Category: Golden State Warriors

The Miami Heat, behind Dion Waiters, torch the Warriors 7-game winning streak

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Miami Heat’s Dion Waiters shoots a basket in the final seconds of the game to secure a victory over the Golden State Warriors’ Klay Thompson during an NBA basketball game in Miami, Monday, Jan. 23, 2017. (Charles Trainor Jr./Miami Herald via AP)

by Jerry Feitelberg

The Miami Heat, winners of three-straight before meeting the Warriors Monday night, looked like a playoff team. They entered the game with a record of 14-30 but did not play like a 14-30 team as they beat the Dubs 105-102.The game was nip and tuck all the way. The biggest lead the Heat had was nine points in the first quarter and the largest lead the Dubs had all night was six.

Miami started strong while the Warriors were ice cold. The Dubs were 3-for-12 from the field to start the game. Miami owned the lead 26-17 until Steve Kerr inserted JaVale McGee into the game. McGee gave the Warriors the spark they needed, and they took the lead 30-28 at the end of the quarter. Klay Thompson and McGee made the first two buckets of the second quarter and the Dubs led by six. The lead didn’t last long as the Heat tied the game at 36. They tied the score four more times in the quarter before the Warriors scored the final bucket of the half when Steph Curry made a layup as the buzzer sounded.  The Dubs hold a 2-point advantage at halftime 48-46. Steph led the team with 11, and Kevin Durant added 10. Gorin Dragic led the Heat with 11, Waiters and James Johnson had nine apiece.

So far this season, the Warriors have owned the third quarter. However, tonight was not their night. The quarter belonged to Miami. They outscored the Dubs 31-25. Dion Waiters was hot, and he was clicking from downtown. The game did seesaw back and forth, but the Heat took the lead 63-62 and increased it to 77-73 at the end of the period.  The Dubs regained the lead briefly 82-81, but Miami didn’t wilt. They increased the lead to 93-84. The Warriors couldn’t close the gap, and Miami led by ten 98-88 with 3:47 remaining in the game. The Dubs rallied behind Steph, Klay, and KD. Steph made a deuce and Klay, and KD made a three-point shot as the Dubs tied the score at 102 with 11 seconds left in the game. The Heat’s Dion Waiters, who tied his career high with 33 points, sank a three-point shot with just 0.6 seconds left in the game.

Game Notes and Stats- The Warriors were without the services of Andre Iguodala Monday night as Steve Kerr gave him the night off. The Warriors shot 46.6% from the floor, but they had a tough night making three-point shots. They attempted 30 and made just 8. Four of the eight were made in the fourth quarter. Steph and Klay were three-for-nine, and the Dubs shooting percentage for threes was a woeful 26.7%.

KD led the Dubs with 27. Steph had 21, and Klay added 22. The Heat was led by Waiters 33. Dragic had 19, Luke Babbitt 11, James Johnson and Wayne Ellington pitched in with 9 apiece. The Heat’s big man, Hassan Whiteside had a double-double with 10 points and 15 rebounds.

The Dubs fall to 38-7 while Miami improves to 15-30. The Warriors finish the road trip in Charlotte Wednesday evening. Game time is at 5 pm.

 

The Warriors start slowly but right the ship in the third quarter to beat the Orlando Magic

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors played a very sloppy first half in the game against the Orlando Magic in Orlando on Sunday. The game had a start time of 12-noon, and many of the players were on 9 am west coast time. The Warriors and the Magic were tied at 50 at the end the first 24 minutes of play. During the halftime, Dub’s head coach must have used some of his “magic”(pun intended) to get the Dubs back on track for the second. Whatever it was, the men in blue and yellow dominated the third quarter, and the Warriors coasted to their 8th straight win by a score of 118-98.

The Warriors ended the first quarter with a 6 point lead 28-22. Orlando, trailing 10-6, went on a 10-0 run to grab the lead 16-10. JaVale McGee entered the game Golden State, and in just five minutes of play, McGee scored 8 points and had an assist to help the Dubs end the quarter on a 13-2 run. McGee scored on a tip-in, a spike, a   layup and on a give-and-go. He recorded an assist when he dished off to Ian Clark who nailed a 3-pointer to give the Dubs the lead 28-22.

The second quarter was a nightmare for the Warriors. They went over five minutes without scoring a point. The Magic scored the first 16 points in the period to lead 38-28. Zaza Pachulia broke the spell with a bucket. The Warriors started to play defense and cut down on turnovers as they were able to come back and take a 50-47 lead near the end of the period. The Magic came back and tied it at 50 to end the half. Steph Curry was the only Warrior in double figures as he knocked down 11. The Magic’s scoring leaders were C.J.Watson and Serge Ibaka with nine each. The Warriors committed 12 turnovers in the half and were not in sync.

Now, we come to the third quarter. The Dubs have been superb all season long in this quarter and on Sunday, they shined. They outscored the Magic 42-24 and led by 18 at the close of the third period. Steph Curry made four 3-point shots, and Klay Thompson added two of his own. With the score 55-50 in Orlando’s favor. The Warriors went on a 19-2 run to lead 69-57. The Warriors kept the pressure on and ended the quarter with an 18-point advantage 92-74

The Warriors defense did not allow the Magic back in the game. Klay Thompson had two more 3-pointers. Andre Iguodala and Patrick McCaw also made a three. Kerr inserted his bench with six minutes left, and they coasted to the win.

Game Notes and Stats- The Warriors won their 8th game in a row and now own a record of 38-6. The Magic, coached by Frank Vogel, fell to 18-28. The game was a sellout in Orlando. The Magic have not been drawing well this year. There were so many Warrior fans in attendance; the team must have felt they were at home. Shaun Livingston did not play as the Warriors gave him the day off. Damian Jones, the number one draft choice of the Dubs this year, saw about six minutes of action in the fourth quarter but did not score.

Now for the stats-Steph Curry led the team with 27 points, six assists, and four boards. Klay Thompson scored 21. Both Steph and Klay hit seven 3-p0int shots. Kevin Durant had another double-double. He pitched in with 15 points, six assists, ten rebounds, and two blocked shots. The big men, Zaza Pachulia and JaVale McGee, scored 14 and 13 respectively. Draymond Green played his usual superb game. His line was 6 points, four assists, and ten rebounds. Patrick McCaw, coming off the bench, added 10. Ian Clark had 7, and Andre Iguodala had a nice game with 5 points, five assists, six rebounds, and one blocked shot. The Magic leading scorers were Elfrid Payton with 23, Bismarck Byombo with 12, C.J.Watson 12, Serge Ibaka 10, Jeff Green 12, and Nikola Vucevic 12.

More stats- the Warriors shot 47.2% from the floor and held the Magic to 43.8%. The Dubs were 19-for-42 from behind the arc. Steph and Klay made seven each. The Dubs outrebounded the Magic 52-41. They had 27 assists on 42 field goals. They had eight steals and four blocks. The one negative was turnovers. They made 12 in the first half but got their act together and committed just 6 in the last 24 minutes of play. They had 37 fast break points and scored 46 in the paint.

After the game, Steve Kerr talked about the team’s defense. “If we can focus on defense, we can run.” “with the firepower we have that means we can get one or more (of our big guns) going .” Kerr also remarked about the crowd cheering for Steph Curry. Kerr said ” everybody loves Steph. There are a lot of supporters on the road.”

The Warriors move on to Miami to face the Heat Monday night. Game time is at 4:30 pm. The Warriors beat the Heat 107-95 on January 10th at Oracle Arena.

 

 

The Warriors do it again, win their sixth in a row over the Houston Rockets 125-108

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors are on a roll. They beat the Houston Rockets in Houston by a score of 125-108. The Warriors continue to play great defense as the held the Rockets All-Star James Harden to just 17 points. The Warriors led by five at the half 62-57. However, as they have done so often this season, they put it into gear and outscored the Rockets 37-22 to lead by twenty at the end of three periods of play.

They continue to shine on defense. They blocked seven shots and had eight steals. They continue to lead the NBA in both those categories. The big block of the night came in the fourth quarter when Kevin Durant blocked Eric Gordon’s 3-point shot. Gordon was 2-for-14  from the floor and ended the night with just six points.

With the win, the Warriors are now 37-6 for the season. The Rockets drop to 33-13 and are 2 games back of the San Antonio Spurs in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference. All five Warrior starter were in double figures. KD had a big night with 32 points,7 assists, 4 boards, and 2 blocked shots. Steph Curry made 5 three-point shots and ended the night with 24 points and he, too, had 7 assists. Klay Thompson knocked down 16. The Dubs’ defensive whiz, Draymond Green continued his excellent season with 15 points, 7 assists,8 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots.

Zaza Pachulia, who seems to be getting better as he gets used to the Warriors’ offense, recorded 10 points, 2 assists, and 9 rebounds. Andre Iguodala had 5 points, 2 assists, and 9 big rebounds helping the Dubs to the win. Patrick McCaw and James Michael McAdoo, who is filling in for the injured David West, each had 8 points. James Harden had a double-double with 17 points and 11 assists. Harden also committed 7 turnovers.Clint Capela scored 22, Sam Dekker 17, Patrick Beverly,13, and Trevor Aziza 12.

The Warriors have recorded 30 or more assists for the fourth game in a row and the 30th time this season. No other team in the NBA has had more than 8 games with 30 or more assists.

The Warriors have now beaten three of the five teams that have defeated them so far this year. They evened the series with a convincing win over the Cleveland Cavaliers last Monday. They beat the Lakers in November after an embarrassing early season loss in LA. They now defeated the Rockets to get a measure of revenge as the Rockets beat the Dubs in double-overtime at Oracle Arena in December. The Dubs now have to beat the Memphis Grizzlies, and San Antonio Spurs to get even. They play Memphis twice in February, once in Memphis and once at Oracle. They play the Sputs two more time, and both games will be in San Antonio.

The Warriors fly to the Sunshine State to play the Orlando Magic. Game time is at, gulp, 9 am Sunday morning. They play the Miami Heat on Monday.

Kevin Durant leads the Warriors to victory over his former team, the Oklahoma City Thunder

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors faced the OKC Thunder Wednesday night at Oracle Arena. The Warriors, fresh off a smashing victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, had a tough time getting their game going as OKC took advantage of the Warriors eleven turnovers in the first half. The Thunder’s defense held the Dubs to just eight three-point shots. The game was tied at 56 at the half. The Warriors, behind Kevin Durant’s 40 points, broke the game open in the third quarter as they were able to beat the Thunder 121-100.

The Thunder’s Russell Westbrook, Victor Oladipo, and Enes Kanter led the Thunder’s offense. They played well on defense. The Thunder led 31-30 after the first quarter. The Thunder went on a 9-3 run to start the second quarter. The Warriors came back and took the lead 44-42. The Dubs’ David West scored six and KD made a trey to tie the game at 42. The Dubs were up by four 56-52 near the end of the quarter. Russell Westbrook scored the last 4 points, and the game was tied at 56 to end the first half. Kevin Durant knocked down 20, and Steph had 13 to lead Golden State in scoring.

The Warriors, as they have done so many times this year, owned the third quarter. Draymond Green scored six points to start the quarter. Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Klay Thompson all came alive in the period. The Warriors stopped making turnovers, and they played superb defense. They outscored OKC 37-22 to take a 15 point lead after three periods of play. They did not let up in the fourth quarter. They increased the lead to 19 with 7:41 left to play. With the score 117-94, coach Steve Kerr removed his starters from the game. JaVale McGee, Ian Clark, Kevon Looney, Patrick McCaw and Shaun Livingston finished the game, and the Warriors won the game by a final score of 121-100

Game Notes and Stats- The Warriors improved their record to 36-6 and OKC fell to 25-19. OKC’s big man, Steve Adams, was not able to play as he is recovering from a concussion. Klay Thompson was in Portland due to an illness in the family, but he flew back in time to be in the lineup.

Kevin Durant had another double-double. He recorded 40 points, 4 assists, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots. Steph Curry pitched in with 24 points, 8 assists, and 4 boards. Klay scored 14. Draymond Green also had a double-double. Draymond pitched in with 12 points, 5 assists, ten rebounds and 3 blocked shots. Shaun Livingston(8), David West(8), and Andre Iguodala(6) all made contributions in helping the Dubs win. The scoring leader for OKC was Russell Westbrook. Westbrook had a quadruple-double. He scored 27 to go along with 13 assists, 15 rebounds, and 10 turnovers. Victor Oladipo had 20, and Enes Kanter picked up 22 coming off the bench.

The Warriors outrebounded the Thunder 46-36. The Dubs recorded another game with over 30 assists. They had 35 assists on 48 field goals. They were great on defense as they had 8 blocks and ten steals.They outscored the Thunder 56-48 in points in the paint, and they had 29 fast break points compared to 19 for the Thunder. The one negative was turnovers. The Warriors committed 18 turnovers, and that cost them 29 points. They made 11 turnovers in the first half but had better ball control in the second as they were able to pull away and record the win.

The Warriors start a four-game road trip Friday Night in Houston. Game time is at 5 pm. The Rockets beat the Warriors in double overtime earlier in the season at Oracle Arena. The Rockets are 33-12, and Jame Harden’s play has him in the running for the NBA’s MVP.The Warriors then go to Orlando, Miami, and Charlotte before returning home to face the LA Clippers on January 28th.

 

 

The Warriors blow out the Cavs, send them down to defeat

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, having lost their last four games against the Cleveland Cavaliers, were on a mission  Monday night at Oracle Arena. The Warriors still smarting from losing the NBA Finals to the Cavs last year and a one-point loss on Christmas Day in Cleveland sent a message to the Cavs by beating them by 35 points. The final score was 126-91. The Warriors Big Four played extremely well. The Warriors excelled on offense as they shot 50.5% from the floor. They made fifteen three-point shots. The Cavs had a miserable night as the best they could do was shoot just 35% from the floor. The Warriors had more rebounds 58-35, assists 37-11, steals 10-7 and blocked shots 11-4.The Warriors scored 37 fast break points and had 46 points in the paint.

The Warriors started fast. They had an early 9-2 lead. Cleveland trailed by four 18-14, but that was as close as they would get. The Warriors poured in on as they led 37-22 at the end of the quarter. They then scored 41 points in the second quarter and held the Cavs to 27. They led 78-49 at the end of the half. The 78 points were the most the Dubs scored in a half this season. The onslaught was led by Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Andre Iguodala and Klay Thompson.

In the third quarter, the Warriors did not play well. The Cavaliers held the Dubs to just 17 while they scored 22. Cleveland held the Dubs without a field goal in the last 5 minutes of play in the period. The Cavs went on a 13-1 run to end the quarter. The Dubs were ice cold as they missed 12 shots in a row.The Warriors still led by 24 but the fans were getting nervous as they remembered the Cavalier comeback on Christmas day. The Warriors, behind Klay Thompson’s fantastic performance in the quarter, upped the lead to 38 with 4:41 left in the game. Coach Steve Kerr pulled his starters, and the bench finished the game.

Game Notes and Stats. Steph Curry had a double-double in the game. Steph scored 20 points and had 11 assists and 2 rebounds. Draymond Green notched his third triple-double of the season. Green was all over the court. He had 11 points,11 assists,13 rebounds and 5 blocked shots. Zaza Pachulia tied Draymond with 13 rebounds. The fans loved his play as they gave him a standing ovation when he left the game in the fourth quarter. Kevin Durant pitched in with 21 points, 5 assists, 6 boards, and 2 blocked shots. Andre Iguodala continued to play well. Iguodala had a slow start earlier in the season, but his production has gone up lately. Klay Thompson led the Dubs with 26. Klay had 18 in the second half and many of them came in the fourth quarter.  Andre knocked down 14, had 5 assists, 3 rebounds, and one blocked shot. Shaun Livingstone, David West, and JaVale McGee all were productive off the bench.

The Warriors held LeBron James to just 20 points. Kevin Love was not a factor as he scored just 3. Kyrie Irving had 17, Tristan Thompson,6,  and Imam Shumpert 15. Kyle Korver, who the Cavs obtained from Atlanta for his 3-point shooting, was held to 11. Richard Jefferson scored twenty, but most of his points came in garbage time.

The Warriors record improved to 35-6 while Cleveland dropped to 29-11. The Warriors face the Oklahoma City Thunder Wednesday night at Oracle Arena. Game time is at 7:30 pm. They then travel to Houston to face the Rockets Friday night.

The Warriors send the Pistons down to defeat 127-107

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, after a very close first half, outscored the Detroit Pistons 41-19 in the third quarter to defeat the Pistons 127-107. The Warriors and Pistons played a very highly contested first half that was featured by 21 lead changes. The Dubs finished the first half leading 60-58

The third quarter belonged to the Warriors. They scored 41 points to put the game out of reach. The Warriors Big Three, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Klay Thompson all scored more than 20 points in a game for the 13th time this season, and they have won all the games when that happens. With the win, the Dubs improve to 34-6 while Detroit drops to 18-23.

Game Notes and Stats- The Warriors shot 56.2% from the floor and made 15 3-point shots in 29 tries. They had good ball movement as they recorded 39 assists. It was the 27th game this season that they have scored 30 or more assists in a game. They continued to play defense, They had 14 steals and 4 blocks in the game. They outran the Pistons as they outscored the Detroiters 29-2 on fast break points. Kevin Durant scored 25, Steph Curry 24, and Klay Thompson 23. Detroit had 5 players in double points. Marcus Morris 21, Tobias Harris 18, Andre Drummond 12, Reggie Jackson,14 and the 7 foot 3 inch Boban Marjonavic had 13.

The Warriors are off until Monday. The face the Cleveland Cavaliers at Oracle Arena. Game time is at 5 pm.

Golden State Warriors Tuesday game wrap:The Warriors defeat the Miami Heat. It was not easy.

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By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, playing without Klay Thompson, faced a very determined Miami Heat team Tuesday Night at Oracle Arena. The Warriors downed the Heat 107-95 to improve the season record to 33-6. The Heat’s record dropped to 11-29.

The Warriors gave Klay Thompson the night off as they probably thought the Heat game would not be that difficult. Guess what?  The Heat got close about halfway through the fourth quarter, but the Warriors behind Steph Curry and Kevin Durantt were able to put the Heat away. The Heat is a team with professional basketball players.They have had a lot of injuries and lost Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade, but they are in the NBA, and a lowly team can beat an elite team on any given night. Warrior coach Steve Kerr said that he “gave them a lot of credit and that the team plays hard.” He also said that their center Hassan Whiteside “was a handful.” ” They are better than their record shows, and they don’t have enough firepower to win consistently,”

The Heat led the Dubs by 10 25-15 late in the first quarter. The Warriors woke up and tied the game at 27, but the Heat scored at the end of the period to lead 29-27 after the first 12 minutes of play. The Warriors had a 13-2 run to start the second quarter. But they went cold late in the quarter, and the Heat turned the tables on them as they went on a 15-6 run to take the lead 49-48.The Warriors tied the game at 51, but Patrick McCaw committed a foul on a three-point shot.The half ended with the Heat ahead by one-point 54-53.

The Warriors played fantastic defense in the third quarter and outscored the Heat 26-14 to take a 79-68 advantage. Kevin Durant paced the Dubs in scoring and KD and Draymond Green along with Andre Iguodala were superb on defense. The Dubs scored the first bucket in the fourth quarter to up the lead to thirteen. However, the Heat chipped away at the lead and close the gap to just three trailing 85-82. The Dubs scored the next five points. Ian Clark drained a three to put the Dubs up by seven 89-82. The Warriors pulled away to lead by 17 late in the game. They led 107-90 but the Heat scored the last 5 points of the contest. Warriors win 107-95.

The Stats- The Warriors shot 45.7% from the floor. Steph Curry led the Warriors with 24 points, 9 assists, and 8 rebounds. Steph also blocked a shot. KD led the team with 28 points. Draymond Green added 13 to go along with 5 assists, nine rebounds, and 2 blocked shots.Zaza Pachulia had 8. The bench players Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, and Ian Clark added 9, 8 and 10 respectively.The Warriors, who love to run, scored 34 fast break point. However, the Heat was able to score 58 points in the paint, and they held the Dubs to 36 in that department. The Heat’s center Hassan Whiteside was a force as he scored 28 points and snagged 20 rebounds.Goren Dragic knocked down 17 and Tyler Johnson, from Mountain View, pitched in with 18 points, 3 assists, and 7 rebounds. Janes Johnson helped the Heat cause with 14.

The Dubs were terrific on defense. They outrebounded the Heat 57-49. Golden State had 6 steals and seven blocks. The Dubs protected the ball and committed just 11 turnovers.

The Warriors meet the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night at Oracle Arena. Game time will be at 7:30 pm.

 

The Warriors rebound from the loss to the Grizzlies as they defeat the Sacramento Kings 117-106

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Sacramento- The Golden State Warriors traveled the I-80 to Sacramento Sunday night to face the Kings at the new Golden 1 Arena. The Warriors, still smarting from their stunning loss to Memphis Friday night, did not get off to a good start against the Kings. The Kings, behind red-hot Rudy Gay and Ty Lawson, led the Warriors by 16  two-thirds of the way in the second quarter. The Kings’ big man, DeMarcus Cousins committed his third foul with 4:14 left in the half. Cousins came out of the game. As he went to the bench, he lost his temper and pounded his chair. He was charged with a technical foul.The Warriors started to play defense and were able to cut the deficit to 7 as they trailed 58-51 at the end of 24 minutes of play.

The Warriors, as they have done so may times this season, owned the third quarter. They started the period with a 19-7 run and took the lead for the first time with 7:34 left in the quarter. They outscored the Kings 39-22 to finish the third quarter leading 90-80. The Dubs, behind the superb defensive skills of Draymond Green, Kevin Durant, and Andre Iguodala, did not let the Kings back into the game. The Warriors outscored the Kings 27-26 and won the game by a final score of 117-106.

Game Notes- Steph Curry led the Dubs with 30 points. Steph made 5  3-point shots and had 6 assists and 4 rebounds. Steph has now scored 30 or more points in his last 3 games. Kevin Durant knocked down 28 to go along with six assists, 7 rebounds, and 4 blocked shots. Zaza Pachulia scored 10, and it was his fourth straight game in double figures. Draymond Green had 10 assists for the 12th time this season and the third time in his last four games.  Draymond kicked in with nine points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots. Andre Iguodala posted 8 points, 5 assists, and 7 rebounds. The Warriors had 30 assists in a game for the 26th time this season. The Kings had six players in double figures. Rudy Gay had 23, DeMarcus Cousins 17, Anthony Tolliver 16, Darren Collison 14, Garrett Temple 14, and Ty Lawson 15.

The Warriors shot 50.6% from the floor and made 10 3-point shots. They Warriors outrebounded the Kings 46-31 and had 13 offensive rebounds. The Dubs blocked 6 shots and had 11 steals.They turned the ball over 17 times, and the Kings were able to score 24 points off those turnovers. The Dubs excelled in the paint as they scored 52 points. They also outscored Sacramento 28-3 in fast break points.

The Warriors defeated the Kings for the 13th straight time. The last time the Kings beat the Dubs was March 27th, 2013 and the last time the Dubs lost in Sacramento was on December 19th, 2012. The Warriors have now played 124 games without back-to-back losses.

The Warriors return home to face the Miami Heat Tuesday night at Oracle Arena. Game time is at 7:30 pm. They play the Detroit Pistons Thursday night at Oracle and then meet the Cleveland Cavaliers Monday Night January 16th (Martin Luther King Day) at 5:00 pm.The game will be on National TV.

The Memphis Grizzlies overcome a 24-point deficit to stun the Warriors in overtime 128-119

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Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry (30) drives past Memphis Grizzlies’ Marc Gasol (33) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 6, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland-The Memphis Grizzlies, down by 24 points 88-64 midway through the third quarter, stopped the Warriors cold in the fourth quarter. The Grizzlies never led at all in the entire 48 minutes of regulation. They tied the game at 2 in the first quarter and trailed until they tied the game at 111 at the end of the second half. The Grizzlies owned the five -minute overtime period to send the Dubs down to their sixth loss of the year by a score 128-119.

The Warriors lost to Memphis in Memphis on December 10th. The Dubs lost that game by 21 points and were gunning to avenge that loss Friday night at the Oracle Arena.They knew the Grizzlies like to slow the game down. The Grizzlies love to play defense as they are tied for second in that department. The Dubs started well. Steph Curry, playing more aggressively, scored 17 in the first quarter to put the Dubs up by five 34-29. They continued to play well in the second quarter too. The Warriors scored 33 and held the Grizzlies to 28 and led by 12 at the half 67-55. Steph had 19, Klay Thompson knocked down 15, and Kevin Durant added 16.

The Warriors looked unstoppable in the third quarter as they finished the period with a 19-point lead. Steph made four 3-point shots, and the crowd was going wild. No one in the arena could believe what was about to transpire in the fourth quarter. The Grizzlies shut down the Warrior offense. The Warriors went almost nine minutes without a field goal. They made just two buckets in the entire fourth quarter. They scored a total of just 13 points while the Grizzlies outscored them by nineteen to tie the game and send the contest into overtime. The Warriors missed seven free throws in the final period of play to help seal their fate. The Grizzlies dominated play with a smothering defense and were able to get back into the game behind the play of their big men, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph. Point guard Michael Conley was a force and Troy Daniels made four 3-pointers that helped the Grizzlies to victory. The Grizzlies owned the overtime period. They took the lead for the first time 113-111 and never trailed to win 128-119.

Game Notes- The Warriors turned the ball over just six times in the first half. The second half was a different story as they committed nine turnovers and the Grizzlies were able to capitalize on those mistakes. With the loss, the Warriors are now 31-6 for the year while the Grizzlies,- under first-year head coach Dave Fizdale, improve to 23-16. The Grizzlies now are 2-0 against Golden State this season.

All the Warrior starters were in double figures. Steph led the team with 40 points, six assists, and 4 rebounds. Kevin Durant had a double-double with his 27 points and 13 rebounds. Klay had 17, Draymond 11 points and 8 boards. Zaza Pachulia scored 10, and Shaun Livington tallied 7. Michale Conley paced Memphis with 27 and 12 assists. Zach Randolph, coming off the bench, had a double-double. Randolph scored a season-high 27 to go along with 6 assists and 11 rebounds. Marc Gasol chipped in with 23.The Grizzlies scored 56 points in the paint, and they had 29 assists. The Dubs were held to just 23 assists.

The Warriors will have 48 hours to reflect on the loss. They probably played the worst quarter of basketball of the season Friday night.

The Warriors travel to Sacramento to face the Kings at the new Golden 1 Arena on Sunday. Game time is at 6 pm.

The Portland Trailblazers give the Warriors a very tough battle, however, the Warriors do not lose 125-117

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The Golden State Warriors had their hands full with the visiting Portland Trailblazers Wednesday night at the Oracle Arena. The Blazers were missing Damian Lillard who was unable to play due to an ankle injury. The Dubs beat the Blazers by 45 points the last time they were in town on  December 17th. With Lillard out, people were predicting the Dubs would pulverize the Blazers again. Not so fast, the Blazers, behind C.J.McCollum’s 26 points in the first half led Portland to a two-point lead 71-69. The Dubs defense shut down McCollum in the second half, and they were able to come back and beat the Blazers 125-117.

The Warriors and Blazers were scorching hot in the first and second quarters. The Dubs led by six 40-34 at the end of the first quarter. The Warriors increased the lead to 13, but Portland owned the last 7 minutes of the second quarter as they finished the half with a flurry and outscored the Dubs by eight points 37-29 to give them the 2-point lead at the end of the half. Both Teams were on pace to score 140 points in the game. McCollum was hot as he scored 26 and hit several 3-point shots. He had help from Allen Crabbe who scored 14 and Maurice Harkless who added 8. Evan Turner, coming off the bench, scored 7 for the Blazers. Kevin Durant led the Dubs with 21 and Steph Curry pitched in with 16. Klay Thompson had 7, and Zaza Pachulia knocked down nine.The Dubs turned the ball over 8 times, and that helped the Blazers overcome the 13 point deficit and get back into the game.

The Blazers increased the lead to  74-70 early in the third quarter. That would be the last lead the Blazers would own. Kevin Durant scored two buckets in a row on passes from Draymond Green to tie the score. Zaza Pachulia made a deuce, and Steph Curry followed with a trey, and Golden State led 79-74. The Warrior defense held Portland to just 21 points in the third quarter, and the Dubs were able to end the quarter with a 7-point advantage 99-92. Draymond Green missed much of the third quarter as he was saddled with four personal fouls. Draymond picked up his fifth foul early in the fourth quarter. Draymond played his usual tough defense and did not foul out. The Warriors increased the lead to 13, but Portland refused to quit. They cut the lead to six 113-107. Draymond made a terrific pass to Shaun Livingston who put it in to increase the lead to 8. On the next play, Draymond blocked a shot, and Steph Curry made a three to up the lead to 11 119-107. Time ran out on the Blazers as they just couldn’t catch the Warriors. KD made a steal, then ran the length of the court for a layup and drew a foul. The Dubs sealed the win with that play.Final score 125-117 for the Warriors.

Game Notes- The Warriors won their ninth straight game at home. Steph Curry was the Curry of old as he made shots from everywhere and anywhere. He made 5 3-pointers and ended the game with 35. Kevin Durant scored 30. Klay Thompson added 14. Draymond Green had 9 points,11 assists, seven rebounds and one big blocked shot. Ian Clark, Shaun Livingstone, Andre Iguodala, and David West all made huge contributions to help the Dubs prevail. The Warriors shot 50.6% from the field and made 13 3-point shots. They were terrific on defense as they had 14 steals and 9 blocked shots. The Dubs continue to lead the NBA in those two categories. The Dubs committed 19 turnovers and that allowed the Blazers to score 21 points. The Dubs, however, scored 30 fast break points and knocked down 48 in the paint. The Dubs defense held Portland to just 46 points in the second half, and they held C.J.McCollum to nine. Portland had six players in double figures. All five starters and Evan Turner off the bench.

The Warriors season record improved to 31-5 and Portland drops to 15-22. The Warriors face the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night at Oracle Arena. The Grizzlies beat the Dubs in Memphis on December 10th, and the Warriors will be looking to avenge that loss on Friday. Game time is at 7:30 pm.

The Warriors also announced that the ground-breaking ceremony for the new Chase Center Arena in San Francisco will take place on January 17th. The Warriors expect the arena to be ready for the start of the 2019-2020 season.