Spurs outpace Warriors in basketball spectacle, 123-138.

The talent of Steph Curry wasn't enough tonight.

The best of the west blew the roof off the AT&T Center tonight, as Kevin Durant dunked the ball past Brandon Ingram on the first possession. KD looked to be on a mission early, but ultimately wound up having a chilly performance. Durant finished with 28 points, 11 rebounds on 14/27, notably 0-4 from deep.

Meanwhile, Steph Curry never gave up hope for the comeback spoiler, aided by the Warriors rebound dominance of 39-30, lighting up the Spurs with 43 points, knocking down six 3PTers. He shot 16/25, which included clutch scoop layups, never letting the Texas crowd relax tonight.

A potent combination of scoring and resistance by San Antonio proved to be the deciding factor in this game, as Durant and Curry (and Klay Thompson: 11 points, 5/13, 1/5 3PT, 4 turnovers) had the ball ripped away from them in the second half. Punishing the Warriors, the Spurs dunked it home and excelled at ball movement.

Excitingly, both teams exchanged 8-0 runs, but impressively Avery Bradley hounded Thompson, finishing with 13 points and 3 steals. Kyle O'Quinn continued to have a defensive evolution, swatting Durant. Not to be outdone, Joakim Noah blocked Demarcus Cousins in shades of last year's playoff showdown. Cousins had a quiet 12 points, 11 rebounds. Noah had 8 points, 6 rebounds.

Showing leadership on the floor, Dejounte Murray awesomely had 28 points with 8 assists, 2 steals for good measure on 10/20 shooting. Brandon Ingram welcomed the challenge of Kawhi Leonard's absence in guarding the Slim Reaper on every possession, exchanging flashes of greatness with Durant that got the crowd roaring. Rudy Gay came alive for the Spurs, scoring 17 points on 4/5 from downtown.

Big man Skal Labissiere continues to improve, dropping 16 points and showing confidence from long range with 4 daggers that kept the Warriors on their heels early. Draymond Green quietly had 8 points, 7 rebounds. The highlight reel moment came when Durant kicked off the second half of action with a tomahawk jam, with ESPN slo-mo'ing it to every viewer's delight. "Eh, he's okay,"Coach Popovich joked with TNT's David Aldridge after the game on the sidelines.

Rudy Gay had a great game.

San Antonio's shooters were ready tonight, as Patty Mills (17 points, 4/5 3PT) and Iman Shumpert sparked a 10-0 run in the third quarter, 41-46: Spurs. Durant started missing more often than not, the Warriors falling behind badly, as the Spurs went up 75-94. Joakim Noah's passing skill resulted in a full-court heave to Murray for the reverse lay-in over Cousins. Dejounte pulled up from way deep next, satisfying the San Antonio faithful.

Next, Curry got the Dubs within 12 points. He was rewarded with a double-team coverage to start the final quarter, gaining a 10-0 run for the Spurs again as they finally seized a twenty-point yield. Brandon Ingram ripped it clean from Durant, firing a 3PT dagger on the other end on the fast break. Murray showed off his improvement with the ball, chased by the Warriors and finding Labissiere for the easy kickout-three on the wing. Rudy Gay exchanged blows with Curry from long range, first from the corner then from the same spot Labissiere nailed it from. Curry would drive the ball, make the and-1 play, inconsequential all the same despite the Warriors scoring 25-PTS in the final four minutes.