Author: rxslugger

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

Marcus Semien says adios to the A’s; Signs one yr $18M deal with Jays

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Oakland A’s shortstop Marcus Semien signed a one year deal worth $18 million with the Toronto Blue Jays leaving the A’s after six years on Tue Jan 26, 2021. Ironically Semien will not play in the city of Toronto proper as all Blue Jays home games will be played in Florida (USA Today file photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND–The Oakland A’s brain trust now has the unenviable task of replacing star shortstop Marcus Semien. Semien, who had been with the A’s for six years, signed a one-year deal worth $18 million with the Toronto Blue Jays Tuesday.

Semien was the third player the A’s have lost to free agency this season. The A’s lost one of the best closers in all of baseball, Liam Hendriks, to the Chicago White Sox. Robby Grossman, who was in left field, headed to Detroit.

Semien’s departure continues a pattern that has haunted the A’s for many, many years. Because of financial considerations, the A’s cannot afford to pay players that have become stars. A’s president, Billy Beane, and General Manager David Forst have become adept at finding value in players discarded by other teams or finding and developing prospects from their farm system.

The A’s traded for Semien after the 2014 season. They sent pitcher Jeff Samardzija to the White Sox for Semien. Semien was a second baseman there. The A’s wanted him to move to shortstop. His first season at that position did not go well.

He made both fielding and throwing errors. The following season the A’s hired Ron Washington as a consultant to work with him. Washington had been a coach with the A’s and was credited with helping Eric Chavez win six Gold Gloves.

Washington and Semien worked for hours pre-game on his fielding and throwing. Fans could see Semien improve daily. Semien had other skills that helped the A’s win. He could hit and hit with power.

Semien was fleet of foot. The A’s missed the playoffs in 2016 and 2017. They made them in 2018, 2019, and 2020. The A’s were hoping to make it to the World Series this year. Their last appearance in the Fall Classic was in 1990.

Since then, the A’s failed to advance out of the first round with two exceptions. They advanced to the AL Championship round in 2006. The Detroit Tigers sent them home. They made it past the Wildcard round beating the Chicago White Sox. The Houston Astros beat them to advance to the AL Championship round in 2020.

Semien’s best year with the A’s was in 2019. He hit .285 with 33 homers and 93 RBIs. He finished third in the voting for Most Valuable Player.

A’s fans will be sorry to see him leave. They will wish Semien well in Toronto. Hopefully, the A’s will find capable replacements. The fans are hungry for a Championship team. It’s been a long drought.

Warriors down Timberwolves 130-108; Curry leads W’s offense with 36 points

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Stephen Curry (30) of the Golden State Warriors led all scorers with 36 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Mon Jan 25, 2021 at Chase Center in San Francisco (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

 The Golden State Warriors bounced back after two straight losses to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 130-108. The Wolves did not have point guard D’Angelo Russell in the lineup Monday night.

Russell is recovering from a quadricep injury. He may be available Wednesday night when the two teams play again. The T-Wolves star center Karl-Anthony Towns was not available as he is under the NBA’s Covid-19 protocol. 

Having the most challenging schedule in the NBA for the first 16 games, the Warriors knew they had a chance to get back on the winning track Monday night. Head coach Steve Kerr wanted the team to get off to a good start against Minnesota.

They fell behind in the first quarter against the Knicks and the Jazz in the last two games, and it cost them as they lost both. Kerr tweaked the starting lineup by inserting Kevon Looney at the center slot instead of rookie James Wiseman.

The move paid off as the Warriors raced out to an early 19-4 advantage. The T-Wolves’ offense came to life, but they could not catch the Warriors. Golden State finished the first quarter 34-23.

Minnesota started the quarter with an 8-0 run. Behind Brad Wanamaker, Eric Paschall, and Kent Bazemore, the Warriors increased the lead to 46-33. The second unit played well, and the Warriors cruised to a 68-55 lead.

Although the Warriors led wire-to-wire, the T-Wolves made a run in the third quarter to cut the deficit to ten. They won the quarter 29-25 to make the game a little more interesting. The Warriors were able to maintain the lead, but Minnesota did not quit.

They kept playing hard. They ran the court, played defense to force turnovers, and the Warriors knew that Minnesota would be back in the game with one or two miscues. The Warriors, leading 93-83 at the start of the fourth quarter, saw Minnesota cut the lead to eight 103-95 with 6:45 to play.

 Curry re-entered the game at this point. Curry showed the T-Wolves and the NBA the reasons he was a two-time NBA MVP. Curry scored the Warriors’ next 12 points to put them ahead 115-101.

After a Brad Wanamaker’s bucket, Curry connected on another three to give Golden State a commanding lead 121-103. Curry scored 15 points in three minutes and 20 seconds of play. He was four for five and made three threes. The game was over as the Warriors cruised to a 130-108 win.

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, the Warriors are 9-8 for the season. The T-Wolves are 4-12. 

The Warriors had five players in double figures Monday night. Curry led the team with 36 points, four rebounds, three assists. Curry made seven threes. Andrew Wiggins continued to play well at both ends of the court.

Wiggins, facing his former team since the trade last year, knocked down 23 points. He connected on two threes. Kelly Oubre, Jr. had 14, Draymond Green 10, and James Wiseman 13.

Minnesota’s offensive leader was Malik Beasley, with 30. Jarred Vanderbilt had 12, Naz Reid 11 points and ten rebounds, and Jordan McLaughlin 15. The T-Wolves star rookie, the number one pick in this year’s NBA draft, Anthony Edwards, tallied 15.

The same two teams meet Wednesday night again at the Chase Center. The game will start at 7 pm.

Jazz hit all the right notes blast Warriors 127-108; Third loss in five games for Golden State

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

The Utah Jazz Donavon Mitchell (45) is defended by the Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry (30) on Sat Jan 23, 2021 in Salt Lake City (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Utah Jazz (12-4) sent a message to the Golden State Warriors (8-8) and the rest of the NBA that they are one of the elite teams in the Western Conference of the NBA. They entered the game with a seven-game winning streak and a record of 11-4. The Jazz improved on that streak extending it to eight with a convincing 127-198 win over the Warriors. 

Their roster includes the two-time defensive player of the year, Rudy Gobert. The veteran Michael Conley and Donovan Mitchell form an outstanding backcourt. Royce O’Neale and sharpshooter Bojan Bogdanovic are the forwards. The Jazz has two outstanding reserves in Joe Ingles and Jordan Clarkson. 

The Warriors, smarting from the loss to the New York Knicks last Thursday, hoped to start well against Utah Saturday night. Alas, that did not happen. Utah jumped off to an early 14-0 lead. They increased the lead to 17, 19-2 before the Warriors could get the offense working.

The Warriors started putting points on the board. They scored 30 points in the quarter. Their problem was the Jazz scored 39. The Warriors started the second quarter, hoping to get back in the game.

The Jazz had other thoughts. They continued to make three-point shots while the Warriors’ offense floundered. The Jazz outscored the Dubs 38-119 to finish the first half with a 30-point advantage,77-47.

Steph Curry led the Warriors with 13 points and made three threes. Curry tied Reggie Miller for second place for most three is a career with 2560. His next three would put him into second place all by himself.

Curry’s first bucket of the third quarter was a three. He now has 2561 threes and is second place for most threes in a career. Ray Allen holds the record with 2973 threes. Curry is on track to break the record in the next two or three years. As for the game, things continued to head south for the Warriors. The Jazz continued to punish Golden State. The led 108-72 with 12 minutes left to play.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr chose to play his reserves for the entire fourth quarter. Utah coach Quin Snyder pulled his starters. The Warriors won the period 36-19, but it was too little, and too late. 

Game Notes and Stats:  Curry led the Warriors with 24 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists. He made five threes in ten tries. James Wiseman had 15 points and five boards. Andrew Wiggins 13, Kelly Oubre, Jr. 5. Bench reserves Jordan Poole had 10, Nico Mannion eight, including two threes, and Damion Lee nine.

The Jazz had six players in double figures. Donovan Mitchell had 23, Michael Conley 17, Rudy Gobert 11 points and 14 rebounds, Bojan Bogdonavic14. Joe Ingles knocked down 13, and Jordan Clarkson added 14.

The Jazz connected on 23-point shots. The Warriors made 14. The Jazz outrebounded the Dubs 69-41. With the win, the Jazz are 12-4. The Lakers are 13-4, and the Clippers are 12-4. The Jazz are making a statement that they are to considered an elite team. Time will tell. 

The Warriors are now 8-8 for the year. The Warriors return home to play two games against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday, January 23rd, and Wednesday the 25th. The game time will start at 7 pm at Chase Center in San Francisco.

New York Knicks’ defense sends Warriors down to defeat 119-104

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

The Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) gets some parting words in with the officials after he got ejected in the first half of the game against the New York Knicks at Chase Center in San Francisco on Thu Jan 21, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The visiting New York Knicks used their NBA best defense to stun the Warriors 119-104 Thursday night at the Chase Center. The Warriors, playing their third game in four nights, could not get their offense working against New York.

The Knicks, the lowest-scoring team in the NBA with about 101 points per game, scored 40 points in the first quarter. The Warriors scored 31 but trailed by nine after the first 12 minutes. The Warriors had to scramble to put points on the board as New York’s defense was too tough to crack.

The Warriors second unit started the second quarter. Eric Paschall tallied the Warriors first eight points. The Warriors’ defense was able to slow down the Knicks’ offense. Slowly, Golden State clawed their way back.

The Knicks led 55-50. Steph Curry knocked down a three and followed by a two-point bucket to tie the game at 55. The Warriors didn’t know at the time that it would be the closest they would come to take the lead.

New York scored the next six points to lead 61-55 with 1:04 left in the first half. With the Warriors on defense, the referees called a technical foul on Draymond Green. Green was not near anyone.

It was Draymond’s second technical, and by NBA rules, he had to leave the game. The Warriors learned that Green was yelling at James Wiseman and not the referee. Even though it was a mistake, Draymond was finished for the night.

The Warriors hoped they could get the offense going in the second half without him. The Warriors missed his presence as they looked out of sync. The Knicks were able to cruise to victory. 

The Knicks won the third quarter 26-19. Curry did not score in the quarter. New York increased the lead to sixteen in the fourth quarter. They led 97-81. The Warriors could not catch up. The Knicks win 119-104.

Game Notes and Stats: The Knicks, as mentioned above, are the lowest-scoring team in the NBA. They are the best team in the NBA as they allow just 102.7 points per game against them. They have the best three-point defense in the league, too.

The Warriors were nine-for 38 from behind the three-point arc. The referees had their whistles blowing all night. They called the teams for 55 fouls. The Knicks committed 29 and the Warriors 26. The Knicks had 41 free throws from the line and the Warriors 39. 

Curry led the Warriors with 30 points. Andrew Wiggins had 17, James Wiseman 15, Kelly Oubre, Jr. 7, Eric Paschall 12. Draymond tallied three points and had eight assists. He has one of the best basketball IQs in the game. Once he left, the Warriors offense fell by the wayside.

All five Knicks’ starters were in double figures. R.J. Barrett had a career-high 28 points. Julius Randle missed a triple-double. Randle had 16 points, 17 rebounds, and nine assists. Mitchell Robinson had 18 points and eight rebounds. Reggie Bullock, who averages 28% on three-point shots, connected on four threes. Elfrid Payton had 15. Former Warrior, Alec Burks, had 11 in helping the Knicks defeat his old club. 

With the loss, the Warriors are 8-7 for the year. The Knicks are now 8-8.

The Warriors meet the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City Saturday afternoon. The game will start at 2 pm.

Warriors rout Spurs 121-99; Spurs have lost three of last nine games

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

San Antonio Spurs point guard Dejounte Murray (5) drives on the Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry (30) on Wed Jan 20, 2021 in San Antonio (@FrostBank/#GoSpursGo photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, coming off a thrilling 115-113 win over the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers, blew away the visiting San Antonio Spurs Wednesday night 121-99. 

The San Antonio coach, Greg Popovich, now in his 25th year as the man in charge, was facing his pupil. Warrior coach Steve Kerr once again. Wednesday’s game was the 20th time the two coaches, mentor, and pupil squared off. Popovich led 10-9 in the games between the two coaches. The series is now tied at ten each. 

The Warriors owned the first half. Steph Curry and Draymond Green led the young Warriors to a 64-45 advantage at halftime. They played the best first 24 minutes of the season in the first half. They never trailed in the game.

They won the first quarter 36-24. The Spurs opened the second quarter with a 7-0 run. San Antonio closed to within five 43-38. It was at this point, the Warrior offense got rolling again as they went on a 16-0 run to lead 59-38.

 Curry paced the team with 20 points. Three other starters, Andrew Wiggins, Kelly Oubre, Jr., and James Wiseman, were all in double figures. The Warriors moved the ball well and attacked the basket. They played solid defense and contested San Antonio’s three-point shots. The Warriors shot 53.5% from the floor and held San Antonio to 32.7%. The Warriors made eight three in 16 attempts. San Antonio connected on three threes in 21 tries.

In the third quarter, San Antonio was not able to cut into the Warriors 19 point lead. They started to make a move when they were able to force two Warrior turnovers into four points. The Warriors answered. The Warriors maintained the 19 point advantage 90-71 at the end of three periods. 

The Warriors’ second unit started the fourth quarter. Kelly Oubre and Andrew Wiggins were on the floor with Eric Paschall, Brad Wanamaker, and Damion Lee. The Warriors put the game out of reach when Wiggins hit two threes, followed by a Brad Wanamaker three to lead 110-86. The Warriors coasted the rest of the way to a comfortable 121-99 victory.

Game Notes and stats: Curry led the team with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Rookie James Wiseman played the best game as a Warrior Wednesday night. Wiseman was on the floor for 25 minutes of action. He was eight-for 11 from the floor and ended with 20 points, six rebounds, and four assists. Andrew Wiggins had 18, Oubre 16, and Draymond Green nine. Eric Paschall had seven. Jordan Poole knocked down three threes to finish with nine. 

DeJounte Murray led the Spurs with 22. DeMar DeRozan had 15, Keldon Johnson 12, Rudy Gay 11. LaMarcus Aldridge was held to four points.

The Warriors shot 50.5% from the floor. They made 15 threes. The Spurs shot 37.6 from the floor and made four threes in 34 attempts. The Warriors outrebounded the Spurs 65-51. For the second game in a row, the Warriors recorded 31 assists that indicated they were moving the ball well and finding the open man. 

The Warriors improved to 8-6 for the season. San Antonio is now 8-7.

The Warriors host the New York Knicks Thursday night at the Chase Center. The Knicks, coached by Tom Thibodeau, are 6-7 for the season and play well on defense. Expect the Knicks to double team Curry early in the game. The game will start at 6 pm.

Warriors come from behind stun Lakers 115-113

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

The Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry (30) has company defending him the Los Angeles Lakers LeBron James (23) and Dennis Schroder (17) on Mon Jan 18, 2021 at Staples Center in Los Angeles (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors tipped off against the defending NBA champions, the Los Angeles Lakers, at the Staples Center Monday night. The Warriors had lost their last two games against the Indiana Pacers and Denver Nuggets. Their game against the Phoenix Suns  Friday night was postponed due to Phoenix not putting eight men on the roster. The Warriors just edged the Lakers on Monday night with a 115-113 two point win. 

Thet did not have an enviable task. They had to beat the Lakers on their court in LA. With LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Marc Gasol, Dennis Schroder, Montrezl Harrell, and Kyle Kuzma, the Lakers felt they would put another win on the board. The Lakers jumped out to a 34-22 lead at the end of the first quarter. They led 34-15 until late in the quarter when the Warriors scored the last seven points to trail 34-22. 

The Warriors played better in the second period. Kelly Oubre, Jr. played well. He led the club in scoring with 16 points in the first half. Eric Paschall, coming off the bench, added nine. The Warriors cut the deficit to five 42-37. The Lakers responded by going on an 18-7 run to finish the first half leading 64-48. 

The Warriors won the third quarter 33-28 to trail by eleven 92-81 with just one quarter left to play. The Warriors climbed back into the game when they went on a 17-2 run. Andrew Wiggins made three consecutive three-point shots. Kevon Looney made a corner three, and Steph Curry followed with another three. They trailed 70-68 at this point in the game. The Lakers refused to wilt. They finished the quarter on a 13-2 run.

In the fourth quarter, the Warriors played like the five-year run team that saw them win three championships and play in five consecutive NBA finals. They played well on both ends of the court. The defense made the Lakers work to get open.

They forced turnovers. The offense came to life. Eric Paschall was a force on both ends of the court. The Lakers were leading 108-101 when Curry knocked down a deuce and was fouled on the play. He made the free throw to make it 108-104.

On the Warriors next possession, the Lakers fouled Curry again. He made both free throws to make it 108-16. When the Lakers tried to inbound the ball, Kelly Oubre caused the Lakers to commit a turnover. The Warriors tied the game on Oubre’s bucket.

The Warriors went ahead 110-108 with 2:38 left to play. It was the first Warrior lead of the night. The referees called traveling on LeBron James to give the ball back to the Warriors. They scored to make it 112-108.

The Lakers’ Anthony Davis got two back. Curry answered with a three to give the Warriors the lead 115-110 with 1:02. James made two free throws, Dennis Shroder one to make two it  turned out to be a 115-113 thriller. 

Game Notes and Stats: Eric Paschall and Kelly Oubre had season-highs in scoring. Oubre played his best game as a Warriors. Kelly finished with 23 points and four rebounds. He was a force on defense and caused the Lakers to commit several turnovers.

Paschall finished with 19 points, four rebounds, and three assists. Curry was double-teamed all night, came to life in the second half and recorded 26 points and seven assists. He connected on three threes in 12 tries.

Andrew Wiggins played well on both ends of the court. He knocked down 18 points and made three threes in a row in the third quarter. Draymond Green made two big buckets in the fourth quarter that helped secure the victory. Green’s line was seven points, eight rebounds, and nine assists. 

Dennis Shroder led LA with 25 points. LeBron had 19, Anthony Davis had a double-double with 17 points and 17 rebounds. Montrezl Harrell had 17 points and eight boards. Kyle Kuzma had a double-double with 15 points and ten rebounds.

The Warriors had their motion offense working well Monday night as they recorded 31 assists. The Warriors shot 50.6% from the floor, and they made twelve threes.

The Warriors improved to 7-6 for the year. The Lakers dropped to 11-4.

The Warriors return home to face the improved New York Knicks Wednesday night at the Chase Center. The game will start at 7 pm.

Jokic paces Nuggets to victory over Warriors 114-104

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) gets a reverse slam on Golden State Warrior center James Wiseman (33) during Thu Jan 14, 2021 game at Denver (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors’ three-game road trip started with a thud Thursday night as they fell to the Denver Nuggets 114-104. Eric Paschall rejoined the club after he tested negative for Covid-19. He missed Tuesday’s game due to a false-positive test. While the Warriors were happy to have him back, his presence didn’t affect the game’s outcome.

The Nuggets, although they didn’t know it at the time, won the game in the first quarter. The Nuggets finished the first 12 minutes of action with a 37-24 advantage. From that point on, the Warriors were playing catch up. No matter what they did, they could not get any closer. They trailed 65-54 at the end of the first half. 

The Warriors cut the deficit to five 79-74 when Kelly Oubre, Jr. hit a three. Denver finished the quarter with an 11-2 run to lead 90-76 at the end of three. Denver’s Nikola Jokic led the run for the Nuggets.

The Warriors won the fourth quarter 28-24, but it was not enough to win. Stephen Curry, James Wiseman, Kelly Oubre, and Andrew Wiggins tried, but Denver had an answer to thwart the Warriors offense. Denver holds on to win 114-104.

Game Notes and Stats: With the loss, the Warriors are now 6-6 for the year. The Nuggets improved to 6-6.

 Curry had a big note for Golden State. Curry scored more than 30 points for the sixth time this year. The Warriors won the first five. Steph had a double-double with 35 points, 11 rebounds, and two assists.

He was 14-for-23 from the floor and 5-for-11 from beyond the three-point arc. Rookie sensation James Wiseman knocked down 18, and he had five boards. Andrew Wiggins had 16, Kelly Oubre 14. Oubre had three threes. Eric Paschall had eight. The Nuggets’ bench outscored the Warriors bench 41-20.

Denver’s Nikola Jokic finished the night with a triple-double. Nokic tallied 23 points, 14 rebounds, and ten assists. Will Barton and Jamal Murray each had 17 for the Nuggets. 

The Warriors turned the ball over 19 times. Head coach Steve Kerr has to have the team improve in that department.

The Warriors’ game with  the Phoenix Suns Friday night was postponed as the Suns do not have enough players to perform due to contact tracing after a game with the Washington Wizards. The Warriors meet the Los Angeles Lakers Monday night at the Staples Center in LA.

Pacers’ defense shuts down Warriors attack in second half for win 104-95

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

The Golden State Warriors Kelly Oubre Jr takes a shot against the Indiana Pacers defense in the first half at Chase Center in San Francisco on Tue Jan 12, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors faced the Indiana Pacers Tuesday night at the Chase Center. The Pacers, still smarting from a close loss to the Sacramento Kings Monday night, found a way to beat the Warriors 104-95.

The Pacers’ Victor Oladipo was not available to play. The Warriors’ Eric Paschall had to miss the game due to NBA protocol regarding the coronavirus. It is not known if Paschall has the virus or was in contact with someone that did.

The first half featured the teams playing outstanding defense. The Pacers wanted to stop Stephen Curry from beating them. The Warriors without Paschall, had to find a way to keep Domantas Sabonis and Malcolm Brogdon to do the same to the Pacers.

Both strategies worked. The Pacers held Curry to just five points in the first half. The Warriors defense allowed Sabonis six and Brogdon seven. The Warriors finished the first 24 minutes of action leading 55-50.

Kelly Oubre, Jr. led the Warriors with 15. Oubre made three threes and had four boards. Oubre’s defense was stellar. Andrew Wiggins had 12 points, and he made two threes. The Pacers’ Myles Turner had 13. 

The second half belonged to the Pacers. They outscored the Warriors 23-18 in the third quarter to cut the deficit to two 77-73. Curry made three threes and recorded 11 of the Warriors 18 points. 

The Warriors and Pacers continued to play tough defense. Each team had to work hard to get points on the board. The Warriors led 90-88 when the Pacers went on a 13-0 run to lead 101-90 with about a minute left to play. The Pacers outscored the Warriors 31-20 in the fourth quarter to win 104-95.

Game Notes and Stats: With the loss, the Warriors are 6-5 for the year. The Pacers improved to 7-4. 

Andrew Wiggins continued to play well on both ends of the court. Andrew finished with 22 points, seven rebounds, three assists, four threes, and five blocked shots. Curry knocked down 20. He made three threes and had four boards and three assists. Oubre, who had 15 in the first half, tallied two in the second to finish with 17. He made three threes to go along with five rebounds and two assists. 

The Warriors made three turnovers in the first half. They made 12 in the second. The Pacers scored 24 points as a result of the turnovers to help them win.

The Warriors play the next three games on the road. They face the Denver Nuggets Thursday night at The Ball Center in Denver for a 7 pm tip. They play the Suns in Phoenix Friday night and the Lakers in Los Angeles Monday night.

Warriors hold off Raptors in win 106-105; Bench rises as Curry has off night scoring

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

The Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins (22) led the Warriors in scoring takes a shot against the Toronto Raptors guard Norman Powell (right) on Sun Jan 10, 2021 at Chase Center in San Francisco (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

 On a night when Stephen Curry had the worst shooting night of his illustrious career, the Warriors found a way to withstand Toronto’s furious fourth-quarter comeback to win 106-105.

In every game in which Curry scored 30 or more points, Golden State finished with a win. Curry put just 13 points on the board. The Warriors won the game with great defense and six players scoring in double figures. The bench helped out with 46 points. As the fans around the NBA know, there is more to Curry’s game than scoring. He was credited with six assists, and he pulled down nine rebounds.

The Warriors led for the first three quarters. They won the first quarter 31-24. They led 10-1 to start the game. Andrew Wiggins, James Wiseman, and Kelly Oubre, Jr. paced the Warrior offense.

The Warriors second unit of Eric Paschall, Brad Wanaker, and Damian Lee helped the Warriors finish the first half leading 61-49. Curry has three points in the first half. Wiggins 11, Wiseman 10, Paschall 8, and Lee 8. Pascal Siakam had 16 for the Raptors. Fred VanVleet 10, and Chris Boucher 10.

The Warriors continued to dominate play in the third quarter. They increased the lead to fifteen 87-72 and appeared to be cruising to a victory. However, in the NBA, teams have to not take things easy in the fourth and final period of play.

Eric Paschall made a bucket to put the Warriors up by seventeen. It was at this point in the game that things went south for the Warriors. Toronto went on a 21 to five-run to make it a one-point game 94-93.

Kelly Oubre connected on a three to give the Warriors some breathing room 97-93. Toronto scored the next five points to go ahead by one 98-97. They hit a three to lead by four 101-97. Curry knocked down a three to make it 101-100. Toronto answered with a bucket to lead 103-100 with 1:45 left.

Baskets by Curry and Kent Bazemore put the Warriors ahead 104-103. Toronto scored to lead 105-104 with 7.6 seconds left. Damian Lee was fouled attempting a three-pointer. Toronto coach Nick Nurse challenged the call. After the review, the referees determined that Lee was fouled before the shot.

He would not get three free throws. Since the Raptors were over the foul limit, Lee was awarded two free throws. He made both to give the Warriors the advantage 106-105 with 4.3 seconds left to play. Toronto got the ball into Pascal Siakam’s hands. His shot at the buzzer failed to go down. The Warriors held on to win 106-105.

Game Notes and stats: With the win, the Warriors improved their season record to 6-4. The Raptors fell to 2-7. 

Draymond Green had his best game of the season. He just missed a triple-double. He kicked in with ten points, nine rebounds, and ten assists. Wiggins had 17, Wiseman 10, Oubre 12, Curry 11, and Eric Paschall 15. For Paschall, it was his eighth game in a row with ten or more points. Damian Lee had 13, Bazemore nine, Wanamaker 7. 

The Warriors bench outscored the Raptors bench 46-25.

Pascal Siakam led the Raptors with 25. Fred VanVleet had 21, Chris Boucher 15, and he was a force on defense with six blocked shots. Kyle Lowrey had 17, 16 of which came in the fourth period. 

The Warriors finish the seven-game home stand against the Indiana Pacers Tuesday night at the Chase Center. The game will start at 7 pm.

Curry leads Warriors in thrilling comeback victory over Clippers 115-105

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins (22) celebrates with guard Stephen Curry (30) after Wiggins made a 3-point shot against the Los Angeles Clippers during the second half of an NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Friday, Jan. 8, 2021.Tony Avelar/AP News photo

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors faced the Los Angeles Clippers for the second time in three days Friday night. The Clippers won the first game and were hoping to beat the Warriors again.

The Clippers are loaded with talent. Many people around the NBA think they will be a contender for the NBA title. They dominated the first quarter of play Friday night. They won the second quarter to finish the first half with a 14 point advantage.

They increased the lead to 20, 83-63 with three minutes left in the third quarter. Behind Golden State’s Stephen Curry and Eric Paschall, the Warriors went on a 52-20 run to earn a comeback victory 115-1105.

In the first half, the Clippers excelled on both ends of the court. Paul George made four threes in four tries. He finished the first half with 17. Kawhi Leonard knocked down 11, and he connected on two threes in two attempts.

The Clipper defense continued to throttle the Warrior offense. Stephen Curry was the only Warrior in double figures with 14 points. The Clips won the first quarter 30-22, and the second 35-31 to lead by 14 , 65-51 at the end of the first half.

The Clippers made two three-pointers to start the third quarter to lead by 20, 71-51. Steph made a couple of shots to cut the deficit to 15. The Clippers regained the 20 point lead 83-63.

It was at this point, LA must have thought the game would be in the win column. Curry had other thoughts. Curry, who was held to 13 points Wednesday night, went on a tear. He tallied 19 points as the Warriors went on an 18-2 run to finish the quarter trailing 87-81.

The Warriors started the final stanza with a 6-0 run to tie the game at 87. LA scored a bucket to go ahead 89-87. Eric Paschall scored a deuce to tie it at 89. Paschall then connected on a three pointer to put Golden State ahead for the first time since early in the first period. The teams tied again at 97.

Brad Wanamaker knocked down a three, and the Warriors led 100-97. They would not relinquish the lead. Andrew Wiggins, Curry, Draymond Green, and Wanamaker all made buckets to propel the Warriors to the win. The Warriors finished the game on a 52-20 run in the last 15 minutes of play to stun the Clippers 115-105.

Game Notes and stats: With the win, the Warriors improve to 5-4 for the year. The Clippers dropped to 6-4.

 Curry had another fantastic performance Friday night. He had a double-double with 38 points, 11 assists, and two rebounds. Curry was 13 for 24 from the floor, and he made nine threes in 14 tries.

Andrew Wiggins had 16 points and six boards. Andrew made two threes. Eric Paschall, who led the charge in the fourth quarter, had 12 points and six boards. No other Warrior was in double figures. However, Damian Lee, Mychal Mulder, Brad Wanamaker, Kelly Oubre, Jr., and Kent Bazemore came through with big plays to help win the game.

The Warriors meet the Toronto Raptors Sunday night at the Chase Center. The game will start at 5:30 pm.