balance, but he knocked them down. That's what the playoffs are about; players have to make shots."
Warriors coach Mark Jackson said he thought the Warriors' heartbreak in Game 1 was a positive experience to draw from in this win. "Game 1 made us better. We didn't panic. We made plays. That's a heck of a basketball team that's extremely well-coached and has no quit in them. We don't have any quit in us, either. The bottom line is we made the plays we needed to make."
The 2013 playoffs' golden boy, Curry, scored 22 points for the Warriors, including 6-of-9 from 3-point range.
San Antonio was led by Tim Duncan, who had 23 points and nine rebounds, but little help from his supporting cast outside of Tony Parker, who chipped in 20 points and three assists.
The loss was key for the Spurs, who now face the prospect of a tied series heading into Golden State's Oracle Arena, one of the league's most difficult road environments. Game 2 hero Thompson said, "It changed the whole dynamic of the series, and we honestly have the best home court in the NBA. They're the greatest crowd I ever played in front of. To go back 1 and 1 and give them a show on Thursday or Friday, I'm getting jitters already thinking about it. To go back with a split and potentially go up 3-1 is everything for us."
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