NBA PLAYOFFS

Golden State ties series behind a gimpy Curry

Golden State guard Stephen Curry (left) has the Warriors pointed in the right direction against the San Antonio Spurs after Game 4 in their Western Conference semifinal series Sunday in Oakland, Calif. Curry scored 22 points and the Warriors tied the best-of-seven series at 2-2 with a 97-87 victory in overtime.
Golden State guard Stephen Curry (left) has the Warriors pointed in the right direction against the San Antonio Spurs after Game 4 in their Western Conference semifinal series Sunday in Oakland, Calif. Curry scored 22 points and the Warriors tied the best-of-seven series at 2-2 with a 97-87 victory in overtime.

OAKLAND, Calif. - His spirits down, his left ankle limp and his team’s season hanging in the balance, Stephen Curry wondered whether he could recover for the biggest game of his career until a text message popped up on his phone around 2 a.m. Saturday.

photo

AP

San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan, who finished with 19 points and 15 rebounds, was upset over his team’s performance in Sunday’s Western Conference semifinal game against Golden State in Oakland, Calif. The Warriors won 97-87 in overtime. “We put ourselves in a position to win the game and it’s frustrating because we feel like we gave it away,” Duncan said.

Curry called back his mother, Sonya, and vented his frustrations about his latest - and most inopportune - injury setback. Finally, she spoke up to calm his concerns.

“She just reminded me and battled tested me to rely on my teammates and support,” Curry said.

What followed was a Mother’s Day masterpiece.

Curry scored 22 points to go with 6 rebounds and 4 assists on a bum ankle, rallying the Golden State Warriors past the San Antonio Spurs 97-87 in overtime Sunday to even the Western Conference semifinal at two games apiece.

“It seems like every time you get on a roll and feel somewhat healthy there’s a setback,” said Curry, who shot 7 of 15 from the floor, including 5 of 10 from three point range. “And it just tests you. It changes your routine. It changes your outlook on the game, your preparation. You’ve got to deal with the injury and the adjustments your making as a team.”

Game 5 is Tuesday in San Antonio.

Curry and the Warriors overcame the obstacles with contributions from all over.

Rookie Harrison Barnes had a career-high 26 points and 10 rebounds, Jarrett Jack added 24 points in reserve and Andrew Bogut grabbed 18 rebounds to help Golden State erase an eight-point deficit in the final five minutes of regulation. The Warriors scored the first nine points of overtime to whip the yellow-shirt wearing crowd of 19,596 into a frenzy and give this topsy-turvy series yet another twist.

Even Warriors Coach Mark Jackson doubted whether Curry could play, especially after his star point guard took an anti-inflammatory injection in the morning to ease the soreness in his sprained ankle and still had trouble getting loose. Jackson cornered Curry outside the chapel service at the arena to see how he felt.

“He said, ‘I’m going to give you what I got, coach,’ That’s not the language he speaks. I knew right away that he was not 100 percent,” said Jackson, who conferred with General Manager Bob Myers in his office before letting Curry play. “Once again, it’s that same spirit flowing through that locker room that refuses to quit.”

Even for all of the theater Curry provided, the Spurs seized control of a sloppy slug fest at the start until going cold shooting when it mattered most.

Tony Parker, wearing a black sleeve around his bruised left calf, poured in 17 points on 6-of-17 shooting but never broke free the way he did in scoring 32 points the previous contest, saying the injury limited his ability to elevate. Manu Ginobili had 21 points and Tim Duncan added 19 points and 15 rebounds as the Spurs ran out of steam in the end.

“We put ourselves in a position to win the game and it’s frustrating because we feel like we gave it away,” Duncan said.

Golden State out shot San Antonio 38 to 35.5 to percent. The Warriors also out rebounded the Spurs 65-51.

“They did a good job in overtime. Just as simple as that,” Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich said.

Ginobili hit a mid-range jumper and a three-pointer, and Kawhi Leonard put back a rebound for an easy layup to put the Spurs ahead 80-72 with 4:49 remaining in the fourth quarter. With the series slipping away from the Warriors, their home sellout crowd sat down and fell silent for one of the few times in the fourth quarter all postseason.

Jack hit three jumpers and Klay Thompson added another to pull the Warriors even with less than a minute to play in regulation. After Parker provided a jumper to put the Spurs ahead 84-82, Thompson dribbled to his right and banked in the tying shot over Leonard with 30 seconds left.

Both teams missed shots to win in regulation, and the Warriors turned the extra session into a runaway.

At a glance

CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS

SUNDAY’S GAME

Golden State 97, San Antonio 87, OT

Series tied 2-2

TODAY’S GAMES All times Central

Miami at Chicago, 6 p.m.

Miami leads series 2-1

Oklahoma City at Memphis, 8:30 p.m.

Memphis leads series 2-1

TUESDAY’S GAMES

New York at Indiana, 6 p.m.

Indiana leads series 2-1

Golden State at San Antonio, 8:30 p.m.

Sports, Pages 13 on 05/13/2013

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