Category: Golden State Warriors

Golden State Warriors Saturday game wrap: Kevin Durant returns to Oklahoma City, leaves with a smile

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Kevin Durant, in an emotional return to the city where he played for eight years, led the Warriors to a 130-114 victory over the Thunder. The fans booed him during the introductions, they yelled at him every time he touched the ball, they cheered when he missed a shot and loved it when he was fouled hard by Andre Roberson. In the end, it was the Warrior firepower and great defense that won the game for Golden State. Durant’s former teammate, Russell Westbrook, had a big night as he scored 47. However, Westbrook couldn’t do it alone, and the Dub’s defense was able to shut down the rest of Westbrook’s mates.

The Thunder led for most of the first quarter. They led 17-10 about midway through the period. The Warriors’ JaVale McGee helped the Dubs close the quarter on a 16-5 run and the Dubs led by six after 12 minutes of play. McGee knocked down eight for the Warriors. The Warriors showed a national TV audience how good they are by scoring 43 points and they increased the lead to 73-50 at halftime. The Dubs made 4 3-point shots, and they outscored the Thunder by 17. It was the most points the Warriors have scored in the second quarter all season. KD led the Dubs with 15, and Russell Westbrook had 21 for OKC. It was the 8th time this year that the Warriors reached 70 or more points in the first half and it was the tenth time that they have led by 20 or more points by the end of the first half.

OKC cut the deficit to 18 by the end of the third period. The Thunder tried to get closer, but the Dubs were able to answer every challenge. Things got hot in the quarter when Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant got into a shouting match. Later in the period, KD and former teammate Andre Roberson had a very heated exchange as Roberson fouled KD hard on two different occasions. KD, as usual, kept his demeanor and answered by scoring 19 points in the second half.  The Thunder closed the gap to just 12 trailing 110-98, but the Warriors put the pedal to the metal and led by 20 with just a couple of minutes left to play. Steph closed out the scoring with a trey to increase the lead to 130-108, but the Thunder scored the last 6 points of the game. Dubs win 130-114.

Game Notes and Stats- KD Led the Dubs with 34 points, 3 assists, and 9 rebounds. Steph and Klay each had 26. Draymond Green had 6, 8 assists, 8 rebounds, and one block. JaVale McGee, who continues to improve and play well in the absence of Zaza Pachulia and David West, scored 16. Kevon Looney and James Michael McAdoo also played well filling in for the two injured centers. Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston made significant contributions off the bench. Russell Westbrook had a double-double with 47 points and 11 rebounds. Westbrook, however, turned the ball over nine times.

After the game, when asked how he felt about his return to OKC and the game, KD said: “it was a fun game.” He was also asked: “does it mean anything to you when Westbrook was yelling at you?” Kd replied: “not all all.”

The Warriors are now 46-8 while OKC falls to 31-24. The Warriors are off on Sunday but return to action Monday night in Denver against the Nuggets. Game time is at 6 pm.

 

The Warriors take it to the Grizzlies, defeat them in Memphis 122-107

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors beat the Memphis Grizzlies for the first time this season downing them by a score of 122-107. The Grizzlies are the only team in the NBA to have defeated the Dubs twice this year. They blew out the Dubs in Memphis earlier in the season, and then the Grizzlies overcame a 24-point deficit at Oracle Arena on January 6th to beat the Dubs in overtime. The Warriors did not want to lose a third straight game to Memphis. They came out with guns blazing and never trailed. The Warriors know that Memphis likes to slow the game down and force teams to play their game. That tactic worked when the Dubs lost in January. The Grizzlies, the worst shooting team in the NBA, always seem to find a way to stay close and refuse to go down. The Warriors’ Klay Thompson was on fire in the first period. Klay hit 4 3-point shots, and 14 points total in the first quarter. The Dubs finished the period leading 29-22. Steph Curry had 8, and Kevin Durant added 6.

The Warriors increased the lead to 12, but the Grizzlies kept coming back. Memphis cut the deficit to five 54-49 late in the quarter. The Warriors scored the last 8 points to increase the lead to 13 at halftime. Andre Iguodala hit a trey, and Draymond Green stole the ball from Marc Gasol and went coast-to-coast and made a slam for the exclamation point. Dubs lead 62-49 after 24 minutes of play. Klay led the Dubs with 18, Steph had, 11, KD 8, and Andre Iguodala kicked in with 15. However, Draymond Green was fantastic. He didn’t do much scoring, but he had 7 rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and seven steals.

The Warriors outscored the Grizzlies 36-28 in the third quarter to lead by 21 after three periods of play. Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Steph Curry, and JaVale McGee paced the Warrior attack. The Warriors continued to play excellent defense.  In the fourth quarter, the Warriors did not let down. They were well aware of their collapse in the January game at Oracle. They increased the lead to 26, but the Grizzlies would not go away. With 4 minutes left in the game, they trailed 115-101 and Warriors’ head coach, Steve Kerr, was starting to get a little nervous. He didn’t have to worry. Draymond Green, who was the player of the game, made two more steals and the Dubs were able to seal the win. Warriors win 122-107.

Game notes and stats- The Player of the Game was Draymond Green. He scored just four points but made NBA history as he made a very rare triple-double. Draymond had 10 assists, 12, rebounds, and a franchise record 10 steals and was the first player to do it scoring less than 10 points. Also, and this is just the frosting on the cake, he blocked five shots. Quite a performance for the young man from Saginaw, Michigan. Klay Thompson finished the night with 36, Steph 18, KD 24, and Andree 22. The Warriors shot 50.6% from the floor and made 15 3-point shots. They also had another game with over 30 assists. They had 14 steals and 13 blocks. Excellent numbers as they lead the NBA in those categories. They were able to run the court as they scored 30 fast break points and another 38 in the paint. Michael Colney led Memphis with 20. Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph each ad 17. Tony Allen had 15, Toney Douglas 11, and James Ennis finished with 10. The Warriors improve to 45-8 while Memphis falls to 33-23.

The Warriors play a back-to-back game Saturday night in Oklahoma City against the Thunder. Kevin Durant will be returning to OKC for the first time since leaving as a free agent to join the Warriors. The game should be very entertaining. Game time is at 5:30 pm.

 

The Warriors rebound from the loss in Sacramento, defeat the Chicago Bulls

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland – The Golden State Warriors, still smarting from a loss to the Sacramento Kings last Saturday, returned to Oracle Arena and defeated the Chicago Bulls 123-92. The Bulls, coached by Fred Hoiberg, were missing two big guns, Jimmy Butler and Dwayne Wade. Butler is dealing with a heel issue, and Wade was not feeling well. The Warriors’ Zaza Pachulia and David West were not available. West has a fractured thumb, and Pachulia injured his rotator cuff diving for a loose ball.

The Warriors led, for the most part, wire to wire. The Bulls tied the game twice early in the first quarter. With the score tied at 11, the Dubs finished the first quarter on a 19-6 run to lead 30-17. JaVale McGee led the Dubs with 8 points in the period. The Bulls played well in the second and third quarters. The Dubs outscored Chicago by just one point in the second quarter and finished the half leading 55-41. The Dubs scored 31 in the third but Chicago was able to stay close as they scored 29 and trailed 86-70 after three, The Warriors blew the game open in the fourth quarter. Klay Thompson got hot, and the Dubs were able to cruise to a 31-point win.

Game Notes and Stats. With the win, the Dubs are now 44-8 for the season. Chicago falls to 26-27. Kevin Durant returned to form Wednesday night. Durant had a double-double with 22 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, and one block. Klay Thompson had a big night, too. Thompson put in 28 points, 3 assists, and 6 rebounds. Draymond Green made 5 3-point shots and finished the night with 19 points. 6 assists, 8 rebounds. Steph Curry and JaVale McGee kicked in with 13 apiece. Kevon Looney, coming off the bench had 10. Briante Weber, making his NBA debut, scored a bucket late in the fourth quarter for his first two points as a Dub. Robin Lopez led the Bulls with 17. Taj Gibson (15), Jerian Grant (12), Rajon Rondo (12) and Nikola Mirotic (10) were in double figures for Chicago.

JaVale McGee, who has really improved, suffered a scary injury midway through the third quarter. McGee, attempting to block a Robin Lopez shot, Somehow was lifted over Lopez’ back and was slammed to the court landing on his backside. McGee appeared to be in a tremendous amount of pain when he went to the locker room. He returned to the bench after the start of the fourth quarter but did not play. After the game, head coach Steve Kerr remarked that JaVale “landed on his rear end and both cheeks hurt.”

“I liked the way the game ended.” Kerr was pleased that the team was able to blow out the Bulls after a very close game for 3 periods. “We had the upper hand with their 2 main guys out.” He was also pleased the Dubs “took care of the ball pretty well” as the team committed just 12 turnovers. The Dubs shot 55.2% from the floor. They were 15 for 30 in 3-point shots. They had 37 assists in the game. They were strong on defense as they outrebounded the Bulls 45-44. They had 9 steals and 5 blocks. The Bulls, not a team that shoots threes well made just 4 and they shot just 17.4% in that department.

The Warriors play the next three games on the road. They face the Memphis Grizzlies Friday night in Memphis. The Grizzlies are the only team in the NBA that has defeated the Dubs twice. The Warriors travel to Oklahoma City to face the Thunder Saturday night. The game will mark the return of Kevin Durant to the city where he starred for 9 years. On Monday, The Warriors will be in Denver before returning home next Wednesday to face the Sacramento Kings at Oracle. The Dubs will be seeking to avenge the loss in Sacramento last Saturday night.

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Trying to analyze Warriors loss to the Kings last Saturday

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Some still can’t believe Golden State lost last Saturday’s game to the Sacramento Kings and there are going to be some nights like that as this team comes into the second half of the season just after the All Star break two weeks ago. They won’t be able to win them all. Keep in mind that game went into overtime. Stephen Curry didn’t get a lot of open layups. That Warrior team was playing a little funky they weren’t getting their shots. It was a game when even head coach for the Warriors Steve Kerr got so frustrated that he got his first ejection as a head coach.

Was it the new arena they were playing in Golden One?, maybe they just couldn’t get adjusted. They weren’t shooting well Draymond Green was suffering from a knee injury before the game, maybe Green wasn’t quite on the ball. This was a game where the Warriors didn’t get too comfortable with themselves because when things don’t go right they don’t execute on the floor.

David Zizmor does the Golden State Warriors podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com take a listen below

Golden State Warriors Saturday game wrap: The Sacramento Kings beat the Warriors in overtime 109-106

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Sacramento Kings forward DeMarcus Cousins, left, and Golden State Warriors forward Andre Iguodala scramble after the ball during the second half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Feb. 4, 2017, in Sacramento, Calif. The Kings won in overtime 109-106. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

By Jerry Feitelberg

Sacramento-As the song says “it was just one of those nights.” The Sacramento Kings beat the Dubs 109-106 in overtime. The Kings snapped a 13-game losing streak against the Warriors with the win. The Dubs had not lost to the Kings in the last four years. The Kings, led by DeMarcus Cousins, shut down the vaunted Warrior offense. Kevin Durant, who was terrific on defense, was not able to get his game going and was held to just 10 points in the game. The Kings double-teamed him all night, and he could not buy a bucket. He missed from three-point range, he missed from mid-range, and when he was able to drive the lane, he was fouled. Steph Curry had a good night until late in the overtime period.With the score 107-106, Steph missed a layup.The Kings scored to lead 109-106. Steph missed a three-point shot that would have tied the game. The Dubs were cooked, and they fell to Sacramento.

The game was a thriller from start to finish. The Warriors led 31-27 at the end of the first quarter. The Kings came back, and the lead changed several times. The Warriors led 56-53 near the end of the second quarter, but the Kings were able to tie at the buzzer. The score was 56 all after 2 periods of play. The Warriors’ Draymond Green, who missed a game with a shoulder contusion, left the game late in the second quarter. Draymond landed awkwardly on the court, grasping his knee. He was helped off the court and went to the locker room.The fear was that Draymond might have had a serious knee injury and could be lost to the team. Those fears were not realized as Draymond returned early in the third quarter.

The Kings started the third quarter on an 8-0 run. The Dubs responded with a 7-0 run to get back in the game. The Kings were leading 74-73 when the Warriors were hit with a double technical. The Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr went ballistic when KD was mugged by three Sacramento players, and no foul was called. Draymond picked a technical for objecting, and Kerr was ejected for his extremely salty language aimed at the referees. Assistant coach Mike Brown took over the coaching reins. The teams ended the third quarter tied at 82. In the fourth quarter, both teams played excellent defense. The Dubs scored just 16 points, and they held the Kings to 16, and the game ended tied at 98. Steph missed a three with 15.8 seconds left and the game went to overtime. In the overtime period, the Kings scored the first 7 points of the period. The Dubs clawed their way back were not able to either tie the game or take the lead. Steph missed the layup and Draymond missed a three three as time expired.

Game Notes and stats- The Warriors record drops to 43-8 while Sacramento improves to 20-31. Steph led the Dubs with 30, and Klay added 26. Draymond Green scored 13 with 6 assists, 8 rebounds, and one block. KD had 10, but he had 8 rebounds and 5 blocks. Shaun Livingston, returning after missing 2 games with a back strain, led the bench with 8 points. DeMarcus Cousins was a force for the Kings with 28 points,9 assists, 12 rebounds and a block. Former Warrior. Matt Barnes scored 11, and he had 3 blocks. Willy Cauley-Stein had a big night for the Kings with 14 points and 4 boards. Anthony Tolliver added 11, Darren Collison 16, and Ben McLemore 10.

The Dubs shot just 41.4% from the floor while the Kings shot 49% The Kings outrebounded the Warriors 46-40. The Warriors had 10 steals and 10 blocks in the game.

The Warriors return home to face the Chicago Bulls Wednesday at Oracle Arena. Game time is at 7:30 pm.

The Warriors, minus four key players, still beat the LA Clippers 133-120

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Los Angeles- The Warriors beat the Clippers for the ninth straight time Thursday night by a score of 133-120 at the Staples Center. The Dubs were without Draymond Green(shoulder contusion), Zaza Pachulia(strained rotator cuff), Shaun Livingston(back strain), nd David West(fractured thumb). The Warriors JaVale McGeee at center in place of Pachulia and Patrick McCaw started at guard. Klay Thompson moved into Green’s forward position. The Warriors got off to a good start and never trailed in the game. The Warriors moved the ball well and recorded 38 assists on 52 field goals. Steve Kerr used his bench quite a bit, and they came through in a big way. They had 7 players in double figures.

The Warriors, behind Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, JaVale McGee, and Patrick McCaw finished the first quarter leading 33-25. The Warriors continued to play well. The Clippers could not catch the Dubs. Blake Griffin played well and was a force as he kept the Clippers close. However, the Dubs responded to every challenge and finished the half leading by 10 points 65-55. KD Led the Dubs with 17. Steph had 12, Klay 10, McCaw 8, McGee 6, and James Michael McAdoo had 6, too. Griffin had 16, JJ Redick kicked in with 13, Jamal Crawford added 8 and DeAndre Jordan had 9 for LA.

The third quarter belonged to the Warriors. As they have done so many times this year, the Warriors outscored the Clippers 39-32 in the quarter. They led 104-87 heading into the fourth and final period. Curry performed his magic once more. He made a three-pointer and another 3 point play when he made a layup and converted a free-throw after being fouled on the play. He also made two-point shots, too. JaVale McGee, Andre Iguodala, and James Michael McAdoo all made key buckets.  Andre made a big 3-point shot as well as a bucket as the buzzer sounded to end the third quarter. The Warriors increased the lead to twenty-one 122-103 late in the quarter. The Clippers rallied as they forced the Dubs to commit three turnovers in a row and came within seven points of tying the game. Durant drained a three, and that was followed by a Thompson 3-pointer that iced the victory. The Clippers were toast. The Dubs win 133-120.

Game Notes and stats- The Clippers last beat the Warriors on Christmas Day, 20014. Since that time the Dubs have won nine straight. The Warriors have won 12 of the last 13 games. The Warriors improve to 43-7 while the Clippers drop to 31-19. The Clippers were without guard Chris Paul. Paul has an injured thumb and will be out for about another six weeks.

The game was televised on TNT and former NBA star, Charles Barkley, now a commentator, not only predicted but “guaranteed” the Clippers would win. Wrong again, Chuck.

Now for the stats. The Dubs took 19 more shots in the game than the Clippers. Golden State made 52 field goals on 99 attempts. The Clippers attempted 80 and made 40. What kept the Clippers in the game was free throws.The Clippers made 30 of 39 free throws. The Dubs had 18 freebies and made 15. The Warriors outrebounded the Clippers 46-37. They had 10 steals and two blocked shots. Steph Curry had a double-double with 29 points and 11 assists. KD also had a double-double. Durant’s line was 26 points,10 assists, and 8 rebounds. Klay Thompson finished with 21. JaVale McGee knocked down 11, and 8 boards and one blocked. Andre Iguodala had 13 points,4 assists, and 4 rebounds. Ian Clark, getting some playing time, added 11 and McAdoo had 10 points and 9 rebounds. The Clippers’ Blake Griffin was a beast on offense. He scored 31 and had 8 rebounds. Austin Rivers had 18, Redick 17 and Jamal Crawford scored 21. Former Warrior, Mo Speights, scored 8 and he had 3 assists and 6 boards.

The Warriors travel to Sacramento to face the Kings Saturday night at the Golden 1 Arena. Game time is at 7:30 pm.

The Warriors do it again, race past the Hornets for another victory

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors never trailed in the game against the Charlotte Hornets Wednesday Evening at Oracle Arena. The Dubs came out with guns blazing as they started strong and sent the Hornets down to their sixth straight loss 126-111. The Dubs led by as much by 30 but head coach Steve Kerr rested his regulars in the fourth quarter.

The Warriors were without the services of three key players Wednesday night. Center Zaza Pachulia injured his right shoulder Sunday night in the game against the Portland Trail Blazers as he dove to the floor trying to get control of a loose ball. He has a strained rotator cuff and will be out for a week. David West, who has been out for two weeks with a broken thumb, was not available and should be ready soon. Backup forward/guard Shaun Livingston did not play either. None of this mattered as Steph Curry, and Klay Thompson put on a show in the first half. Steph scored 26 in the half and made 7 3-point shots. Klay also had 26, and he made 4 3-pointers. Kevin Durant had just 7 in the first 24 minutes of play, and the Warriors led 77-56 at the intermission. They outscored the Hornets by 20 in the first quarter as they led 41-21. The Dubs scored 36 in the second quarter but the Hornets found some rhythm, and they kept pace scoring 35 points.

The Warriors kept it going in the third quarter. Steph continued to make 3-point shots, and the Hornets could not keep pace as Golden State led by thirty 96-66 at one point in the period. The Hornets cut the deficit to 25, but the game was well in hand as the quarter finished with the Dubs comfortably leading 108-83. As mentioned earlier, Kerr removed the starters from the game. The backups made a few turnovers and Charlotte outscored the Dubs 28-18 to cut the deficit to 15. The Warriors win 126-111.

Game Notes and stats- The Warriors number one draft pick, Damian Jones, scored his first points ever in the NBA. He took a pass from James Michael McAdoo and made the layup for the bucket. The Warriors bench was all smiles. Jones scored two more for a total of four for the night. /Steph finished the night with 39 points,8 assists, and 5 rebounds in just 31 minutes of action. Klay Thompson also had a big night with 29 points, 8 assists, and 5 boards. Kevin Durant had 18 and had 8 assists and 8 rebounds as he was superb on defense again.Draymond Green’s lime was 8 points, 5 assists, 10 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. JaVale McGee, starting in place of Pachulia, knocked dow 9 and he, too, had 4 blocked shots. The Warriors bench contributed 23 points in helping win the game. The Warriors shut down the Hornets’ leading scorer Kemba Walker holding him to just 7 points. Scoring leader for the Hornets was big Frank Kaminski. Kaminski did not start, but he was able to score 24 and was a force on defense. Marvin Williams had 14, Nicolas Batum 13, and former Warrior Marco Belinelli added 12.

The Warriors shot 49% from the floor. They made 21 3-point shots good for 43.8% They Hornets shot 44.3% from the floor and made 9 three-point shots in thirty-one attempts. The Warriors defense had 9 steals, 11 blocks, and 47 rebounds. The Dubs scored 38 fast break points and outscore the Hornets 42-40 in points scored in the paint.

The Warriors improve to 42-7 while Charlotte drops to 23-27. The Warriors play another back-to-back game Thursday night as they travel to LA to face the Clippers. Hame time is at 7:30 pm.

 

The Warriors win a thriller in Portland as they hold on to win

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, without their All-Star guard Steph Curry, faced-off against the Trailblazers in Portland Sunday night. Steph, who was sidelined with the stomach flu, was not able to play and Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr had to juggle the starting lineup. He inserted Shaun Livingston at point guard, and the rest of the starters remained the same. The result was the same as the Dubs won 113-111.

The Blazers took an early 8-4 lead in the first quarter. The Dubs went on a 16-2 run to lead 20-10. Kevin Durant was the man in the quarter as he led the team with 11 points. The Dubs led 33-24 after the first 12 minutes of play. The Warriors’ defense was terrific in the period as they held the Blazers to just 24 points. The Warriors’ first bucket in the quarter was a play that should make anyone’s highlight reel. Shain Livingston made a great play by stealing the ball. He ran the court and then made a bounce pass to Andre Iguodala coming down the court on the right side.

Andre swooped in a made the layup and was fouled in the process. He completed the three-point play when he made the free throw. The Warriors led 37-24. They increased the lead to 51-30 about halfway through the quarter. The Warriors offense went ice cold at that point in the game. They continued to play great defense, but they could not buy a bucket. The Blazers took advantage and finished the quarter on a 20-2 to trail by 3 at the end of the half 53-50. KD led the Dubs with 15, Klay Thompson and Zaza Pachulia each had 10. The Blazers’ scoring leader was C.J. McCollum with 14. Big Mason Plumlee had nine.

The third quarter was very close. The Blazers tied the score twice but could never take the lead with the score at 68 apiece, the Dubs finished the period on a 16-4 run to take a 10-point lead heading into the final 12 minutes of play. Draymond Green missed most of the quarter as he was saddled with 4 fouls, but the Dubs still were terrific on defense as they   outscored the Blazers 33-26. In the fourth quarter, the Warriors could not shake the Blazers. Portland kept coming back, and they tied the game at 93. At this point, Andre Iguodala hit a three-point shot that was immense at the time. The Dubs kept answering every Portland challenge until they took a 7-point lead 106-99 with just 37.5 seconds left to play.

The Blazers decided to foul the Dubs every time they touched the ball in the hopes that they could either tie the game or win it at the buzzer. The feel was similar to the situation in Miami when the Dubs lost at the buzzer. The strategy worked as the Blazers closed to trail by 2 111-109. Klay made 2 free throws to give the Dubs the lead 113-109. They let the Blazers make an easy layup with just 5.6 seconds left on the clock.The Warriors almost made a fatal mistake when they were taking out the ball. Kevin Durant was charged with a foul when he pushed off trying to get free. The ball went to Portland, and the Warriors escaped when Evan Turner, a 30% three-point shooter, missed from the corner. The Dubs hold on to win 113-111.

Game Notes and Stats- The Warriors’ big man, Kevin Durant was the player of the game. He had a double-double with 33 points, 10 rebounds and six assists Klay Thompson, who was couldn’t make a shot in the second quarter, finished with 27. Zaza Pachulia had a big night with 14. JaVale McGee added 7. Draymond Green scored 5points, 5 assists, and 6 rebounds. The third star of the night went to Andre Iguodala, Andre knocked down 12 points to go along with 5 assists and three boards. Andre made 4 3-point shots in the game.

Scoring leaders for Portland were McCollum with 25. Oakland native Damian Lillard had 19, Evan Turner,18, Mason Plumlee 15, and Maurice Harkless, off the bench, added 10. On defense, Warriors had 13 steals and 6 blocked shots. Portland outdid them in three categories. Portland scored 22 points off turnovers while the Dubs could manage just 18. The Blazers held a 60-32 advantage in points scored in the paint and they had a one-point advantage 18-17 on fast breaks.

The Warriors improve to 41-7 while Portland falls to 21-28. The Warriors snapped Portland’s modest three-game winning streak.

After the game, Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr had this to say about the win:”we survived.” “Our guys didn’t have a ton of energy” as the played another back-to-back game.” “We gutted it out.”

The Warriors do not play until Wednesday. They play the Charlotte Hornets at Oracle Arena. Game time is at 7:30. The Warriors travel to LA to face the Clippers Thursday night to start a six-game road trip.

 

The Warriors obliterate the Clippers 144-98, Steph Curry puts on a show

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The Golden State Warriors, behind Steph Curry’ 43 point night, blew out the LA Clippers by 46 points 144-98. The Clippers were without their star guard Chris Paul, but even if he were able to play, there was no way to stop the Warriors on Saturday night.

The Clippers led 5-4  in the early going. That was the last time they would ever lead in the game. In the first quarter, Steph scored 12 and made two 3-point shots. They were ahead by 10 48-38 when they started to pull away from the Clips. Draymond Green made a sensational play on defense as he blocked a shot, then ran the court and took a pass and slammed in down to light up the crowd. The Dubs led by 18 69-51 near the end of the first half. Steph Curry sent the crowd into delirium when he hit a shot from half-court as the buzzer sounded to make it  72-51 after 24 minutes of play. Curry and Kevin Durant led the team with 18 each. Klay had 12.

The Warriors, who had a hard time in the third quarter against the Magic, Heat, and Hornets, returned to form and pounded the Clippers 45-23 in the period. Steph was on fire and seemed to make every shot he attempted. When the quarter ended, Steph had recorded 43 points and had made 9 3-point shots in just 34 minutes of playing time. The Dubs outscored the bewildered Clipper 45-23 and led 117-74 with 12 minutes left in the game.

Coach Steve Kerr pulled all his regulars from the game, Ian Clark, Patrick McCaw, Kevin Looney, James Michael McAdoo, and Anderson Varejao finished the game for Golden State. The Dubs’ bench outscored the Clippers’ bench 27-24. Dubs win 144-98.

Game Notes and Stats. The Warriors, with the win, improve to 40-7. The Clippers, in second place in the Pacific Division, fall to 30-18 and are 10.5 games behind the Warriors. Steph Curry’s line was 43 points, 6 assists, and 9 rebounds. Kevin Durant had another good game with 23 points,7 assists,4 boards and one blocked shot.Klay Thompson had 16, Draymond Green 5 points,5 assists, 5 rebounds, and two blocked shots. James Michael McAdoo had 10 points and four boards, Andre Iguodala had 9 points, 5 assists, and six rebounds. JaVale McGee scored 9 to go with 3 boards and 2 blocked shots.

The Clippers were led by Blake Griffin with 20, JJ Redick,13, Austin Rivers and Raymond Felton 10 each. The Warrior’s defense was superb again as they held DeAndre Jordan to 8 and super sub Jamal Crawford managed just 5. The Warriors controlled the boards 48-32, and they had 9 steals and 7 blocked shots. On offense, the Dubs shot a blistering 62% from the floor. They were 17-for-34 good for 50% on three-point attempts. They committed just 11 turnovers and forced the Clippers to turn the ball over 14 times.They made 57 shots from the floor and had 35 assists in the game.

The Dubs do not have long to savor the win as they play another back-to-back game Sunday night in Portland. The game will be on NBA TV, and it will start at 6 pm.

The Warriors rally in the fourth quarter to defeat a very determined Charlotte Hornets team

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors met the Charlotte Hornets Wednesday night in Charlotte. The game with the Hornets was the last stop on a four-game road trip. The Warriors were looking to rebound after a very tough loss Monday in Miami. In fact, the Warriors had three tough games in a row. They struggled to beat Orlando. They struggled in the loss to Miami, and they struggled until halfway through the fourth quarter. They were down by five at the end of the third period. Every time they tried to close the gap in the fourth quarter, they were rebuffed by the Hornets.About halfway through the period, the Warriors found their game and led by Kevin Durant and Steph Curry, they pulled away to record the win 113-103.

The Hornets, coached by Steve Clifford, do not like to run. They, like the Memphis Grizzlies, utilize a deliberate style of play and use a lot of the clock. They also were dominant on the boards, especially getting offensive rebounds, and kept the Warriors from getting too far ahead. The Warriors got off to a good start. Steph Curry scored thirteen, and Kevin Durant had nine, and they were ahead by six 19-13. Charlotte played strong defense and closed the gap to one 29-28 after 12 minutes of play. In the second quarter, Klay Thompson was the man. The Dubs were getting him the ball, and Klay responded with seven. The Warriors, however, could not get separation from Charlotte and the half ended with Golden State ahead by 6 53-47.

In the third quarter, the Hornets outscored the Warriors 33-22 and led by five after three periods. Charlotte started the quarter on a 19-4 run. The Warriors looked like they were out of sync and didn’t get going until late in the quarter. They closed the gap to just two, but the Hornets’ Kemba Walker was fouled making a 3-point attempt with just 1.5 seconds left. Walker made the freebies, and the Hornets led 80-75 heading into the fourth and final period of play. Klay Thompson made 3 free throws to start the quarter, and the Dubs trailed by one.

The Warriors rallied to tie the score at 85. At this point, the refs called Klay for a foul on a three-point shot by former Warrior, Marco Belinelli. Klay, who never loses his cool on the court, and really was angry that he was called for the foul. The refs hit him with a technical and Belinelli mad all four free throws. The replay showed that Klay never touched Belinelli and it was a bad and costly call.

Belinelli was fouled again making a 3-pointer, and he made all three shots again. The Warriors decided it was time to shut the Hornets down. They went small as they installed Draymond Green at the center position. Kevin Durant came to life and scored 16 points in the fourth quarter. KD drove the lane and was fouled several times. He did not miss a free throw. The Hornets could not defend him.With the score 99-96 in favor of the Dubs, Steph hit a three-pointer to put the Dubs up 102-96. The Warriors defense throttled the Hornets, and they were able to pull away and won the game 113-103. It was a dogfight for all 48 minutes.

Game Notes and Stats. The Warriors are now 39-7 while Charlotte falls to 23-23. Kevin Durant led the Dubs with 33 points, 2 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. Steph’s line was 28 points, 6 assists, 2 boards, and he mad six 3-point shots. Klay scored 19. Draymond pitched in with 13 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots. James Michael McAdoo had a nice game coming off the bench as he added 8 points and had 7 rebounds.

Charlottes’ leading scorer was Kemba Walker with 26. Marvin Williams had 14, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist 15, Nicolas Batum 16, Marco Belinelli 14. Spencer Hawes had a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds. The Warriors committed 12 turnovers which led to 21 Hornet points. The Dubs scored 28 fast break points, and the Hornets managed to score just 4. Points-in-the-paint went to Charlotte 52-40. The Warriors extended the NBA record to 132 games without 2 losses in a row.

Steph Curry was honored at his high school in Charlotte when they retired Steph’s number. Davidson College also honored Steph by naming “Section 30” at Belk Arena for Steph. The NBA fined Zaza Pachulia $15,000 for hitting a player at the game in Miami Monday night.

The Warriors return home to face the Los Angeles Clipper on Saturday. Game time is at 5:30 pm. The Warriors then play a back-to-back game Sunday in Portland against the Trailblazers. Game time for that contest is at 5 pm.