OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – Kevin Durant had 23 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, Klay Thompson scored 26 points and the Golden State Warriors ran away in the second and third quarters to rout the San Antonio Spurs 141-102 on Wednesday night.
The two-time defending champions scored 49 points on 16 assists in the third quarter alone, making 5 of 7 3-pointers. They made 24 of 25 field goals in one blistering stretch spanning halftime – including 14 straight shots at one point.
Stephen Curry wasn’t bad either: He had 19 points, seven assists, five rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot. Curry and company were so good the starters weren’t even needed for the final 12 minutes.
Durant and Thompson combined to shoot 20 for 26 in a matchup of the NBA’s top teams in 3-point shooting percentage – the Spurs on top at 40.5 to Golden State’s 38.6 going into Wednesday. Curry was 7 of 12 with three 3s.
Patty Mills scored 16 points with four 3s for San Antonio in the first game of a back-to-back.
The Spurs had their five-game winning streak snapped in a 127-112 loss at Sacramento on Monday, and coach Gregg Popovich rested LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan against Golden State.
“No loads will be managed on our part,” cracked Warriors coach Steve Kerr.
Durant made his first six shots and already had 15 points by the 4:28 mark of the opening quarter.
Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins scored 15 points in his eighth game since returning from a nearly yearlong absence recovering from surgery for a ruptured left Achilles tendon.
Golden State started the second with a 9-0 run and then used an 11-0 burst over a 1-minute, 28-second span to help open a 66-52 halftime advantage.
The Warriors, who had used three different starting lineups in as many games before Wednesday, improved to 6-0 with the lineup of Curry, Cousins, Durant, Draymond Green and Thompson.
The Spurs began 10 for 15 and 4 of 7 from deep before missing their next seven shots.
Golden State had lost the last two matchups with the Spurs, but won its third in a row at home in the series Wednesday.
