NBA Selecciones
GS

92

72-9
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SA

86

65-15
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GS 14 21 27 30 92
SA 19 16 26 25 86
Frost Bank Center, San Antonio
ESPN.com news services 8y

Warriors get 72nd win while ending Spurs' home streak

SAN ANTONIO -- The Golden State Warriors got a momentous victory in the one place they hadn't won in almost two decades.

Now they are one victory away from topping Michael Jordan and the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls.

Stephen Curry had 37 points, and the Warriors beat the San Antonio Spurs 92-86 on Sunday for their 72nd win, which tied Jordan's Bulls for the regular-season wins record.

"We can get to 73," forward Draymond Green said. "That's the significance for me of 72."

After Sunday's game, former Bulls star and NBA Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen tweeted congratulations to Warriors coach Steve Kerr, his former teammate on the record-setting Chicago team. 

"Giving credit where credit is due. Congrats to @SteveKerr and his @warriors on win no. 72," Pippen wrote on Twitter. "They earned it tonight."

Pippen praised reigning league MVP Curry in a follow-up tweet, calling him "as cold blooded shooter as I've ever seen" with a "basketball IQ that is off the charts." 

Curry owns the two highest-scoring games against the Spurs this season. He dropped 37 points both times.

With the win Sunday, Golden State became the only team in NBA history to go an entire season without losing back-to-back games, according to Elias Sports Bureau research. The Warriors become the first team in NBA history to go an entire season without losing to the same team more than once.

The defending champions finish the regular season at home against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday.

"Obviously, we're in the moment, enjoying the ride," Curry said. "The goal is to win a championship. That's the goal. But we put ourselves in a great position to end the season with a win and do something no team has done in history. That's an amazing accomplishment."

The Warriors got No. 72 by doing what nobody else had this season: beating the Spurs in San Antonio.

The Spurs had won 48 consecutive regular-season games at home, including an NBA-record 39 straight to begin this season. Golden State ended a 33-game skid in San Antonio that dated to 1997.

"Definitely sweet because we broke the streak," Warriors guard Klay Thompson said. "That's all the media would talk about for the last few years. It's tough to win here. It definitely was huge for us."

Sunday's win marked the Warriors' 34th road victory of the season and broke the NBA record for most road wins in a season. The previous record of 33 was set by the 1995-96 Bulls.

San Antonio sat Tim Duncan for rest and was without an injured Boris Diaw. It had not lost at home since March 2015. The Spurs also fell to Golden State 112-101 on Thursday in Oakland, California.

The Warriors dominated the fourth quarter to take the season series 3-1. Curry controlled the action with a series of layups when San Antonio's defense attempted to run him off the 3-point line.

"They just exploded," Spurs forward David West said. "Steph just took over the game. We weren't able to get to him, keep bodies in front of him."

Curry had 20 points in the second half.

In its lone victory over Golden State this season, San Antonio managed to slow the game down. The Spurs tried to match the Warriors' pace Sunday, which led to a tense and at times sloppy game.

LaMarcus Aldridge had 24 points to lead the Spurs, who have lost three straight for the first time this season. Kawhi Leonard added 20 points but shot 7-for-22 while continually being harried by Green.

Green got a technical for charging toward Monty McCutchen at the scorer's table after the official ruled he fouled Leonard in the first half. With Andrew Bogut screaming from the Warriors bench for teammates to grab Green, the energetic forward followed McCutchen across the court to continue his argument. A second technical was not issued.

Green finished with 11 points, and Thompson added 14 for Golden State.

TIP-INS

Warriors: Golden State's previous win in San Antonio was Feb. 14, 1997. Latrell Sprewell had 32 points in leading the Warriors to a 108-94 victory. The Spurs were without injured David Robinson and were months away from drafting Duncan. ... Curry made a 3-pointer in his 151st straight regular-season game, which extended his NBA record. Curry was 4-for-9 on 3-pointers and banked in a shot from the opposite 3-point line to close the third quarter, but the attempt came after the buzzer.

Spurs: Duncan has missed 20 games this season, including 10 for rest. San Antonio is 16-4 without Duncan, who turns 40 on April 25. ... Duncan averaged 2.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 13.5 minutes in two games against Golden State this season. He missed the team's initial meeting with a sore right knee.

NO BOTHER

Even though San Antonio dropped three of four to Golden State this season, there isn't much concern from the Spurs.

"It's a whole new ballgame in the playoffs," West said. "Hopefully it will be another two months, month-and-a-half before we see them again. Our job is just to keep improving and prepare ourselves now for a tough first-round matchup against whoever."

AS VITAS WOULD SAY

Kerr claimed he forgot the Warriors had lost 33 straight in San Antonio until a reporter reminded him during his postgame interview. Either way, he had a funny remark ready.

"With apologies to [Vitas Gerulaitis], I'll use his line," Kerr said, paraphrasing the late tennis great. "Nobody, and I mean nobody, beats the Golden State Warriors 34 straight times. Nobody, you got that?"

Gerulaitis famously uttered a similar quote after snapping a 16-match skid to Jimmy Connors in 1980.

JUST FINE

Aldridge dislocated his right pinkie finger Thursday at Golden State and was bothered by it at times Sunday. The injury occurred when Aldridge jammed the finger into the bottom of the backboard while attempting a layup against Bogut.

The finger was put back into place immediately after the injury, but Aldridge said, "As you get a hit, it's like doing it all over again.

"It was painful at times, but it wasn't too much for me to handle," he said. "I think I actually figured it out toward the end."

Aldridge finished 11-for-18 and made both his free throws in 33 minutes.

UP NEXT

Warriors: Host Memphis on Wednesday night.

Spurs: At Oklahoma City on Tuesday night.

ESPN Stats & Information and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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