Gui Santos reflects on ‘special’ game-winner in comeback

SAN FRANCISCO – Opportunities in the NBA are few and far between, especially for guys struggling on the sidelines. And for the 14th and 15th players at the end of the bench, players on two-way deals who are fighting for a guaranteed contract, it’s up to them to be ready when those rare moments arise. But when those Cinderella stories come true, and one of those players breaks through, it creates the moments that make sports so romantic.

That’s exactly what it did Golden State Warriors forward Gui Santos’ winning schedule in the Dubs’ 114-113 win over the Memphis Grizzlies especially special for Pat Spencer.

The recently converted guard shared what it was like to watch Santos navigate the rim after Al Horford’s dunked pass helped the Warriors come back from 17 points down.

“We spent so much time together, walking back and forth from Santa Cruz to dinner just to get to know each other off the field,” Spencer reflected.

The two players spent years together on the end of the bench and countless arguments with coaches after practices that the players didn’t see enough playing time to run. During that time, they created a bond that has endured as both players have stepped up this season in the absence of injured stars Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler.

“It’s pretty special,” Spencer continued. “I mean, in this league, things move fast and you lose teammates as time goes on. But to be able to have — we’ve been here together since the jump. Our first year here was together. So it’s pretty special. I’m really happy for him.”

Gui Santos and the cherry on top

For Santos, who finished with 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting, all he could do with his game-clinching basket was enjoy it.

“It’s great,” Santos said with a huge smile when asked what it was like to score the game-winner.

“It’s a good feeling, especially the way the game looked. We could feel that we weren’t bringing the energy that we usually bring throughout the game. But the last quarter was different. We were there, like, open together, all happy, we were all just playing for each other, playing hard on defense, running for each other. So the basket of the last game is like calling ‘boke’ on top of the cherry.”

Santos’ basket of “cereja do bolo” made a rather sleepy and lifeless cake look quite delicious. The atmosphere for the first three quarters of the game lacked any semblance of energy. Empty seats littered the lower bowl, the crowd struggled to find things to cheer on, and the sloppiness of the on-court products all combined to create a lifeless basketball environment.

That was until the Warriors’ comeback in the fourth quarter. Santos credited assistant coach Anthony Verino and his motivational speech at the game for injecting much-needed energy into the team. As a result, Golden State held Memphis scoreless over the final four minutes of the game, capping off an 11-0 run for the win.

Clutch game going well for once

In addition to Santos, Horford chipped in with 16 points and 9 rebounds, Spencer added 17 points and 9 assists, and Moses Moody gave them 15 points on 8-of-9 from the free throw line.

It was a strength-in-numbers victory, culminating in a chaotic final drive that forced two bad Grizzlies turnovers on the final possession.

It was one of those defensive possessions where all five warriors on the floor were walking the wire. Santos, Moody and Horford force Javon Small into a dead end. Then the three forced Jahmai Mashak into an ill-advised layup attempt, all while De’Anthony Melton took away the shot. And finally, Brandin Podziemski won possession by challenging Cam Spencer’s quick turnaround, forcing him to drop the ball into the hands of Melton, who ran away with it for the win.

A much-needed team win for the group that is been on the wrong end of some clutch timing losses.

“We probably should have gotten one of those,” Kerr said with relief on his face. “It seems like we lost four or five of them this year, and I’m not sure we really deserved it, but we’ll take it.”

Other notes

• Draymond Green was not in the final five for the Warriors as Kerr decided to go with the hot hand. “Well, once you make a few stops and you feel the energy. You just stay with it,” Kerr said. “I felt like that group was doing well defensively, and we just stayed with them. Kerr did the same thing with Green in the Warriors’ 101-97 comeback win over the Phoenix Suns. Green wasn’t in the game during their 16-2 run to close the game until the final defensive possession of the game.”
• Kristaps Porzingis, who watched the game for the first time as a Warriorwill take Jonathan Kuminga’s locker alongside Santos and Horford. Porzingis has an obvious history with Horford dating back to his Boston Celtics days, but he and Santos competed against each other for Brazil and Latvia in qualifying for the 2024 Olympics. Brazil beat Latvia in the final to earn a spot in Paris. Santos said Porzingis talked about it when they met in LA. Santos also said they both speak Spanish, which should help them bond and acclimate to the big man.
• It was the Warriors’ 23rd clutch game of the season (games in which the score is five or less in the final five minutes). With the win, they are 10-13 in clutch games (4-5 at home).