SAN ANTONIO — The Spurs lost big on the court Friday night, falling to Steph Curry and the Warriors 144-113, but won big in the hearts of their fans and NBA record books on a raucous night.
It felt like most of the basketball fans in San Antonio showed up to the Alamodome on Friday night as the Spurs hosted the Warriors in a history-making game to celebrate the team's 50th season in the city.
As the Spurs in their fiesta jerseys ran onto a court in the middle of a space meant for a football field, a roar erupted from the record-setting crowd. Before the game Steve Kerr spoke about the challenge of shooting in a dome like this, and it seemed to be having an impact on the home team early.
Klay Thompson got the first bucket of the game on a three, then found Kevon Looney for a dunk and a layup. Steph Curry and Andrew Wiggins combined for a 9-0 run to put the Warriors up 17-4 in the early going, forcing a timeout by Popovich.
Romeo Langford came out of it with a floater through a foul, thn got another bucket in close. Sporting a fresh dye job, rookie Jeremy Sochan snuck along the baseline for a big dunk. Langford hit another floater to make it a 9-0 run for the Spurs to get back into things.
Golden State got back to scoring, but Doug McDermott came into the game and hit the first three for San Antonio. Josh Richardson, Malaki Branham and Zach Collins all hit from mid-range, and McDermott drove for a floater that made it 33-28 Warriors after a quarter.
The Warriors opened the second quarter on a 16-8 run and pushed the lead to 13 as they dialed it in from deep. Tre Jones was creating for himself and others on the Spurs' side. Keldon hit free throws, then pumped and scored inside.
Josh Richardson pumped on a three and pulled up for a mid-range j, then swished a triple a few possessions later. He picked off a pass and sent it across the court to Jones, who hit a layup through a foul and got the free throw to go.
Steph scored on an and-1, then Keldon skipped into the lane and finished with the left. Klay finished on the end, then Poeltl came down and finished a floater. Jak forced a miss inside, then got an offensive board and hit a hook to cut the Warriors' advantage to 8.
Spurs blown out by Golden State in historic franchise celebration at Alamodome
Klay came down and hit a middie, then Wiggins put back his next miss. Tre got some good looks at the rim, but couldn't get them to fall. McDermott ended the drought with a drive from the corner and a baseline floater, then Jones pulled up from the elbow and hit one.
The Spurs just didn't have an answer for Golden State's offense, and trailed 74-60 at the break. The Warriors hit 9-23 from deep in the first half, while San Antonio mustered just 2-7.
San Antonio came out of the locker room on a mission. Tre Jones dimed a layup, then hit a three. Poeltl hit free throws, Sochan scored inside, and Keldon hit a three to make it a six-point game.
Then came the avalanche from Golden State. Klay hit a three, then Wiggins, then Steph. Draymond got a few buckets inside, then Jordan Poole hit from deep, then Donte DiVincenzo. The Warriors outscored the Spurs 40-29 in the third, and took a 114-89 advantage into the fourth.
Golden State didn't take their feet off the gas, and extended their already absurd lead. It wasn't all Splash Bros in this one, as eight Dubs finished the game in double figures. With the home team down about 30, a tremendous wave broke out among the fans and lasted a surprisingly long time.
Blake Wesley got into the game and made a deep jumper, a good sign as he works his way back from a knee injury.
Jones led the way for the Spurs with 21 points and 5 assists, and Keldon finished with 17.