Spurs beat Warriors without Curry, 126-113, thanks to Johnson and Sochan.

To try to rally the Golden State Warriors, Jonathan Kuminga pounded the basket. They were unable to get sufficient timely stops.

Keldon Johnson and the Spurs of San Antonio came through in clutch situations.

On Saturday night, San Antonio defeated a Golden State squad that was without Stephen Curry 126-113 thanks to 22 points and 11 rebounds from Johnson.

San Antonio, who had lost seven of nine games, was led by 20 points from Jeremy Sochan and Malaki Branham. With 17 points and seven boards, Julian Champagnie was the man.

Sochan emphasised the need of starting strong, particularly when facing teams and environments similar to Golden State and San Francisco.

The Warriors haven’t lost back-to-back games at home in Chase Centre since January 25 and 27, when Klay Thompson scored 27 points in 27 minutes off the bench.

Rookie Victor Wembanyama of the Spurs and Curry were both sidelined by injuries to their right ankles.

Kuminga had 26 points, his fifth 20-point game in the past seven games. He scored the first nine points for the Warriors in the fourth quarter and 11 points in a row, all while attacking the basket. Unfortunately, the Warriors were severely lacking in scoring without Curry, who averaged 26.9 points per game.

The Spurs appeared to have an offensive response for every Golden State push in the third quarter, and they maintained that pressure in the fourth and final quarters. With 37 seconds remaining in the first, Trayce Jackson-Davis attempted a driving layup, but Champagnie promptly responded with a 3-pointer from the baseline.

“We gave it our all in the second half to get back in the game,” Kuminga stated. “A smidgen behind schedule.”

The Spurs were 17 for 33 from beyond the arc, with five 3-pointers from Champagnie and four from Johnson. With a 34.8 percent 3-point percentage, they were 29th in the NBA entering the game.

Halfway through the second quarter, San Antonio led by 18 points on 55.9% shooting and went into halftime with a 62-43 lead.

“It was difficult. “We simply couldn’t get going,” commented Warriors coach Steve Kerr. I didn’t think we were very energetic or confident. We had some problems because of how fast they were moving, in my opinion. We never seemed to be competitive, you know?

In Curry’s stead, Chris Paul started and finished with 10 points and 9 assists. As the Warriors utilised their 20th different starting lineup, he made his 12th start, his first since January 5th against Detroit.

The results of Curry’s MRI on his ankle showed no signs of structural injury. On Tuesday, he will get another evaluation.

In my opinion, it’s a satisfactory outcome. According to Kerr, the MRI came back clear, and he’s feeling much better today. I would say it was a nice experience overall.

A late-quarter injury cost the two-time MVP, who will turn 36 on Thursday, Thursday’s 125-122 loss to the Chicago Bulls.

After winning three consecutive games at home in the series, the Warriors saw their five-game winning streak over the Spurs end.

A day after the announcement that the Laver Cup tennis event will be held at Chase Centre in September 2025, retired tennis great Roger Federer sat courtside with Warriors owner Joe Lacob.

According to Elias, this was the first game for the Warriors without Curry or Thompson beginning since their Jan. 20, 2023, game against the Clippers.