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After a devastating overtime loss in Game 4, Spurs guard Manu Ginobili told the press, “To play this type of game is what we love.”

On Tuesday night May 14, the San Antonio Spurs returned to the AT&T Center with the series tied 2-2 against the Golden State Warriors with the possibility of returning to Oracle Arena down 3-2. The Spurs knew that Game 5 was a must-win situation.

And that’s how they played.

The Spurs traded points with the Warriors for a majority of the first quarter, until a jump shot by Tony Parker with 5:37 left in the quarter gave the Spurs a lead they would maintain for the remainder of the game.

“For whatever reason tonight I got going and Timmy got going in the second half and we made shots. The Ball movement was good, so hopefully we can do the same thing in Golden State,” said Tony Parker after the game. Parker led the Spurs with 25 points, 10 assists, and two rebounds.

The Spurs’ team passing was reminiscent of the basketball they were playing in February as they combined for 40 assists. The Spurs were able to finish the game with five players in double digits, and both Parker and Duncan had double-doubles.

Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard both had strong games hitting clutch 3-point shots and making crowd-pleasing dunks. Leonard made his strongest playoff appearance with 17 points on 7-for-8 shooting from the field and added seven rebounds while guarding both the Warriors’ backcourt of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.

With the Spurs playing their most fluid basketball so far in the playoffs, the Warriors struggled to keep up despite the best efforts of Jarrett Jack who scored 20 points off the bench and Harrison Barnes who added a team high 25 points.

The Spurs forced 14 turnovers and held Curry and Thompson to a combined 13 points.

“Give them credit, they played great and they made plays,” said Warriors Head Coach Mark Jackson. “But we will bounce back.”

Game 6 of the series will be in Golden State’s Oracle Arena on Thursday night at 9:30 pm central standard time.