Programming note: Nets-Warriors coverage starts Thursday night at 7 p.m. with Warriors Pregame Live on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area.
OAKLAND – The onslaught of turnovers continued for the Warriors on Tuesday, but the giveaways only left bruises.
What buried the Warriors was the impeccable precision and marvelous technique of the Spurs, who when at their best play as five essential elements of a finely tuned machine.
And the Warriors saw the Spurs at their best this season, becoming victims of a 113-100 demolition at Oracle Arena.
The Spurs made clutch 3-pointers. They made several layups that amounted to trick shots. They used intricate screens and sets that seemed to put good Warriors defenders in a maze.
"I don't think it was the turnovers," said Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who usually is quick to scold his team for that. "It was mostly us running into a team that just hung a banner two weeks ago, (its) fifth one."
Coach Gregg Popovich's Spurs revolve around veteran stars Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and relative newcomer Kawhi Leonard. The vets have played together for 13 years. Kerr, who retired as a Spur, knows them better than most.
"I retired 12 years ago, and the same three top players and the same coach are still over there," he said. "It's insane. In 2003, I hung them up. And Duncan, Parker and Ginobili and Pop are still here. I wish they would go away."
"Tonight was a perfect example of a team that's been together forever. They know each other like the backs of their hands. They've been through every war. They've been through every scenario. They know how to execute.
"And we've been together six weeks with this coaching staff and our players. I'm actually encouraged."
The Warriors (5-2) were the rage of the NBA for the first 10 days. Even as they were learning new strategies, particularly on offense, they were winning – despite notable imperfections.
But the development of the New Warriors has advanced only to the algebra stage. The well-schooled, blue-collar Spurs live at calculus level.
"They don't make mistakes," Warriors forward Draymond Green said. "And every time you make a mistake, they capitalize."
The Warriors committed 20 turnovers, off which the Spurs scored 21 points. San Antonio committed eight turnovers, off which the Warriors scored 12.
But the Spurs expertly sealed off the offensive glass, allowing the Warriors only one offensive rebound all game. Between turnovers and offensive rebounds, the Spurs put up 93 shots to the Warriors' 70.
"There is no way you can win in the NBA getting 23 few field-goal attempts, especially against a great team," Kerr said.
Not on this night, when the Spurs (4-3), who rested no one despite playing the previous night in Los Angeles, submitted their sharpest performance so far.
"Back-to-backs are difficult for an older team," Popovich said, "but they showed a lot of focus and played with a lot of purpose. I have to be really proud of them and pleased with their performance."
Said Warriors point guard Stephen Curry: "They hadn't been playing great up to this point, so you assume eventually they'd find it. And you just didn't think it would be tonight. We thought we had an answer for it."
THE GOOD: Small forward Harrison Barnes, invisible so often, had easily his most effective game of the season, finishing with 22 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Marreese Speights came off the bench to provide some offensive punch, with 11 points in 12 minutes. He made all five of his shots.
The Warriors shot it well, 54.3 percent, with Barnes making 9 of 12.
THE BAD: The turnovers continued, though reduced from the ghastly numbers of last weekend.
Curry, like most defenders around the league, had a tough time containing Parker.
The Warriors lost the battle of the benches, 40-20, with Ginobili finishing with 17.
One offensive rebound is not going to win many, if any games, in this league.
THE TAKE: The Warriors went into the night with more than their second loss in a row. They also took an experience with them that can help as the season marches on. They aspire to be what the Spurs are, and they got a first-hand look at how much distance they have to travel to get that level.
