The Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs have played the most up-tempo of the four semifinals series currently being contested in the 2013 NBA playoffs, but they've been just a little off the pace established in San Antonio Friday in Oakland, where the Spurs hold an 57-48 halftime lead.
Spurs vs. Warriors score update, Game 3: Tony Parker’s 25 points help secure 57-48 lead
It’s been lower-volume than the first two games, but Game 3 between the Spurs and Warriors has gotten Oracle Arena to roar a few times.
Mostly, this game has been defined by Tony Parker’s exquisite scoring ability: the French star has 25 points to lead all scorers on fantastic 11-for-14 shooting, and scored the final four points of the half with two free throws and a killer 22-footer with just a second remaining.
The Warriors' ability to get inside and do work against an older Spurs front line has kept them in shouting distance, though, and while Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson have combined for just 12 points so far, the third quarter that Golden State has ruled throughout the playoffs looms.
Can the Spurs slow down Thompson?
Neither Thompson nor Curry has done a lot for the Warriors to this point, but Thompson has been especially quiet, with just four shots and one make on the night. The make was one of his two three-point attempts, but the Spurs have done well to limit the long-range assault that has carried Golden State in these playoffs.
Can the Spurs find success from beyond the arc?
It's still possible that the Spurs will heat up from deep, but they didn't do much from three-point range in the first half. San Antonio went just 2-for-9 in the first half, with Parker and Boris Diaw each chipping in a triple.
Who wins the battle of the boards?
The Warriors have outrebounded the Spurs in the first two games of this series, and appear poised to make Game 3 the third in a row. Golden State has 23 rebounds to San Antonio’s 20, a slight advantage, but has eight offensive rebounds on 27 misses, which has helped make up for a shooting night well below its recent standards.
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