• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Warriors stop Spurs' road winning streak at 12

Nov 28, 2006 - 6:18 AM OAKLAND, California (Ticker) -- The San Antonio Spurs suffered their first road loss of the season to an unlikely opponent.

Mike Dunleavy Jr. scored 17 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter and Jason Richardson scored 27 as the Golden State Warriors pulled away from the Spurs in the final quarter en route to a 111-102 victory.

The loss ended a franchise-record 12-game road winning streak dating to last season for the Spurs, who had beaten the Warriors seven straight times.

"Tonight worked out for the best," Golden State coach Don Nelson said. "I am really happy for the guys, because they worked hard and got through this tonight. Overall I thought tonight was a fun game. I thought JR (Jason Richardson) looked good. He played the best I've ever seen him play. I also thought (Mike) Dunleavy made some big shots and played well tonight."

San Antonio, which registered a league-best 29-12 road record last season, was aiming to become the first club since the 1996-97 Houston Rockets to open the season with eight consecutive road victories.

"I thought the Warriors were great," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "They shot the ball well and had great energy. To give up 34 points in the fourth quarter, we could not hold on, and they did a great job against us tonight. I was really pleased that we hung in there but defensively we could not stop them, they just had too much for us. We have to make stops to win.

"The Warriors team impressed me. Coach Nelson has them believing in what they are doing, believing in the system, sharing the basketball. They are having fun and that is what is important. That team there is playing well."

The victory was the second straight for the Warriors over a quality opponent. Golden State upset the team with the league's best record, the Utah Jazz, 91-78, on Saturday.

"It's huge lift for us but we're not satisfied with it," Richardson said. "We're not going to be overconfident that we beat two of the top teams in the league. It's still a long season, we still have got a long ways to go. We still have some tough teams coming in here.

"We've got to play back on the road, so it's a tough stretch for us, but we've got to go out there and play hard, continue sharing the ball and play together."

The Warriors took the game over with a 17-3 run in the fourth quarter. Dunleavy hit a huge 3-pointer with 6:52 left to give Golden State a 92-82 lead. Just over two minutes later, Monta Ellis capped the run with a layup with 4:29 left for a 98-85 lead.

"We just got after it," Dunleavy said. "I can't tell you what turned on or what happened but we really defended well. We got out in the fast break, and they're a tough team to score against in the half-court, and when you get out and run them a little bit, and get open looks, that's the way to beat them and we did that. I thought we did a pretty good job on (Tim) Duncan and (Tony) Parker altogether."

"They made shots," Duncan said of the fourth-quarter outburst. "Defensively, I thought they were pretty solid. I had a really tough fourth quarter there. I missed a couple of open ones, ones I usually knock out, and they were able to transition, make some threes there and get themselves rolling. So it fed off their energy and got a little lead there."

Ellis finished with 19 points while Andris Biedrins added 18 for the Warriors, who shot 49 percent (41-of-83) from the floor. Biedrins also finished with 15 rebounds, six blocks and four assists.

Parker led San Antonio with 28 points and Duncan added 22 for the Spurs, who shot 42 percent (36-of-87). Parker scored 12 of his 20 points in a 98-78 victory at Seattle on Sunday.

Duncan also recorded 16 rebounds, six assists and four blocked shots, but had trouble with Biedrins all evening.

"He was excellent," Duncan said of Beidrins. "He's great in their offense. He was able to work that baseline and get those layups. Guys were finding him underneath the rim and he's good at finishing around the basket."

Golden State's Baron Davis, the club's leading scorer with a 20.7 points-per-game average, missed his fourth straight game with a strained right rib muscle.