Author: rxslugger

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

Warriors bounce back to defeat the Pistons 121-114

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

One night after being embarrassed by the Dallas Mavericks, who handed the Golden State Warriors their worst loss in the Steve Kerr era, the Warriors able to down the Detroit Pistons 121-114 at Oracle Arena Sunday. Steph Curry, Andrew Bogut, and Shaun Livingston returned to action after having last night off. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr sat out DeMarcus Cousins and Andre Iguodala down for tonight’s game.

The teams played a very competitive first quarter. The Warriors won the quarter 29-28. The Warriors looked like the rather old Warriors as they outscored Detroit 34-21 to finish the first half 63-49. The fans knew things were going their way when Draymond Green hit a three-point shot at the buzzer.

The Warriors kept the momentum going in the third quarter, They owned the third quarter so many times this season, and it was no surprise that the scored another 34 points and increased the lead to 97-77 at the end of the period.

Usually, a 20-point lead heading into the final period means that the team with the advantage will win. The Pistons didn’t see things that way, and they rallied to come within a single-digit deficit. Curry displayed his Most Valuable Player on the Warriors’ status when he knocked down a three and blunted the Pistons’ momentum. The Pistons won the fourth quarter 37-24. The Warriors won 121-114.

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, and coupled with the Denver Nuggets loss to the Indiana Pacers, the Warriors are back in first place in the Western Conference. With the win, the Warriors improve to 50-23. It was the sixth year in a row that the team has won 50 games, and that set a new franchise record.

The Pistons’ record fell to 37-36, and they are now in seventh place in the Eastern Conference.

Before the game, the Warriors welcomed back Zaza Pachulia to Oracle Arena. Pachulia won two championships with the Warriors, and the fans gave him very warm reception as he was a fan favorite at Oracle. Klay Thompson presented him his championship ring. The team selected Thompson to do the honors as he is a close friend.

Steph Curry led the Warriors with 26 points. Thompson, who had a tough night against Dallas, bounced back with 24 points. Kevin Durant had a double-double with 14 points and 11 assists. Draymond Green had 14 points and 8 assists. Kevon Looney, coming off the bench, had 11. Shaun Livingston added 8. Quinn Cook finished with 7.

Blake Griffin led the Pistons with 24. Andre Drummond was the only other Piston starter in double figures with 12. Drummond also had 11 rebounds. Four Piston bench players were in double figures. Luke Kennard had 20, Ish Smith, 14, Thon Maker 12, and Langston Galloway 12. Pachulia, in his return to Oracle, had 4.

The Warriors made 46 buckets on 74 tries for a 62.2% shooting percentage. The Pistons were 39-for-84. The Warriors outrebounded the Pistons 37-39 and recorded 31 assists.

Up Next: The Warriors travel to Memphis to face the Grizzlies Wednesday night. Game time will be at 5 pm.

Mavericks pound the Warriors 126-91

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The Dallas Mavericks, who have the second-worst record (28-44) in the Western Conference, started strong and wiped the floor with the Golden State Warriors. The Mavericks led from start to finish as they beat the Warriors on both ends of the court. They dominated on offense and dominated on defense. They made 21 three-point shots, one shy of the franchise record 22, and held the Warriors to four. That was the game in a nutshell. The Mavs’ 63-12 point advantage won the game for them.

To be fair, the Warriors were without Steph Curry, Andrew Bogut, and Shaun Livingston. The Warriors needed someone to step up and fill the void left by Curry not playing. That did not happen as Klay Thompson had a terrible shooting night and exited the contest with eight points.

The Mavs pounded the Warriors in the first 24 minutes of playing time. They led the Warriors 74-46. Kevin Durant with 18 and DeMarcus Cousins with 14 were the only Warrior players in double figures. Klay had 4, Draymond Green, and Quinn Cook each had 3. Jonas Jerebko, Alfonzo McKinnie, and Andre Iguodala failed to put a single point on the board. The Mavs’ 40-year old wonder, Dirk Nowitzki, who is retiring at the end of the season, tallied 10. Luka Doncic, who will be named Rookie of the Year at the end of the season, knocked down 15, and Maxi Kleber had 16. The Mavs shot 59% from the floor, and they were 13-for-27 from three-point range. The Warriors made two threes in 17 tries, and shot 36.7% from the field. Those numbers will not win games for a team.

It was a horrible first half for Golden State. As mentioned above, they had no offense, no defense, and players that needed to step up their game, failed to do so.

The Mavs kept their mojo going in the third period. The Warriors fell behind 102-65 when Warriors head coach Steve Kerr raised the white flag of surrender. It reminded me of the time many years ago when Roberto Duran stopped his fight by yelling to the referee “No Mas.” There were two minutes and 29 seconds left in the third period. The bench players finished the game, and they didn’t do much except run out the clock. The Mavs won 126-91.

Game Notes and Stats: With the loss, the Warriors fall 1/2 game behind the Denver Nuggets for the best record in the Western Conference and home-court advantage. The Warriors have played better on the road than at home, and it may not be a problem. The Houston Rockets had the advantage last season, but the Warriors were able to beat the Rockets twice in Houston after trailing in the series 3 games to 2.

The Mavs had five players in double figures. Doncic led the onslaught with a triple-double. He had 23 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. He made four threes. Nowitzki finished with 21, and with the Basketball Hall of Fame in his future, made 5 threes. Kleber had 16, Ryan Broekhoff 17, and Try Burke 13. The Warriors’ Kevin Durant had 25, and Marcus Cousins was second with 19. Draymond Green 6, Quinn Cook 7 and Kevon Looney 12. The rest of the bench added just 14, and most of the points came in garbage time.

The Warriors, winners of four of the last five and playing superior defense, looked like a team from the era when the Warriors were so bad and barely won 18 or 19 games in a season. They did not look like a championship team Saturday night. They have lost to two teams that they should have beaten. They lost to the worst team in the conference, the Phoenix Suns, on March 10th. It was by four points, but it still was a shocking loss. They lost to the team with the second-worst record, but this time it was by 35 points.

Up Next: The Warriors have to regroup as they play the Detroit Pistons Sunday night. The Pistons beat the Warriors in Detroit earlier in the season. The Pistons currently hold the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference. They are led by Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin. Game time will be at 5:30 pm.

Warriors, behind a strong defense, blow out the Pacers 112-89

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Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

by Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors blew out the visiting Indiana Pacers 112-89 at Oracle Arena Thursday night in Oakland. The Warriors, who played great defense on the 3-1 road trip, continued that trend Thursday. The Pacers came into the game with the fourth best record in the Eastern Conference. They needed a win to maintain the home-court advantage over the fifth place Boston Celtics. The two teams will meet in the first round of the playoffs.

The Pacers played great defense. They held opposing teams to 104 points a game. They can shoot, too. They are in the top five in scoring and making three-point shots. The Warriors would need their “A” game on defense if they hoped to win.

The teams struggled to put points on the board in the first quarter. Both sides concentrated on stopping the other’s offense. The first period was a low-scoring affair, and it ended tied at 19-19.

The Warriors moved the ball well on offense. They outscored the Pacers 34-24 in the period and finished leading 53-43. DeMarcus Cousins, back in action after missing two games with a sore ankle, led the Warriors with 13 points. Kevin Durant had 11, and Klay Thompson had 8. Steph Curry made just one three and finished the half with 3 points. Thaddeus Young led the Pacers with 11, and Bojan Bogdanovich was second with 8.

The Warriors put the offense into gear in the third quarter. They outscored the Pacers 35-19, and the defense put the clamps on the Pacer offense. Steph made four threes in the period to lead the way. The Warriors kept Curry on the bench the entire fourth quarter, but that didn’t slow them down one bit. They increased the lead to 30 103-73, and the reserves coasted to the win 112-89.

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, the Warriors improve to 49-22 and remain 1/2 game ahead of the Denver Broncos in the race for the Western Division crown. The Pacers fall to 44-29.

All five Warrior starters were in double figures. DeMarcus Cousins led the way with a double-double. He put 19 points on the board and pulled down 11 boards. Steph Curry made 5 threes and finished with 15. Kevin Durant had 15, and Klay Thompson had 18. Draymond Green’s line was 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists.

Three of the Pacers’ bench players were in double figures: Tyreke Evans 20, Aaron Holiday 13, and Doug McDermott 11. The only Pacers starter in double digits was Thaddeus Young with 18.

The Warriors recorded 32 assists on 44 baskets. They moved the ball well and found the open man to take the three-point shot. The Warriors had to work hard to get their shots off as the Pacers’ defense tried to blanket Curry and Thompson to force the other players to do the scoring. Their theory worked for a while, but the Warriors broke down their defense and won the game.

Up Next: The Warriors meet the Dallas Mavericks Saturday night at Oracle Arena. Game time is at 5:30 pm. The Detroit Pistons face the Warriors on Sunday at Oracle. Game time is also at 5:30 pm.

Ichiro says farewell, and Mariners beat A’s in extra innings 5-4

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photo from Nogi/Agence France-Presse: Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki left the field in the bottom of eighth inning on Thursday night to an ovation from fans in Tokyo

By Jerry Feitelberg

On an emotional day in Tokyo, Ichiro Suzuki said farewell to baseball. The 45-year old Suzuki went 0-for-4 in his last game and left in the eighth inning as the crowd rose to give a standing ovation for the last time an active player. Ichiro, without question, will be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot. He will be the first Japanese-born player to reach that lofty level.

There was still a game to play, and the M’s won for the second day in a row as they downed the A’s 5-4 in 12 innings. The M’s sent Yusei Kikuchi to do the pitching honors and he did fairly well in his MLB debut. He went 4 2/3 innings and allowed two runs and 4 hits. Marco Estrada made his A’s debut. His line was five innings of work and he gave up five hits and three runs.

The M’s put two runs on the board when former Oakland Athletic, Ryan Healy, took Estrada deep with a man on board. The M’s increased the lead to 3-0 in the third when Mitch Haniger sent one of Estrada’s pitches into the seats.

The A’s closed the gap when they tallied two in the bottom of the fifth. Marcus Semien singled to drive in Matt Olson with the A’s first run. Jurickson Profar scored the second run on Jay Bruce’s fielding error.

The M’s added a run in the seventh, but the A’s DH Khris Davis singled to drive in Semien and Matt Chapman with the tying runs.

The game remained tied until the top of the 12th inning. The M’s loaded the bases with one out. Domingo Santa, who hit a grand slam on Wednesday, reached on a fielder’s choice. The A’s failed to make the inning-ending double play and the M’s scored the go-ahead run. The M’s bullpen closed out the game for the win. The final score was 5-4 in favor of the M’s.

Game Notes and Stats: Marcus Semien was the hitting start for the A’s with three hits. Ramon Laureano had two knocks.

Up Next: The A’s resume Spring Training with three exhibition games against the San Francisco Giants. The two teams will play in Oakland on Sunday and then play in San Francisco Monday and Tuesday. The A’s are off on Wednesday. The A’s will start the season will a day opener Thursday against the Los Angeles Angels. Game time will be at 1:05 pm. They will have the night opener Friday at 7:05 PM.

Revamped Mariners blast their way to start the season with a 9-7 win over the A’s

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Photo credit: @Mariners

by Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s squared off against the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday, March 20th in the Tokyo to start the 2019 season. The Mariners made several moves in the off-season, and loaded up their lineup with power hitters. Those steps paid off as the M’s downed the A’s 9-7.

The A’s sent Mike Fiers to the mound to pitch. It was the first time in Fiers’ career that he had ever started on Opening Day. He pitched well for the first two innings, but things fell apart for him and the A’s in the top of the third. The A’s staked him to an early 2-0 lead. A’s right fielder Stephen Piscotty hit a solo homer in the first to give the A’s a 1-0 advantage. Then, they tacked on an unearned run in the second to lead 2-0.

In the third inning, Fiers struggled with his control. The M’s scored a run to make it 2-1. Fiers loaded the bases and had to face Domingo Santana, who had a great year with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2017. He did not do well last year, and the Brewers sent him to Seattle in a trade. Santana put the M’s in the lead with his first home run of the year and his first career grand slam to propel the M’s to a 5-2 lead. The A’s DH, Khris Davis, responded with a two-run shot in the bottom of the third. The A’s trailed 5-4 after three.

Liam Hendriks gave up a run in the fourth, and Ryan Dull gave up three runs in the fifth. M’s shortstop Tim Beckham greeted Dull with a two-run blast. The A’s Matt Chapman brought the A’s closer with a three-run dinger in the seventh to make it 9-7. The M’s bullpen of Corey Gearrin, Zac Rosscup, and Hunter Strickland closed out the win for Seattle.

Game Notes and Stats: The M’s started 45-year-old Ichiro Suzuki in right field. Ichiro received a standing ovation from the sold-out crowd at the Tokyo Dome. He was 0-1 and had a walk before exiting the game in the fourth inning. Ichiro probably will retire after Thursday’s game.

Marco Gonzalez was the winning pitcher. His line was 6 innings pitched, 7 hits, 4 runs, and 69 pitches.

Fiers’ line was 3 innings of work, 4 hits, and 5 runs. He absorbed his first loss of the year.

Matt Chapman was the hitting star for the A’s with 2 hits, including a home run, and 3 runs batted in. Piscotty and Khris Davis also homered. Tim Beckham had three knocks including a big two-run homer for the M’s.

Up Next: The two teams play Thursday again in Tokyo. Righty Marco Estrada will make his A’s debut, and he will be opposed by the Mariners’ Yusei Kikuchi. Kikuchi will be making his first start as a Mariner and is highly regarded by the fans in Japan. Game time is at 2:35 am.

Splash Brothers lead the way to a Warriors win over the Timberwolves 117-106

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Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

by Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors finished the four-game road trip with a 3-1 record. They lost to the Spurs Monday night when Steph Curry and Klay Thompson could not buy a bucket. It was a different story at the Target Center Tuesday night as Curry and Thompson combined for 64 points and led the Warriors to their 48th win of the year. DeMarcus Cousins was out again with a sore ankle and Warriors head coach Steve Kerr gave Shaun Livingston the night off. Andre Iguodala, who did not play Monday, returned to action against the Timberwolves.

The Warriors wanted to get off to a good start. They did not want to be trailing at halftime by more than 10 points as they have done several times lately. They took an early 7-2 lead. The young Timberwolves, led by Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, went on a 20-2 run to put the Warriors in a 22-9 hole. The Warriors did not lose their composure as they regrouped and finished the first quarter on a 21-5 run to take a 30-27 lead after the first 12 minutes of play. Thompson, who did not score a point in the first half against the Spurs, tallied 15 in the first quarter.

The Warriors won the second quarter 29-20 to end the first half leading 59-47. The Warriors finally had someone come off the bench and put some points on the board. Jonas Jerebko was that player as he sparked the team with 14 points in eight minutes of playing time. Thompson led the team with 17, Curry 11, Jerebko 14, and Kevin Durant 5. For the Timberwolves, Towns put 16, Dario Saric and Wiggins had 7 each. The Warriors shot 45.7% from the floor, and the defense held the Timberwolves to just 37.8%. The Warriors were prolific from 3-point range as they connected 11 times. The Timberwolves mad four threes in 16 attempts.

The Timberwolves started the third quarter on a tear as they went on a 14-2 run to tie the game at 61. Curry and Thompson led the team on a 10-1 run, and the Timberwolves never came close. Curry was on fire as he scored the last 14 points of the third quarter and his total for the entire quarter was 22. The Warriors outscored Minnesota 32-28 and led 91-75.

With Curry on the bench at the start of the fourth quarter, the unit led by Thompson, Durant, Jerebko, Cook, and Draymond Green increased the lead to 20, 101-81. The Timberwolves went on a 19-9 run to cut the lead to nine 112-103. Curry came back into the game and knocked down a three. Each time he made a bucket before the final buzzer and the Warriors won 117-106

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, the Warriors are now 47-22 for the year. They will be making their seventh consecutive playoff appearance, which is a franchise record.

The Timberwolves dropped to 32-39 and will not make the playoffs this season.

Curry led the Warriors with 36. He made eight three-pointers. Klay had 28, and he knocked down 4 threes. Jerebko had 18 and Durant finished with 17. Draymond Green recorded 5 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists. He also blocked 4 shots. Alfonzo McKinnie did not score, but he recorded 9 rebounds. The Warriors had 39 assists on 44 baskets. They were moving the ball well. They shot 48.8% from the floor and held Minnesota to 40.4%. The only reason the game wasn’t a blowout was the fact that the Timberwolves had 18 more free throws and made 16 more than the Warriors.

Up Next: The Warriors return home to face the Indiana Pacers Thursday night at Oracle Arena. The Pacers have the fourth best record in the Eastern Conference, and the W’s will have to be at their best if they hope to send them down to defeat. Game time is at 7:30 pm.

Spurs stay hot as they defeat the Warriors 111-105

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Photo credit: @warriors

by Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors, without DeMarcus Cousins, fell to the red-hot Spurs at the AT&T Center Monday night. The Warriors started Andrew Bogut in place of Cousins, who sat out with a sore ankle. Bogut, who flew in from Australia (and was probably suffering from jet lag), played well in the first half. He scored 7 points and had 7 rebounds in his first NBA game since January 2018 when he was a member of the Lakers. Andre Iguodala was not available either.

The Warriors’ backcourt duo of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson were ice cold in the first half. Curry and Thompson were 0-for-13 from the floor until Curry made a bucket with 1:07 left in the period. Despite the lack of production from the two, the Warriors stayed close, and Curry hit a 75-footer as the buzzer sounded to end the first period tied at 25.

The Warriors held the lead 36-33 with 7:38 left in the half From this point on, they scored just 11 points. The Spurs knocked down 33, and they led 58-47 at the halfway point. Curry and Kevin Durant led the Warriors with 11 each. Bogut had 7. The most shocking stat of the first half was the fact that Thompson had not scored a single point.

The Warriors played better ball in the third quarter. They went on a 16-5 run to tie the game at 75. The Spurs battled back and regained the lead 82-78 to end the third period. The Warriors just couldn’t get over the hump in the fourth quarter. The Spurs outscored them 29-27 to win 111-105.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors are now 47-22 and are tied with Denver for the best record in the Western Conference. Denver beat Boston 114-105 to move into the first place tie with Golden State. These teams meet for the final time April 2nd at Oracle Arena. The Warriors are 2-1 against Denver this year.

Steph Curry led the Warriors with 25 points, He was 9-for-25 from the floor and made 6 threes in 18 tries. Durant had 24. Klay Thompson finished the night with 14. He was 5-for-18 from the field and made 4 threes. Alfonzo McKinnie led the bench with 8, and Kevon Looney with 6.

The Spurs had five players in double figures. DeMar DeRozan’s line was 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists. LaMarcus Aldredge had a double-double with 23 points and 13 boards. Derrick White had 12. The Spurs had three players that came off the bench and made significant contributions: Rudy Gay 17, Paddy Mills 10, and Marco Belinelli 9.

The team stats show how close the game was. Each team was 41-for-88 from the floor. The Warriors made 13 threes. The Spurs made 10. The Spurs went to the line 10 more times than the Warriors and outscored them 19-10. The points from the free throw line won the game for San Antonio.

It was the ninth straight win and 11th straight home win for the Spurs.

Up Next: The Warriors meet the Minnesota Timberwolves Tuesday in Minneapolis. Game time is at 5:00 pm.

Warriors, without Kevin Durant, roll over OKC Thunder 110-88

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Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

by Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors won their second game in a row on the road by beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 110-88. They did it without the services of Kevin Durant, who is recovering from a right ankle contusion, which happened last Sunday against the Phoenix Suns. The Warriors are answering questions about their ability to repeat as champions. DeMarcus Cousins had two good games back-to-back for the first time this year. He had handled Houston’s Clint Capela and the Thunder’s Steven Adams. He will be tested Monday night as he will be playing against the Spurs’ LaMarcus Aldridge.

The Warriors–behind the exceptional play of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and DeMarcus Cousins, along with a very dominating defense–held the high-scoring OKC offense to just 88 points, their lowest scoring game of the year. Also, Thompson and Andre Iguodala put the clamps on Russell Westbrook. Westbrook, averaging a triple-double for the season, tallied just 7 points. He was 2-for 16 from the floor and did not make a 3-pointer in 7 attempts. DeMarcus Cousins blanketed Adams. Adams, who has tormented the Warriors in the past, was held to just 9 points and 9 rebounds. The Warriors won easily 110-88.

The Warriors had a great first period. Behind Thompson and Cousins, the team had an early 20-8 advantage. Curry started to put points on the board in the second half of the first period, and the Warriors finished with a 40-27 lead after the first 12 minutes of play. Steph recorded 14 points, and Klay had 10. Draymond Green knocked down two 3s in the first period to help the Warrior offense.

The Warriors outscored the Thunder 24-19 to finish the first half leading 64-46. Curry led the attack with 19 and Klay had 14. Cousins had 9 and held Adams to 7. Paul George was the man for OKC with 12. Dennis Schroder, coming off the bench, tallied 10. Russell Westbrook did not make a field goal in the first half, and the points he put on the board came from the free throw line. Westbrook’s total for the half was three.

The Thunder was not able to get back into the game in the third quarter. They did outscore the Warriors by 2 points 25-23, but the Warriors were in control. The Warrior defense refused to wilt as the Warriors entered the final period of play leading 87-71.

The Warriors started the fourth quarter with Shaun Livingston, Quinn Cook, DeMarcus Cousins, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. Shaun made two key buckets, and Cook nailed a 3. Draymond connected on his third three of the night to increase the Warrior lead to 20, 98-78. OKC cut the lead to 15, 101-86, but the Warrior defense held the Thunder to just two points the last three minutes and 54 seconds of the game. The W’s outscored OKC 23-17 to win 110-88.

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, the Warriors are now 47-21 for the season and lead the Denver Nuggets by one game for the best record in the NBA. The Warriors own a 2-1 advantage over Denver, and they play again in Oakland on April 2nd. The Thunder, currently in fifth place in the Western Conference standings are now 42-28.

The Thunder’s Russell Westbrook, averaging 23.5 points per game, made two buckets in the second half to finish the night with 7 points. Westbrook was charged with his 16th technical foul of the year. The call came after he intentionally ran into Klay Thompson. Thompson had blocked Westbrook’s shot. Westbrook complained to the refs that Klay fouled him, but the refs didn’t change their minds. Westbrook will have to sit out a one-game suspension unless one of the technical is rescinded.

Steph Curry led the Warriors with 33 points and made 5 3s. Klay Thompson had 23 points, 8 boards, and 4 assists. He was 3-for-8 from the 3-point range. DeMarcus Cousins had 12, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists. Cousins left the game in the fourth quarter with a sore ankle. Draymond Green had 9 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and all his points came on the 3 threes he made. Quinn Cook led the bench with 8, Alfonso McKinnie 7 and Shaun Livingston 6. The rest of the reserves added 10.

The Thunder’s Paul George led his team with 29 points and 13 rebounds. Jerami Grant had 11 and Dennis Schroder 15.

The Warriors’ Quinn Cook was charged with his first career technical foul in the four quarter. The Warriors have the best road record in the NBA 23-11.

Up Next: Game three of the four-game road trip will be played Monday night against the San Antonio Spurs. Game time will be at 5 pm.

Warriors, without Kevin Durant, win a thriller over the Rockets 106-104

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors broke two streaks Wednesday night as they beat the red-hot Houston Rockets 106-104 in the Toyota Center. The first streak they snapped was the three-game winning streak Houston had over Golden State, and they snapped Houston’s nine-game winning streak. The Warriors had to figure out a way to do it without the services of Kevin Durant, who suffered a bone contusion on his ankle Sunday night in the loss to the Phoenix Suns. Warriors’ head coach, Steve Kerr, inserted Andre Iguodala into the starting lineup to replace Durant. The Warriors needed the Splash Brothers, Klay Thompson and Steph Curry, to be at their best to win. Thompson and Curry did well, and DeMarcus Cousins came through with a season-high 27 points and was able to contain the Rockets’ big man, Clint Capela.

The Warriors needed to get off to a good start in the first quarter. They outscored the Rockets 33-23 as Curry knocked down 13 points in the first 12 minutes. The Warriors had an early 15-7 lead, but the Rockets went on an 8-0 run to tie the game at 15. The Warriors responded with a 14-2 run to lead 29-17. Curry and Kevon Looney each made a two-point bucket to increase the lead to 33-23.

The Warriors’ second unit played well early in the second quarter. Quinn Cook, DeMarcus Cousins, and Klay Thompson upped the lead to 46-34. The Rockets, at this point in the game, came to life and charged back. They tied the game at 52 before Steph made a basket and the first half ended with Golden State leading 54-52. Thompson led the Warriors with 16. Curry had 15 and Cousins had 7. Boogie also had five boards and six assists. James Harden and Chris Paul led the Houston attack with 16 each. Capela had 8. The W’s bench outscored the Rockets’ bench 11-5.

In the third quarter, DeMarcus Cousins was a force. He, as mentioned earlier, put a lid on Clint Capela’s game. He scored ten points in the period to keep the Warriors ahead. Klay and Steph were on target, too. Kevon Looney was magnificent on defense in the quarter, and he made a key bucket late in the period. The Warriors outscored Houston 31-16 and finished with a seven-point advantage 85-78 after three-quarters of action.

The Warriors used the second unit with Cousins and Thompson to start the fourth quarter. Rockets’ coach, Mike D’Antoni also had his starter, James Harden, resting on the bench. Cousins knocked down another 10 points to give the Warriors the lead 102-89. Harden re-entered the game at this point. Houston refused to cave, and their defense stifled the Warriors as they climbed back into the game. They kept chipping away at the Warrior lead and outscored the Warriors 11-2 to make it 104-100 with 47 seconds left to play.  Houston connected on a three, and now it was a one-point game 104-103. Steph made a bucket to increase the lead to 106-103 with 8 seconds remaining to play. After a timeout, Kerr told his players to make to foul either Harden or Chris Paul and not let them attempt a three-point shot. The Warriors fouled Harden. He made the first free throw and intentionally missed the second in an attempt to get the rebound and make a basket to tie the game. The strategy failed, and the Warriors won 106-104.

Game Notes and Stats: Kevin Durant rested his ankle on Wednesday and the Warriors hope that he will return to action Saturday night when they play the Thunder in Oklahoma City.

With the win, the Warriors improve to 46-21. Houston falls to 42-26. If the teams were to meet in the playoffs, the Warriors would have the home-court advantage unless the teams end the season with the same record. In that case, the Rockets would have home court as they beat the Warriors 3-1 for the season.

Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 30 points. He made 5 three-point shots in 10 attempts. DeMarcus Cousins excelled on offense with a season-high 27 points. He had 8 rebounds and 7 assists in his best performance with Golden State. Curry had 24 points and connected on 3 threes in nine attempts. The Warriors bench kicked in with 20. James Harden led Houston with 29.  Harden connected on 2 threes in 12 attempts. Chris Paul had 24. Eric Gordon pitched in with 17, and he made 3 threes for the Rockets. Capela had a double-double with 13 points and 13 boards. The Houston bench added 18.

The Warriors shot 49.4% from the floor. The made 12 threes, They were 10-for-10 from the charity stripe. They outrebounded Houston 44-31. The Rockets had 13 more free throws as Harden, and Chris Paul know how to draw fouls as they drive to the basket.

Up Next: The Warriors play the OKC Thunder Saturday night in OKC. Game time is at 5:30 pm. Game three of the four-game road trip will be in San Antonio Monday night, and they finish with a back-to-back set against the Minnesota Timberwolves Tuesday night.

Suns stun the Warriors 115-111

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The Warriors, after beating the Denver Nuggets Friday night, hoped that the game against the young Phoenix Suns would be an easy win. The Suns had other thoughts. Phoenix, under head coach Igor Korkoskov, entered the contest with an abysmal record of 15-52. However, they had won five of the last seven played, and the Warriors knew that they should not be taken lightly. The Warriors had beaten the Suns 18 straight times and had not lost to them since November 9th, 2014. The Suns made a trade earlier in the season when they traded Trevor Ariza to the Washington Wizards for Kelly Oubre, Jr, and Austin Rivers. Rivers was traded to Houston. Oubre has helped the Suns, and with Devin Booker’s 37 points, they upset the Warriors’ applecart Sunday night at Oracle by a score of 115-111

The Warriors, who have had problems getting started in the first quarter over the last 10 or 12 games, got off to a good start as they finished the quarter with a 29-16 lead. Klay Thompson led the attack with 10 points. They had the offense working and were playing strong defense.

The second quarter was a reversal of fortune for Golden State. With the W’s second unit on the floor, the Suns outplayed the Warriors on both ends of the court. The Suns outscored the W’s 40-28 in the quarter and finished the first half trailing by a single point 57-56. The Warriors were led by Thompson 19 points. Durant 14, Cousins 7, and Steph had 3. The Suns Deandre Ayton paced the team with 12, Oubre 10, and Devin Booker 11. The Suns’ bench outscored the Warrior bench 20-10.

The Warriors got off to a slow start in the third period. They continued to fail to make three-point shots. They scored just 11 points in the first eight-plus minutes in the quarter. The W’s offense came to life as they finished with a 15-6 run to maintain the one-point lead 80-19. In the final period of the night, the W’s extended the lead to 88-83. It was at this point that the momentum shifted to Phoenix. The referees called Shaun Livingston for an offensive foul on Booker. The refs reviewed the play and determined that Shaun committed a flagrant foul. Booker made the two free throws and retained possession. The Suns capitalized and increased the lead to 91-88. It was all part of an 8-0 run for the Suns. Steph Curry hit a three to tie the game at 91. They lead changed hands several times until Phoenix led 99-98. The Suns’ Devin Booker was on fire, and he propelled the Suns to a 109-98 lead. The Warriors closed the gap to three 111-108, but the Suns held on to win 115-111.

Game Notes and Stats- The Warriors’ Kevin Durant suffered a right ankle contusion with 6:34 left in the game. Durant went to the locker room and did not return. The Warriors are now 45-21 for the season, and Phoenix improved to 16-52. The Suna have won six of the last eight games played and have beaten the Milwaukee Bucks twice and now the Warriors. They are a team that is on the rise with young, talented players and can no longer be taken lightly. The Warriors and Suns do not play again this year.

Klay Thompson led the team with 28, KD had 25, Steph 18. Klay and Steph each made four threes in fifteen attempts. DeMarcus Cousins added 13. Draymond Green had 6 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists. The Warriors bench helped out with 21.

Devin Booker was the start of the night for Phoenix. The third-year player knocked down 37 points and made 13 straight points for Phoenix in the fourth quarter. Kelly Oubre helped out with 22, and the big 7 foot 1-inch center, rookie Deandre Ayton, had 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists.

The Warriors embark on a four-game road trip starting Wednesday against the Houston Rockets. The Rockets have won eight in a row and are looking to sweep the season series against the Warriors.  Game time will be at 5:30 pm.