With the game on the line and the depleted but gritty Golden State Warriors breathing down their necks Monday night, the Spurs turned to the player who has been their rock throughout a season of frustration.
Forward LaMarcus Aldridge delivered in a big way, getting another double-double with 33 points and 12 rebounds and leading the Silver and Black to an 89-75 victory at the AT&T Center.
"I'm a leader, so I have to do what we need," said Aldridge, who hit 13 of 22 field-goal attempts. "Playing defense, blocking shots. My teammates have been great. Everyone has gotten better."
Aldridge saved his best for last, scoring 19 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter. He hit 7 of 10 field-goal attempts and went 5 for 5 at the free-throw line, and also had six rebounds, one steal and one block in the final period.
"He was a horse in that fourth quarter," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "Obviously, it wasn't a fair fight, but it just shows what kind of class they (Warriors) have, how well coached they are and how badly they want to be champions again. They played great and we picked the right five minutes to play really well at the end of the game."
The Warriors started the game without injured All-Stars Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson and lost their fourth All-Star, forward Draymond Green, to a pelvic contusion in the first half.
The Spurs (41-30) won their fourth consecutive game and moved from seventh to fifth in the tight race for the last six spots in the Western Conference playoffs. The Silver and Black continue their six-game home stand Wednesday against the Washington Wizards. Tipoff is at 8:30 p.m.
Credit San Antonio's improved defense for its surge. After losing 11 of 15 games in which they yielded more than 100 points in each defeat, the Silver and Black have held opponents under the century mark in three of their last four games.
"I guess we lost enough that we got tired of it, so they've shown a lot more activity just in general, a lot more communication and activity in the last four games," Popovich said. "That's what we did for most of the year except for that stretch of 10, 11 games. And we've gotten that back, so hopefully it will continue."
Warriors coach Steve Kerr also attributed the Spurs victory to defense. Golden State shot 40.5 percent (30/74) for the game and made only 3 of 19 three-pointers. The Warriors scored only 12 points in the fourth quarter, hitting just 4 of 15 shots (26.7 percent) and missing both of their three-pointers.
"They were great defensively," Kerr said. "The Spurs turned it up a notch. I mean, they're fighting for their playoff lives and they played like it. I thought in that fourth quarter they picked up full court and they pressured us all over the place, and they were fantastic defensively."
Only days ago, San Antonio was out of the playoff picture after losing consecutive road games to Golden State, Oklahoma City and Houston. But then came a timely six-home stand.
The Spurs beat Orlando, New Orleans and Minnesota before defeating the Warriors (53-18) for the first time in four meetings this season.
"When you lose, the sky is falling," Aldridge said. "When you win, everything feels better. I think our whole mindset is better."
Although they were missing Curry, Durant and Thompson at tipoff and lost Green in the first half, the defending league champions didn't go quietly into the night after falling behind by 16 with 5:07 left in the second quarter.
Down by nine after one quarter and eight at the break, the Warriors outscored the Spurs 22-12 in the third period to take a 63-61 lead into the final quarter. San Antonio didn't trail until Kevon Looney hit a jumper with 2.8 seconds left in the third period.
Golden State went up 65-61 on a 20-foot jumper by Nick Young with 10:49 remaining. That's when Aldridge took over.
Held to two points in the third quarter after finishing the first half with 12, Aldridge shifted to another gear in the final period, starting a run of 11 consecutive points with a three-point play that cut the Warriors' lead to 65-64 with 9:54 left. Aldridge scored on a 20-foot step-back shot on the Spurs' next possession, putting them ahead to stay.
Aldridge capped his 11-point run with a put-back layup, giving San Antonio a 72-65 lead with 7:11 remaining. Aldridge now has six games this season with 30+ points and 10+ rebounds -- the most by a Spur since Tim Duncan had six in 2004-05.
"He's great," Spurs guard Danny Green said of Aldridge. "He's been great all year. On the offensive glass, coming up big offensively just making buckets and drawing fouls, also blocking some shots. He was a rim protector for us tonight."
The Warriors drew to within six (75-69) on a dunk by JaVale McGee with 4:42 left, but then Aldridge scored all of the Silver and Black's next eight points, putting San Antonio ahead 83-70 with 1:52 remaining.
"I just tried to make plays," Aldridge said. "It was a big game for us and we needed to win, so that's why I made plays."
After finishing the third quarter with only 12 points, the Spurs turned the tables on the Warriors in the fourth, outscoring them 28-12. The Silver and Black shot 52.6 (10/19) in the final period and nailed 3 of 7 three-pointers.
Patty Mills and Green finished with 12 and 11 points, respectively, for the Silver and Black, who shot only 40.2 percent (33/82) for the game. They were 34.8 percent (8/23) from the three-point line.
Forward Kyle Anderson, who has started for injured Kawhi Leonard most of the season, finished with 10 rebounds.
Quinn Cook led Golden State's scoring with 20 points. Andre Iguodala and Nick Young each had 10 points to round out the Warriors' double-figure scoring.
Aldridge scored 12 points in the first two quarters to help the Silver and Black lead 49-41 at the half. The Spurs shot 41.9 percent (18/43) overall and 45.5 percent (5/11) from beyond the arc in the first half. Mills and Green each had eight points in the first two quarters and both nailed two three-pointers.
