Castle outscores Warriors’ starters as Spurs win 11th straight

San Antonio’s victory at Frost Bank Center on Friday, November 13, extended its winning streak to 11 games, the NBA’s longest active run, and moved the Spurs atop NBA Cup West Group C. At 11–2 overall, they were tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for the Western Conference’s best record. Golden State fell to 8–5, losing consecutive games for the first time since its season-opening three defeats.⁠16⁠17

We reported San Antonio’s 18–0 opening and the eventual rout in our November 14 coverage. Our early account, which described the game as still underway, gave the first-quarter score as 38–15. That was incorrect: the official NBA record shows 38–14. It also pins down Golden State’s opening drought at six minutes and seven seconds, rather than exactly six minutes.⁠16

The tempting explanation is that an offense missing Curry simply ran out of three-point shooting. The box score says otherwise. Golden State made 15 threes to San Antonio’s 14. Its decisive failure came on two-point attempts: both teams took 52, but the Warriors made only 16 while the Spurs made 32. These are all shots inside the three-point line, not specifically points in the paint.⁠16

That difference accounts for 32 points of separation. San Antonio gained another nine at the foul line, making 17 free throws to Golden State’s eight. The Warriors’ extra three-pointer clawed back three points. Together, those differences reconcile the entire 38-point margin. Golden State won the three-point count and still had no competitive foothold.⁠16

Castle’s season-high 32 came on 12-for-18 shooting, including five of eight from three and all three free throws. He added six assists and five rebounds in 25 minutes and seven seconds. His scoring comparison with Golden State’s five starters is striking, though it is a comparison of actual totals, not equal playing time.⁠16⁠3

De’Anthony Melton and Brandin Podziemski scored eight apiece, Will Richard seven, Draymond Green four and Yaxel Lendeborg three. None reached double figures. Before halftime, none had made more than one field goal.⁠16⁠17

Lendeborg had identified the task at pregame shootaround, saying he needed to be “a lot more aggressive” with Curry absent and acknowledging that the changed role would take time to feel comfortable. The rookie finished one-for-13 from the floor, with seven rebounds and one assist. More responsibility had not yet become reliable production.⁠17⁠16

San Antonio did not merely wait for Golden State to miss. The Spurs made eight of their first 10 shots while the Warriors missed their first 11. Castle supplied eight points during the 18–0 opening; Victor Wembanyama scored four, and De’Aaron Fox, Devin Vassell and Dylan Harper added two each. Castle’s 13 points and three made threes were his totals for the whole first quarter, not just that opening burst.⁠17⁠16

Wembanyama completed the run with 7:31 remaining. Neither team scored again until Gui Santos finally put Golden State on the board with a driving layup at 5:53. By then, more than half the quarter had passed without a Warriors point.⁠16

USA TODAY described the 18–0 opening as a Spurs franchise record, while Golden State’s official recap called it the Warriors’ worst start in the Steve Kerr era. The broader play-by-play-era claim in the initial reporting, including its comparison with a 2005 game against Seattle, remains independently unverified here. It should not be inflated into an NBA-wide record.⁠18⁠17

Golden State finished the quarter five-for-25. Its 14 points were both its lowest quarterly total of the season and the fewest San Antonio had allowed. At halftime, the deficit was 63–33—the fewest first-half points by a Spurs opponent since Phoenix scored 31 on February 7, 2018. San Antonio shot 50 percent in the half; Golden State shot 25 percent.⁠3⁠17

The lead reached 43 in the third quarter. San Antonio entered the fourth ahead 97–60 and left its starters and most key reserves out for the entire final period. Wembanyama needed only about 21 minutes to collect 12 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, along with two blocks and a steal.⁠3⁠16

His night also included Green’s running forearm shove from behind, which sent him tumbling out of bounds with 6:47 left in the second quarter. Officials assessed a Flagrant Foul 1—not a Flagrant 2 or an ejection.⁠3⁠45

LJ Cryer supplied Golden State’s clearest encouragement: career highs of 20 points and six made threes, plus six assists in about 24 minutes. He shot six-for-11 from deep and reached double figures for a third consecutive game. Charles Bassey added 11 points on five-for-seven shooting. They were the Warriors’ only double-figure scorers.⁠17⁠16⁠5

Curry’s missing production is substantial: through 10 starts, he averaged 27.8 points while shooting 50 percent overall and 45.7 percent from three. He left the November 11 loss at Houston during the first quarter, and an MRI that night confirmed an oblique abdominal tear, described in game reporting as a right oblique tear.⁠49⁠3

The Warriors’ November 12 medical update set reevaluation in two weeks, placing the checkpoint on November 26. The reported absence of at least two weeks is not a promise that he will play then. No return date has been announced. This rout establishes how badly the first game without him went, not how every game of his recovery will unfold.⁠49⁠3

The Cup situation remains repairable. San Antonio is 2–0 in group play and Golden State 1–1. The Warriors had entered ahead on a slightly better point differential; the head-to-head loss moved them behind the Spurs, but did not settle qualification. Golden State hosts Sacramento at Chase Center on November 25 and visits Portland at Moda Center on November 27, either side of Curry’s planned reassessment, without assurance he will be available for either.⁠17

The more immediate test comes Monday, November 16, against New Orleans at Smoothie King Center, with tipoff scheduled for 5 p.m. Pacific. San Antonio visits Utah on Sunday, November 15, seeking a 12th straight victory. Golden State’s task is less glamorous and more urgent: find dependable scoring before its leading scorer is ready to return.⁠17⁠3