Encouraging preseason slate ends with loss to Spurs – NBC Sports Bay Area & California

SAN FRANCISCO – The Warriors wrapped up their preseason on Friday night with a game that saw their key scorers struggle, but the rest of the team performed efficiently on offense.

In front of a sellout crowd of 18,064 at Chase Center, the Warriors fell short, losing 122-117 to the San Antonio Spurs.

Despite the disappointing outcome, five Warriors players scored in double figures, with Moses Moody leading the way with 18 points and Dario Sarić contributing 17.

While Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Andrew Wiggins struggled, shooting a combined 7-of-32 from the field and 3-of-18 from beyond the arc, the rest of the team had a more favorable shooting performance, going 35-of-61 overall and 11-of-28 from deep.

With the regular season just four nights away, it’s possible that the veterans on the team are already looking forward to the more meaningful games. This mindset is not uncommon at this stage of the preseason.

Here are three observations from the Warriors’ final preseason game, which ended with Golden State finishing with a 4-1 record:

Klay’s Pursuit

Klay Thompson has expressed his desire to return to All-Star form. After an impressive offseason and arriving at training camp in excellent condition, Thompson has been working to enhance his rebounding skills, resulting in career-best numbers in that area.

However, his trademark scoring ability seems to have gone missing.

In the first four preseason games, Thompson shot a respectable 38.9 percent (7-of-18) from beyond the arc, but a disappointing 29.7 percent (11-of-37) overall. Things got worse in the game against the Spurs, as he went 3-of-13 from the field, including 1-of-8 from deep.

Thompson finished the preseason shooting 28.0 percent overall and 30.8 percent from beyond the arc.

While Thompson’s shooting form still looks good, his accuracy has been inconsistent. The Warriors will be hoping that his contract status, as negotiations for an extension reportedly go nowhere, won’t affect his focus on the court.

The team surely hopes that Klay will find his shooting rhythm and leave his preseason struggles in the past, just like he might say, “like a ponytail.”

Bench Contributions

Warriors coach Steve Kerr gave extended playing time to newcomers Moses Moody, Cory Joseph, Rodney McGruder, and Dario Sarić in their final preseason game. Despite Rudy Gay not playing, all four players performed well as the Warriors outplayed the Spurs in the second half.

Moody, who watched the entire first half from the bench, had an impressive second half, scoring 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. He also grabbed eight rebounds and had a plus-minus rating of plus-14 for the game.

Sarić finished the game with 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field, including 2-of-4 from deep. The 6-foot-9 forward/center had a plus-minus rating of plus-9 in 21 minutes of play.

Joseph contributed nine points on 3-of-5 shooting, including 1-of-2 from beyond the arc. He also recorded five assists, tying Chris Paul for the team high.

McGruder played 20 minutes and contributed eight points and five rebounds.

The Wembanyama Factor

Though unrelated to the Warriors’ roster, the emergence of No. 1 overall draft pick Victor Wembanyama could have an impact on the team this season and in the future.

Wembanyama, a 7-foot-3 Frenchman who is only 19 years old, has shown potential to elevate the Spurs from the bottom of the Western Conference last season and into playoff contention in the near future.

In the game against the Warriors, Wembanyama made a strong impression, scoring 12 points, blocking three shots, and recording a steal in just seven minutes of play in the first quarter. He blocked a shot by Klay Thompson and followed it up with a breakaway dunk. Shortly after, he rejected an Andrew Wiggins shot and converted it into a transition three-pointer.

Wembanyama finished the game with 19 points, four rebounds, and five blocks in 21 minutes.

The Warriors, along with the rest of the conference, have been put on notice.

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