Tonight, as the Golden State Warriors took on the Cleveland Cavaliers, things didn’t look too good for the visitors. The Warriors were missing their three best players in Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green, but managed to upset a team with three All-Stars. Leading the Dubs was two-way guard Pat Spencer, who started his first NBA game and managed to take a 99-94 win. After the game, Steve Kerr commented on his performance.

“We’ve seen what a good player he is in the past couple years, but he’s really improved his jump shot,” Kerr told the media. “Last year, he would turn down a lot of threes, drive in, shoot a lot of floaters, and he’s never going to be Steph, but he’s a threat out there.”

It wasn’t just words. Spencer hit three huge threes, leading Golden State in scoring with a career-high 19 points along with seven assists with just one turnover despite playing almost 30 minutes.

Possessions with him on the court felt both calmer and cleaner as he dissected the Cavaliers’ defense, forcing them to play up on him and punishing them when he was left open.

Kerr also added a fun comment, joking, “His coach realized that Pat is that m—-f—–, I think that became clear.” Spencer’s teammates felt it too.

The Warriors bench erupted after one of his threes, standing up and cheering as he yelled at the crowd. It must’ve felt like watching someone they’d been rooting for finally break through.

Spencer joined the Warriors back in the 2023-24 season, and his journey to basketball is an intriguing one. The former Loyola lacrosse superstar decided to pursue basketball despite having a great career ahead of him, grinding through the G-League after going undrafted to finally end up on the Dubs.

When asked about if Kerr thought that Spencer was more akin to guards like himself and his peers during his playing days, the Warriors coach replied, “I don’t know if he’s a throwback. I just think he’s a guy that you just want on your team because he’ll every night, every day at practice, he just brings it.”

Tonight, Spencer didn’t just fill in for Curry, but stabilized a team that had lost seven of their last nine through crunch time heroics with poised play and undeniable heart.

Pat Spencer’s Fourth-Quarter Takeover Halts Cleveland’s Late Push

Steve Kerr’s squad was holding a decent lead against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but then things started shifting. Donovan Mitchell started to get hot, knocking down shot after shot to try to will his team back into the game.

But Pat Spencer delivered the knockout punch, erupting for 12 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, completely flipping the momentum in favor of the Warriors.

The Golden State Warriors never trailed in the second half, relying on execution and defense to close out the game. Spencer iced the game with a timely rebound following Mitchell‘s potential game-tying miss, followed by two free throws with just 4.1 seconds left.

The Cavaliers’ offense struggled all night, shooting just 34.6% from the field and 23.8% from three-point range, completely unable to capitalize on any opportunities the makeshift Warriors squad presented.

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Mitchell tried his best, logging 16 of his 29 points in the final period to keep the Cavs alive, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a disjointed offense. The Cavs have now lost five of their last seven games, including three at home, and pressure is building around the group’s contention status.

Steve Kerr’s praise for his starting point guard today showed how far this Warriors group has come, and the fight they showed tonight.