Golden State Warriors: 3 takeaways from Game 5 vs. Spurs

The Golden State Warriors held off the San Antonio Spurs 99-91 in Game 5, winning the series and moving on to Round 2. Here are our takeaways.

The Golden State Warriors eliminated the San Antonio Spurs with a 99-91 victory in Game 5 of the Western Conference quarterfinals. It was a game they seemingly won twice.

With 5:13 left, a Kevin Durant jumper put the Warriors up 89-77. Given the Spurs’ inability to score up to that point, the game, and series, felt over. Yet there Durant was again with 36.1 seconds left in a 93-91 game, needing to hit the same shot to deny the Spurs a chance to tie or take the lead. He drilled it, of course, and the Warriors closed out a series that they absolutely wanted to be over.

I say “wanted” over “needed” for a reason. Had San Antonio completed its late comeback, a ticked-off Warriors team would have likely gone to Texas and demolished the Spurs in Game 6. The talent disparity was just too massive.

Even on a bad night, Durant finished with 25 points (8-for-19) in Game 5.  Klay Thompson had 24 points (11-for-22), and Draymond Green had 17 points, 19 rebounds and seven assists.

Still, the Warriors wanted this to end. Durant avoided a sprained ankle scare in Game 3, but every additional game is a chance for something bad to happen. With Stephen Curry‘s return date still up in the air, getting to Round 2 healthy and rested was of the utmost importance. In that sense, Game 5 was a complete success.

Let’s take a look at what else we learned from the closeout game of Round 1.