The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Golden State Warriors, 94-82, and have eliminated the Warriors from the NBA Playoffs in six games. San Antonio has advanced to the Western Conference Finals, where they will meet the Memphis Grizzlies.
NBA Playoffs 2013, Spurs vs. Warriors Game 6: Spurs advance to Western Conference Finals with 94-82 win
The Spurs have eliminated the Warriors and will advance to the Western Conference Finals. Tony Parker hit two big shots late in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
San Antonio held the lead for the majority of the game. The Warriors cut into the Spurs' lead in the fourth quarter, moving within two points of San Antonio after Stephen Curry nailed a mid-range jumper off a hand-off with 4:52 left in the game.
Tony Parker responded with a big three from the corner with only 3:36 left in regulation and pushed the Spurs' lead back up to five. The Warriors chipped back with a pair of free throws from Jarrett Jack, but Kawhi Leonard drained a three-point shot to push the lead back up to six. Both field goals were assisted by Manu Ginobili.
Parker then slammed the door on the Warriors with another three, pushing the lead to nine with under 1:30 left in the game. While he wasn’t very efficient for San Antonio through the night, he made big shots down the stretch and put the Spurs over the top.
Tim Duncan scored a team-high 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting. While Ginobili scored only five points and Parker shot 3-of-16 from the field, Duncan was the source of constant offense for San Antonio through the first three quarters. But Gregg Popovich sat Duncan down the stretch, playing Tiago Splitter as the only big man in a small lineup. Parker and Ginobili put the finishing touches on Golden State with their scoring and passing.
Curry had a solid game for the Warriors, ending the night with a game-high 22 points, but the Warriors' offense as a whole struggled to score, shooting 38 percent from the field. Andrew Bogut was a non-factor in the game, scoring only three points while grabbing seven rebounds. Klay Thompson was quiet through the night, scoring 10 points while shooting 4-of-12. It was the Warriors' bench scoring, combining for 36 points, that served as the secondary punch for Curry, but it wasn't enough.
Harrison Barnes took a hard fall towards the end of the second quarter but did return to play the entire third quarter. But he left the game again after dealing with headaches and did not return for Golden State.
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