Author: rxslugger

Retired pharmacist who now has a career as a sports writer and broadcaster

A’s rally beat Diamondbacks 7-5; Lowrie’s homer ties ball game in seventh to catch Arizona

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The Oakland A’s Jed Lowrie (8) who slugged a 394 foot seventh inning home run to tie up the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks is greeted at home plate by teammate Seth Brown (15) at Chase Field in Phoenix on Tue Apr 13, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s rallied from a five-run deficit to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-5 Tuesday afternoon in Phoenix. The A’s won their fourth straight game and the fifth in the last six.

Jesus Luzardo was on the mound for the Green and Gold Tuesday afternoon. Luzardo has had a rough start so far this season, and he was hoping to have a good outing. That did not happen as Luzardo lasted just two and 2/3rd innings. He gave up five runs, all earned six hits, two walks, and struck out one batter. His ERA ballooned to 8.31.

The D-Backs put two on the board in the bottom of the second. Asdrubal Cabrera led off with a single. He went to second when Luzardo walked David Peralta to put men on at first and second with no out. With one out, Luzardo served up a hanger that Carson Kelley sent into the leftfield stands. The ball went 413 feet.

Luzardo didn’t fare better in the bottom of the third. The D-Backs made it a 5-0 game when they scored twice. Kole Calhoun and Eduardo Escobar singled to get things rolling. Cabrera doubled to drive in Calhoun. Escobar stopped at third. Escobar scored on Peralta’s grond out. Luzardo’s effort was over when he walked Carson Kelly. A’s manager Bob Melvin brought in Jordan Weems to finish the third.

The A’s began their comeback in the top of the fourth. A’s right fielder, Stephen Piscotty, led off with a solo homer to make it a 5-1 game.

The A’s tied the game in the top of the seventh. Taylor Clarke was on the hill for Arizona. With one out A’s catcher, Aramis Garcia singled. Mitch Moreland, pinch-hitting for Deolis Guerra, also singled. Mark Canha drove in Garcia with a single to make it 5-2. The D-Backs brought in Kevin Ginkel to pitch to Jed Lowrie. Lowrie tied the game 5-5 with one swing of his bat. Lowrie hit an opposite-field home run to tie the game. The late Earl Weaver loved three-run dingers.

The A’s took the lead for the first time in the top of the eighth. Seth Brown hit a mammoth 422-foot blast to deep right-centerfield to propel Oakland to a 6-5. A’s reliever Sergio Romo set the D-Backs down in order in the bottom half of the inning.

The A’s added an insurance run in the ninth. Ramon Laureano singled to get the rally on its way. The D-Backs nearly picked him off at first. Had they challenged the call, Laureano probably would have been out. Laureano stole second to get into scoring position. A’s third baseman tripled to drive in the Laureano with the A’s seventh run.

Lou Trivino was called on to close out the ninth. With one out, Trivino walked Tim Locastro. The next hitter, Kole Calhoun, was at the plate. Calhoun could tie the game with just one swing of the bat. Trivino got Calhoun to ground into a 3-5-1 double play to end the game. The A’s win 7-

Game Notes- The A’s used seven pitchers Tuesday afternoon. Yusmeiro Petit was the winning pitcher. His record is 3-0. The loss went to Anthony Swarzak.

The A’s improved to 5-7 for the season. Their line was seven runs, eleven hits, and no errors. The D-Backs’ line was five runs, eight hits, and one error. The D-Backs are 4-8. The A’s bullpen was superb as they allowed two hits and no runs over the last six and 1/3rd inning of the game.

The A’s are off on Wednesday. They return home to Oakland to play a four-game series with the Detroit Tigers. Lefty Sean Manaea will pitch the first game of the series. The game will start at 7:05 pm.

Curry’s historic 53 point night powers Warriors to 116-107 win over the Nuggets

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Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry (30) gets the water works from teammate forward Juan Toscano-Anderson, left as they celebrate their win over the Denver Nuggets on Mon Apr 12, 2021 at the Chase Center in San Francisco (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

Stephen Curry made Warrior history Monday night to lead his team with 53 points to a 116-107 win over the visiting Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets, embarrassed by the Boston Celtics’ 31-3 late in the game to beat Denver at home, were hoping to get back on track against Golden State. The Warriors did not have Eric Paschall, Kelly Oubre, or James Wiseman available due to injury. The Warriors’ head coach, Steve Kerr, had Kent Bazemore fill in for Oubre.

Here is a list of all the things that Curry did Monday night. Curry needed 19 points to pass Wilt Chamberlain for the all-time Warrior scoring record. Curry scored 21 in the first period to pass Chamberlain’s 17,783 points. Curry was a one-person wrecking crew in the first half.

He led the team with 30 points. It was the seventh straight game with 30 or more points. Rick Barry was the last Warrior to accomplish that feat, and Barry did it in 1974. It was the 24th game of the year that Curry scored 30 or more.

It was his fifth game of the year with 40 or more points. It was his ninth 50 -point game in his career. He also connected on ten three-point shots. Curry accomplished that for the 18th time. It was also the third time that Curry had 50 points and ten threes in a game.

As mentioned above, the Nuggets were still smarting from the loss to Boston last Saturday in Denver. The Nuggets beat the Warriors earlier this year and looked to make it two wins over Golden State. The teams played a very entertaining first quarter. Curry was on fire, as mentioned above.

With Oubre and Paschall out, the Warriors needed to get all the starters into double-figures if they hoped to win. They had to find a way to contain Denver’s all-star center, Nikola Jokic. Denver improved their roster at the trade deadline by acquiring Aaron Gordon and former Warrior JaVale McGee. They also had to contain Jamal Murray, Will Barton, and Michael Porter. The Nuggets won the first quarter 33-32. Curry had 21 to pace the Warrior offense.

The Nuggets went on an 11-2 run to start the second period to lead 42-35. The Warriors did not score in the first three minutes of the quarter. Kent Bazemore and Draymond Green connected on a couple of threes to make it 48-42.

Curry returned to action and knocked down a three to close the gap to 48-45. Bazemore connected from downtown to tie the game at 54. Denver then went on a 7-0 run to go ahead 61-54. Curry made a two-point shot. Denver went to the halftime break leading by six 61-56.

The Warriors came out firing on all cylinders to start the third quarter. They stunned the Nuggets as they went on a 21-5 run to regain the lead 77-68. Curry was making shots from all over the court. The Warriors defense stopped the Nugget offense cold.

The Warriors outscored the Nuggets 43-22 to lead by 16 points 99-83 heading into the fourth quarter. Denver fought back to trail by ten 107-97. Cury was back in the game. The Warriors got sloppy with the ball, and Denver was able to creep closer 111-104. Curry and Green made free throws down the stretch to preserve the win for Golden State 116-107.

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, the Warriors are 26-28 for the year. Denver is 34-20.

The Warriors needed their starters to produce and did they ever. Green had a season-high 18 points. He was 7-for-8 from the floor, and he knocked down two threes. Green pulled down seven rebounds and made seven assists.

Bazemore had 14. He made three threes. Andrew Wiggins had 17 and was a force on defense. Damion Lee, coming off the bench, had eight. Kevon Looney did not score, but he had ten rebounds and played well on defense. The Warriors shot 48% from the floor. They connected on 18 threes in 44 attempts. On defense, the Warriors forced 19 Denver turnovers.

Nikola Jokic had a double-double for Denver. His line was 27 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists. Michael Porter was second in scoring for Denver with 24 points and nine boards. The Warriors held Aaron Gordon and Will Barton to nine points each. Bench player Monte Morris had ten for Denver.

Denver’s Jamal Murray suffered a knee injury with just 50 seconds left in the game. Murray hit the floor and was in extreme pain for several minutes. He was helped to the locker room for further examination. He probably will have an MRI. 

The Warriors travel to Oklahoma City to play the Thunder on Wednesday night. The game will start at 6 pm.

Curry leads Warriors to win over Rockets 125-109

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Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry (30) and Draymond Green (23) share congratulations following their win over the Houston Rockets on Sat Apr 10, 2021 at the Chase Center in San Francisco (AP News photo)

What a difererence a day makes. The Golden State Warriors rebounded from a loss Friday night to the Washington Wizards to down the Houston Rockets Saturday night at the Chase Center. The Rockets, coached by Stephen Silas, are not the team that the Warriors faced from 2015 to 2019.

The Rockets’ former head coach Mike D’Antoni is now an assistant with the Brooklyn Nets. Russell Westbrook in a Washington Wizard. Clint Capela is with the Atlanta Hawks, and James Harden is a Brooklyn Net. The Rockets’ best player is John Wall. Wall did not play for two years due to injury.

He requested a trade, and the Wizards sent him to Houston. The Rockets entered the game with a record of 14-38. The Warriors added to their woes by beating them 125-109.

The Warriors did not have Kelly Oubre in the lineup Saturday night. Oubre was complaining of soreness in his wrist, and coach Steve Kerr gave him the night off. Kent Bazemore took his place in the lineup. The Warriors and the Rockets played an entertaining and competitive first quarter.

The Warriors led for most of the quarter. Rookie James Wiseman knocked down six points in the first few minutes of the game. The Warriors led by eight 32-24, but The Rockets were able to get to within two as they scored the last six points of the period to trail 32-30 after the first 12 minutes of action.

The Warriors owned the second quarter. Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole led the team on a 13-2 run to give the W’s the advantage, 47-34. The Warriors played well on defense, too. They won the quarter 33-18 to finish the first half with a 17-point lead 65-48. Andrew Wiggins had 19, Jordan Poole, 14, and Curry, 10. 

The Rockets had to play at their best to close the gap in the third and fourth quarters. They did outscore the Dubs 33-29 in the third. Curry tallied 23 of the Warriors 29 points in the third quarter. The Warriors led 94-80 heading into the final stanza.

Curry was not on the floor to start the fourth quarter. The second unit of Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins, Kevon Looney, Michael Mulder, and Damion Lee kept the Rockets from cutting into the Warrior lead. The Warriors led 111-98 with 5:54 left in the game.

Steve Kerr put Curry back on the floor to finish the game. Michael Mulder and Juan Toscano-Anderson were also in the lineup. The Rockets’ John Wall heated up in the second half. Wall scored 20 points in the second half, and with D.J.Augustin, they closed the gap to 116-107 with 2:40 left. Curry and Toscano-Anderson made baskets in the final two minutes to give Golden State the win 125-109.

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, the Warriors are now 25-28 for the year. The Rockets are 14-39. 

Curry scored 30 or more points in a game for the sixth straight time. The last Warrior to accomplish that feat was Rick Barry. Curry has connected on 214 threes this season. He passed Sacramento’s Buddy Hield to lead the NBA in that department. Curry has scored 17,765 points in his career with the Warriors. He needs 18 points to tie the late Wilt Chamberlain for the Warriors all-time scoring record.

Curry finished Saturday night’s game with 38 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. He was 13-for-21 from the floor and connected on eight three in 15 attempts from downtown. Andrew Wiggins was second in scoring with 25. Jordan Poole, coming off the bench, had quite a night with 21 points and three threes. Mychal Mulder had 10, Kent Bazemore 9. Draymond Green’s line was two points, seven boards, and seven assists.

The Warriors shot 54 % from the floor. They made 14 threes in 35 attempts. The Warriors recorded 31 assists on 49 made field goals. The Warriors’ defense recorded 13 steals, five blocked shots, and they forced 18 Houston turnover that resulted in the Warriors putting 23 points on the board. The Warriors tallied 28 fast break points.

The Warriors’ big rookie center, James Wiseman, fell hard to the floor in the second quarter and injured his knee. he left the game and did not return. He will undergo an MRI to determine the extent of the injury.

John Wall led the Rockets with 30 points. He was 11-for 19 from the floor, and he tallied five threes in seven tries. D.J. Augustin, coming off the bench, poured in 19 points. Kelly Olynyk had a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Big Christian Wood licked in with 18. 

The Warriors host the Denver Nuggets at the Chase Center Monday night. The game will start at 7 pm.

Warriors and Wizards play thriller; Washington pulls it off in final 13 seconds 110-107

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Washington Wizards forward Bradley Beal (3) takes a shot over Golden State Warrior center James Wiseman (33) in the first half on Fri Apr 9, 2021 at Chase Center in San Francisco (AP News)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors, buoyed by the exciting win over the Milwaukee Bucks Tuesday night, hosted the Washington Wizards at the Chase Center Friday night. The two teams raced up and down the court all night long. The Warriors were focused on stopping the Wizards’ Bradley Beal.

Beal is averaging 31 points a game to lead the Wizards. The Warriors bottled up Beal for most of the game. The Warriors’ main problem was finding a way to stop the bigger Wizard team. Washington had two players at least seven feet tall, Alex Len, who is from Ukraine, and Robin Lopez, scored at will. Len finished with 15 and Lopez 20 to pace the Wizards to an exciting 110-107 win over Golden State.

The Wizards’ roster featured players from all over the globe. Six foot nine inches forward Deni Avdija is from Israel, six foot eight inches forward Rui Hachimura is from Japan, and six-foot ten-inch forward Davis Bertrans is from Latvia. All of these players contributed to the Wizards’ win.

The game was nip and tuck until the end of the game. The Wizards’ biggest lead of the night was ten points. The Wizards won the first quarter by nine points 32-23. The Warriors fought back in the second, but they still trailed the Wizards by seven 57-50 at halftime. The Wizards’ big men Len, Lopez, and Rui Hachimura paced the Wizards’ offense with 10, 16, and 13 points, respectively. Stephen Curry had 17 and Kelly Oubre 10 for Golden State.

Washington, in the third quarter, increased the lead to nine 70-61. The Warriors went on a 14-0 run to take the lead 75-70. Curry made a three, and Oubre tallied nine during the run. With the score tied at 79, the Wizards went on a 6-0 run to finish the third quarter leading 85-79.

The Warriors scored the first six points of the fourth quarter to the game at 85. The Warriors then earned a four-point advantage 93-89. Washington fought back to trail by one 97-96. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr moved Draymond Green to the center position as the Warriors went with their small lineup.

The teams kept trading buckets down the stretch. With 16 seconds to play, The Warriors led 107-104. The Wizards’ Bradley Beal made a four-point play to give the Wizards the lead 108-107. Beal connected on the three and was fouled. The Warriors had 6.1 seconds left. The Warriors got the ball to Damion Lee. As he was driving to the basket, Lee fouled Beal. Beal sank the two free throws to seal the win for Washington 110-107.

Game notes and stats: With the loss, The Warriors are 24-28 for the year. The Wizards are 19-32.

Curry led the Warriors with 32 points, six boards, and five assists. Curry was 11-for-25 from the floor, and he connected on five threes. Kelly Oubre finished with 23 points, and he was four-for-eight from downtown. James Wiseman had 18, Andrew Wiggins, 15, Damion Lee, 10. Green had five points, five rebounds, and eight assists. The Warriors shot 46% from the floor and were 11-for-37 from behind the three-point arc.

Rui Hachimura paced the Wizards with 22. Alex Len 15, Robin Lopez 20, Bradley Beal 20. Russell Westbrook had a triple-double. Westbrook tallied a9 points, 14 rebounds, and 14 assists.

The Warriors face the Houston Rockets Saturday night at the Chase Center. The game will start at 7 pm.

A’s woes continue lose fifth straight time to the Astros 6-2

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Oakland A’s starter Cole Irvine throws against the Houston Astros line up in the first inning at Minute Maid Field in Houston on Thu Apr 8, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s lost again for the seventh time in the first eight games of the season. The Astros beat them 6-2 Thursday night at Minute Maid Park. The A’s offense has been non-existent so far this year, and it did not produce until late in the game.

The Astros’ pitchers held the A’s scoreless for eight innings and allowed them just three hits. They plated two runs in the ninth, but it was too little, too late. The Astros continued to pummel Oakland pitching as they bashed three dingers in the game. The A’s have not been able to find a way to stop the Astros’ relentless offense. The recap of the game follows below.

The Astros grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. Houston’s All-Star shortstop Carlos Correa hit a lazy fly ball to right field that barely made it over the fence for the score. The only other park in the American League where that would have been a home run is New York’s Yankee Stadium which is just 314 feet from home plate.

The Astros put another run on the board in the fourth. With one out, Astros’ DH Yordan Alvarez doubled to left-centerfield. Carlos Correa followed with a double to left to drive in Alvarez. Correa’s second RBI of the game gave the Astros a 2-0 lead after four complete.

The A’s threatened in the top of the fifth. With one out, Elvis Andrus doubled to left field. Andrus tagged on Tony Kemp’s fly to right field. Mark Canha walked to put men on at first and third. Astros’ pitcher Christian Javier struck out Matt Olson looking. The Astros still lead 2-0 halfway through the fifth.

Houston plated three runs in the sixth. With one out, Yordan Alvarez did his best Willie McCovey impersonation as he blasted a solo home run into the second deck of Minute Maid Park. Irvin walked the next batter, Carlos Correa. A’s manager Bob Melvin brought in J.B. Wendelken to pitch.

Wendelken retired Yuli Guriel for the second out. Astros’ right fielder, Kyle Tucker, doubled down the left-field line to send Correa to third. Myles Straw singled to right to drive in Correa and Tucker. The Astros increased their advantage to 5-0 after six.

The Astros extended the lead to 6-0 in the seventh when Jose Altuve homered off A’s reliever Deolis Guerra. Guerra was called up to fill a vacancy in the bullpen.

The A’s put two runs on the board in the top of the ninth. It was too little, too late. Aramis Garcia, pinch-hitting for Mitch Moreland, singled to start the rally. He scored the A’s first run when Stephen Piscotty doubled. Jed Lowrie, pinch-hitting for Tony Kemp, singled to drive in Piscotty with the A’s second run. The A’s could do more. The Astros win 6-2.

Game Notes- With the loss, the A’s are 1-7 for the season. The Astros are 6-1. Five of the Astros wins have come at the expense of the A’s

Houston’s hitting stars were Carlos Correa with a home run and two RBIs and Yordan Alvarez with a monster dinger and a double.

The A’s received bad news about the closer, Trevor Rosenthal. Rosenthal had Thoracic Outlet surgery Thursday to remove an impingement in his shoulder. He will be re-evaluated in eight weeks and is expected to miss about four months of the season. The A’s also announced that lefty A.J.Puk has gone on the ten-day IL with a shoulder issue. The A’s recalled Deolis Guerra to take his spot in the bullpen.

The A’s meet the Astros Friday night at Minute Maid Park in Houston. Lefty Sean Manaea will start for Oakland, and righty Lance McCullers will go for Houston. The game will start at 5:10 pm.

Warriors win a thriller down Bucks 122-121; Curry tops scorers with 41

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Milwaukee Bucks guard Donte DiVincenzo (0) is defended by Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry during Tue Apr 6, 2021 game at Chase Center in San Francisco (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, losers of three straight games on the road, and 4-12 in their last 16 games, entered the contest against Milwaukee Bucks determined to turn things around. It was not going to be easy as the Bucks are the highest-scoring team in the NBA. However, their star player Giannis Antetokounmpo was sidelined with a sore knee. The Warriors took advantage of Antetokounmpo’s absence edging the Bucks 122-121 at Chase Center in San Francisco on Tuesday night.

The Warriors head coach wanted his team to do three things to win. The Warriors had to stop committing fouls. In the Atlanta game, the Hawks had 45 shots from the charity stripe. The second thing was to stop making turnovers. The Warriors committed 21 in one game, and they lost as a result.

The third thing was to play defense. The Warriors had played defense well earlier in the season, but the defense had gone south in the last 16 games. The lack of defense helped the Toronto Raptors send the Warriors down to their second worse loss ever.

In the game against the Bucks Tuesday night at Chase Center, the Warriors avenged Milwaukee’s blowout earlier in the season. The Bucks trounced the Warriors in the second game of the season. The Warriors had to find a way to win, and they did as they came back from a ten-point fourth-quarter deficit.

The Warriors got off to a good start early in the first quarter. The Warriors led 18-5 before Milwaukee got its offense untracked. The Bucks went on a 10-0 run to make it 18-15. Stephen Curry who finished with 41 points and Kent Bazemore paced the Warriors offense, and Golden State finished the first period with a slim two-point advantage 28-26.

The teams played a very competitive second quarter. The Warriors won by a point 25-24 to finish the first half leading 53-50. Curry and James Wiseman led the offense with 11 points each. Wiseman pulled down ten boards to have a double-double for the game. Jordan Poole, coming off the bench, added ten. Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday were the high scorers for Milwaukee with 12 and 11.

Milwaukee put the pedal to the metal in the third quarter. With the Bucks leading 57-56, the guys from Milwaukee went on a 10-2 run to lead 67-58. Milwaukee led 80-68 and appeared to be cruising to victory. Curry had other thoughts. Curry started making threes, and he brought the Warriors to within five at the end of the third quarter, 89-83. Curry knocked down 19 points in the period. 

Milwaukee behind Middleton and Holiday regained the ten-point lead 108-93. The Warriors were making baskets, but Milwaukee didn’t fold. With the score,113-103, Kelly Oubre knocked down a three. Milwaukee answered with a three of their own. Oubre hit another three to make it 116-109.

Curry made a two-pointer and a three to close the gap to two 116-114 with 2:16 to play. Milwaukee went ahead 117-114. Andrew Wiggins made a bucket to close the gap to one 117-116. With 1:26 left, Kent Bazemore put the Warriors in the lead 118-117.

The Warriors were on a 12-1 run. Curry made another basket to put the Warriors ahead 120-117. Milwaukee remained steadfast. They scored the next four points to regain the advantage 121-120 with 28 seconds left. On the next possession, the Bucks were double-teaming Curry.

The Bucks appeared to have stooped the Warriors. Kelly Oubre had other thoughts as he fought his way to the basket to score the bucket to give Golden State the lead 122-121 with 7.7 seconds left.

The Bucks called a timeout. They were inbounding the ball from the center of the court. With 7.7 seconds left, the Bucks had ample time to score the winning basket. Andrew Wiggins made the defensive play of the night. He blocked Khris Middleton’s shot, and the Warriors were able to snap their three-game losing streak.

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, the Warriors are 24-27 for the year. Milwaukee is 32-18.

Curry paced the Warriors with 41 points, six rebounds, and four assists. Curry was 14-for-21 from the floor, and he connected on five threes in ten tries. Kelly Oubre had 19 points and made four threes. Kent Bazemore had 18 points, and he connected on four three in four tries.

James Wiseman finished with 13 points and ten boards. Jordan Poole had ten, Wiggins nine, and one huge defensive gem to help save the win. Draymond Green had six points, five rebounds, and eight assists. Green fouled out with 2:08 left in the game. The Warriors shot 48% from the floor. They were 15-for-40 from downtown. On defense, the Warriors made six steals, five blocked shots, and forced 14 turnovers. The Warriors committed eleven. 

Jrue Holiday finished with 29 points. He connected on four threes. Khris Middleton had 28. Jeff Teague had 15, and Bobby Portis had a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Giannis’ younger brother Thanasis had ten.

The Warriors resume play Friday night when they host the Washington Wizards at the Chase Center. The game will start at 5 pm.

Warriors play better but results in another loss 117-111; Seventh loss in eight games

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The expression on Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green face says it all as he’s looking for the basket and blocked by the Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young on Sun Apr 4, 2021 in Atlanta (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors met the Hawks in Atlanta Sunday night. With Stephen Curry and Draymond Green back in the lineup, the Warriors were hoping to rebound from the humiliating 53-point loss to the Toronto Raptors on Friday. Curry and Green each had a double-double, and the team played well for three quarters.

However, most NBA games are won in crunch time. The Warriors could not handle the Hawks’ two big men, Clint Capela and Danilo Gallinari, in the fourth quarter. The Warriors held a slim one-point lead 98-97 when the Hawks went on an 8-0 run to lead 105-98. The Warriors had their small lineup on the floor, and no matter how hard they tried, they could not catch Atlanta. The Hawks prevailed 117-111.

The Warriors wanted to avenge the loss to Atlanta at the Chase Center. The teams, as mentioned above, played a very tightly contested game. The Warriors led by two at the end of the first half, 59-57. They increased the lead to three 82-79 at the end of three periods of play. They knew they had a chance to win. Unfortunately for the Warriors, the Hawks made the plays, while the Warriors didn’t. Atlanta outscored the Warriors 38-29 to win by six 117-111.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors lost all three games on the road trip and their record for the season stands at 23-26. Atlanta, playing well under the new head coach Nate McMillan’s tutelage, improved to 26-24. With McMillan at the helm, the Hawks have won 12 of the 16 games since he became the coach.

Curry led the Warriors with 37 points, five rebounds, and two assists. Curry made two threes in 12 tries. Green finished the night with a double-double. Green’s line was 11 points, seven boards, and 11 assists. Kelly Oubre, Jr. was second in scoring with 20, Andrew Wiggins had 16. Damion Lee led the bench with nine. 

The Warriors, as a team, shot 46% from the floor and connected on ten threes in 40 attempts. They held the Hawks to 43% from the floor. The Hawks were 12-for-32 from downtown. The big difference in the game was free throws. The Warriors were 15-for-21 from the charity stripe. The Hawks were 35-for 45 from the free-throw line. They scored 20 more points in that department than the Warriors. Those 20 points helped secure the win for Atlanta. 

The Warriors return home to face the Milwaukee Bucks at the Chase Center Tuesday night. The Bucks blew out the Warriors 132-99 in the second game of the season. Milwaukee is 32-17 for the year and is in third place in the Eastern Conference.

Raptors humiliate Warriors 130-77; Siakam leads Toronto with 36 points

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Toronto Raptors forward OG Anunoby (3) gets some hang time after slam dunking on the Golden State Warriors on Fri Apr 2, 2021 in Tampa Bay (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors faced the Toronto Raptors in Tampa Friday night. The Warriors were hoping to rebound from a loss to the Miami Heat on Thursday. The team knew it would be a very tough task as Stephen Curry and Draymond Green were sitting out the game. Curry was in a lot of distress due to his back injury in the game against the Houston Rockets. Green sat out due to sprained finger.

Nonetheless, the Warriors felt they had a chance to beat the Raptors. Toronto has been struggling this season and entered the game with a record of 18-30. It turned out to be a night to forget for the Warrior players, coaching staff, and fans as Toronto drubbed the Warriors 130-77. 

The Warriors played well in the first quarter. The teams were evenly matched. Andrew Wiggins carried the load for the Warriors. Toronto’s Pascal Siakam and Gary Trent, Jr. led their team’s offense. The first quarter ended with Toronto holding a slim one-point advantage 27-26.

The Raptors, not known for defense and 30th in the NBA in rebounding, shut down the Warriors on both ends of the court in the second and third quarters. In the second quarter, Toronto went on a 20-1 run to lead 47-30. After Kelly Oubre made a three to start the quarter, the Warriors failed to make a field goal in the next six minutes and 30 seconds.

Toronto won the quarter 35-16 to lead 62-42 at the half. Toronto’s Pascal Siakam and Gary Trent paced the Raptors with 40 points in the first half. The Warriors, as a team, scored 40. Wiggins was the only Warrior that was able to put points on the board. He had 15 to lead the Warriors.

The nightmare continued in the third quarter. Toronto had its foot on the accelerator as they hammered the Warriors 46-14 to finish the third quarter leading by 53 points 108-53.

The Warriors had no flow to the offense. With Curry and Green in the lineup, the Warriors move the ball well. Without them, they floundered. They could not get anything going on offense. Their defense was non-existent without Draymond. The way the game was going, head coach Steve Kerr had to wonder if there was a Mercy rule.

There was no hope for a win. They still had to play the final 12 minutes of the game. Kerr sent in his reserves, and they lost the fourth quarter 22-21. Toronto sends Golden State down to one of the worst losses in team history, 130-77.

Game Notes and Stats: With the loss, the Warriors are 23-26 for the year. Toronto is 19-30

Andrew Wiggins led the Warriors with 15. The Raptors were able to double-team him in the second half and kept him from scoring. Nico Mannion and Jordan Poole each had. No other Warrior was in double figures. James Wiseman, Kelly Oubre, Jr., and Eric Paschall each had nine.

The Warriors shot 33% from the floor and were 11-for 32 from 3-point range. The Raptors mentioned earlier as not being very good on defense put up numbers that made them look like one of the NBA’s best defensive units. They had 14 steals, eight blocked shots, and forced 21 Warrior turnovers that led to 30 Toronto points. The Raptors, 30th in rebounding in the NBA, outrebounded the Warriors, 29th in that department, 57-45.

Pascal Siakam, celebrating his 27th birthday, led the Raptors with a season-high 36 points. He was 14-for-24 from the floor, and he connected on four threes. Gary Trent knocked down six threes to finish with 24 for the night. Og Anunoby had 21, Malachi Flynn 16, and Chris Boucher 10. 

The Warriors finish the three-game road trip in Atlanta on Sunday. The game will start at 4:30 pm

Warriors try hard still fall to Heat in Miami 116-109

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Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) throws down on the Golden State Warriors center Kevin Looney (5) and guard Kelly Oubre Jr on Thu Apr 1, 2021 in Miami (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors started a three-game road trip on a sour note as they lost a very competitive contest to the host Miami Heat 116-109. The Heat made three deals at the NBA trade deadline in the hopes of going deep into the NBA playoffs this year. They added Trevor Ariza, Victor Oladipo, and Nemanja Bleica to strengthen their roster. The Warriors did not make any major moves. The one trade they made was to send Marquese Chriss to the San Antonio Spurs.

The Heat raced out to an early 14-4 lead in the first quarter. Andrew Wiggins led the Warriors back by making a couple of threes. Damion Lee connected on a three to give the Warriors the lead 21-19. Stephen Curry made a bucket to put Golden State up by 23-19. The Warriors finished the quarter with a slim one-point advantage 24-23. 

The teams traded leads several times in the second period. The teams were tied at 32, 37, 40, and 45. Miami went on a 10-2 run to lead 55-47. Curry made a three close the gap to two 56-54. Miami scored the last three points of the quarter to lead 59-54 at the intermission.

The Warriors played well to start the third quarter. They regained the lead 65-63 when Draymond Green knocked down a three. Miami wasn’t fazed. They led by two 77-75 when they started to pull away from the Warriors. They maintained their five-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. 

No matter how hard the Warriors tried, they could not regain the lead. The Heat’s big three of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Duncan Robinson kept turning away the Warriors. Miami increased the lead to ten 110-100 with time running out. Curry made two threes, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit. Miami wins 116-109.

Game Notes and Stats: With the loss, the Warriors are now 23-25 for the season. The Heat improved to 25-24.

Two of the Warrior starters were in double figures. Curry had 36 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists. Curry was nine-for 19 from the floor. He was five-for-eleven from behind the three-point arc. Draymond Green almost had a triple-double. Green’s line was 16 points, ten boards, and eight assists. Andrew Wiggins finished with 23 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. Wiggins made five threes. Jordan Poole had nine, and Kelly Oubre 8.

As a team, the Warriors shot 44 % from the floor and made 15 threes in 37 attempts. The Warriors turned the ball over 20 times to lead to 27 Miami Heat points.

The Heat had six players in double-figures. Jimmy Butler paced the Heat with 22, Duncan Robinson 21, Bam Adebayo 19, Tyler Herro 20, Trevor Ariza 10, and former Warrior Andre Iguodala 10. Andre tormented his former teammates as he knocked down two threes to help propel Miami to victory. 

The Warriors play Friday night again when they face the Toronto Raptors. The game will start at 5 pm.

Curry’s return helps Warriors to 116-102 victory over Bulls

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Photo credit: @WarriorsNBCS

By Jerry Feitelberg

SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors’ all-world star, Steph Curry, returned to action for the first time since March 17th. The Warriors were 1-6 without Curry in the lineup. The Warriors had lost four in a row and were hoping to get back on the winning track Monday night. All Curry did was score 32 points to lead the Warriors to a 116-102 win over the Chicago Bulls.

The Bulls, coached by Billy Donovan, acquired Nikola Vucevic at the Orlando Magic trade deadline. Vucevic helped the Magic defeat the Warriors back in February. The Warriors needed a total team effort if they hoped to snap the four-game losing streak. All five Warrior starters finished in double figures. The Bulls lost their fourth straight and sixth in the last seven games.

The teams played a fairly even first quarter. Steph Curry paced the attack as he knocked several threes. Curry landed on his backside late in the first quarter and spent most of the second quarter with an ice pack wrapped around his back. Each team scored 31 points in the second quarter, and the Warriors finished the first half leading by five 65-60.

The Warriors increased the lead to 11 after three quarters of action. Curry, Andrew Wiggins, and Kelly Oubre all made contributions to keep Chicago from gaining ground. Defense was the name of the game in the fourth quarter. The Warriors won the quarter 20-17 to win by a final score of 116-102.

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, the Warriors improved to 23-24 for the year. Chicago dropped to 19-26.

Steph Curry led the Warriors with 32 points, five rebounds, and six assists. He was 11-for-24 from the floor, and he made six threes in 14 tries. It was not a bad line for someone that had not played in the last two weeks. Steph scored 30 or more points in a game for the 18th time this season. Andrew Wiggins was second in scoring with 21 points. Wiggins made three threes. Kelly Oubre had a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. James Wiseman had 12 points and five rebounds. Draymond Green finished with 11 points, five rebounds, and nine assists. Green, who did take a shot last Friday night, was 4-for-7 from the floor and knocked down three threes from downtown. Jordan Poole had seven, and Kent Bazemore added nine. The Warriors shot 50% from the floor and made 16 threes in 38 attempts.

The Bulls’ Nikola Vucevic led his team with 21 points and nine rebounds. Tomas Satoransky, Patrick Williams, and Lauri Markkanen each had 14 points. Zach LaVine had 12 points.

Up Next: The Warriors start a three-game road trip against the Heat in Miami Thursday night at 5 pm PST.