San Antonio Spurs 123, Golden State Warriors 85: a 38-14 first quarter

The game was settled in the first 12 minutes. The San Antonio Spurs scored 38 points in the first quarter to the Warriors' 14 and never let the margin shrink. They beat the Golden State Warriors 123-85 on Friday night at Frost Bank Center.

Stephon Castle scored 32 on 5-of-8 from three. The Warriors shot 19-of-71 from the field, 27 percent, and no Golden State player reached double figures. The full line is on the game page.

It is a second straight road loss for Golden State, now 8-5, after a seven-game winning streak. San Antonio moves to 11-2.

How it was won

The first quarter did the damage. San Antonio won it 38-14, and the Warriors never held a lead at any point. The Spurs added 25 in the second to lead 63-33 at the half, then won the third 27-19 to go up 90-52 entering the fourth. The largest lead reached 40. The fourth quarter finished level at 33 apiece, which mattered only to the final margin.

The difference was inside. San Antonio scored 44 points in the paint to Golden State's 16. The Spurs shot 34-of-66, 52 percent, and got to the free-throw line 17 times, making 13. The Warriors attempted seven free throws and made four.

The Spurs also controlled the glass, 44 rebounds to 33, and moved the ball better, with 25 assists to 14. Victor Wembanyama finished with 12 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists. Dylan Harper added 9 points and 4 assists off the bench of a balanced attack built around Castle, who also had 5 rebounds and 6 assists.

Ball security was not the Warriors' problem. They committed eight turnovers to San Antonio's seven. They simply could not score. Golden State took 31 threes and made 10, and that was most of the offense. LJ Cryer led the team with 9 points on 3-of-7 from deep. De'Anthony Melton had 8 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists, and Brandin Podziemski also scored 8 on 2-of-5 from three.

When a team shoots 27 percent, scores 16 in the paint and gets seven free throws, the threes have to fall at a high rate to keep it close. They did not.

Against the number

The Spurs closed as 12.5-point favorites and covered by more than 25 points. A 38-point margin was never in question after halftime.

The total closed at 217.5. The teams combined for 208, so the under came in by 9.5 points. The Warriors' 85 did the work there. San Antonio's 123 alone was more than half the closing total.

On the moneyline, the Spurs closed at -700 and the Warriors at +501. The market priced San Antonio as a heavy home favorite, and it was right about the winner. It was well short on the margin.

What's next

The Warriors stay on the road and visit the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday, November 16, on GCSEN and Pelicans.com. Golden State beat New Orleans 138-87 at home earlier this season, its largest win of the year. After back-to-back losses at Houston and San Antonio, the shooting is the first thing to watch.

San Antonio's next game was not listed in the material available to us. The Spurs go into it at 11-2.