Category: Golden State Warriors

The Warriors shine on defense beat the Jazz by 30 104-74

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The game between the Dubs and the Utah Jazz was billed as a contest between a great offense and a great defense. The Warriors have the best offense and the Jazz the best defense in the NBA. The Jazz held the Memphis Grizzlies to just 73 the other night were 11-2 since November 21st. The Jazz came from 25 down when they played the Warriors earlier in Utah, and they almost beat them, and they were missing four starters. However, after a very, very slow start, the Warriors were able to stop the Jazz offense cold and beat them by thirty 104-74. The Jazz style of play which is to use as much of the 24-second clock as possible and to prevent the Dubs from using the fast break seemed to favor them in the early going. Every time the Warriors appeared to be getting control of the game, Utah coach Quin Snyder would call a timeout. The strategy worked for a while, but once the Warriors opened up a double-digit lead, it became impossible for the Jazz to catch up.

Neither team started well in the first quarter. No one could hit a bucket. The Dubs led 4-2 with just about half the first quarter played. The Warriors played better in the last six minutes of the quarter as Steph Curry led the offense with seven points and the Warriors held the Jazz to just fifteen as the quarter ended with Golden State leading 19-15.

The Warriors owned the second quarter. They continued to play great defense as they caused the Jazz to commit 13 turnovers in the half and the Dubs had seven steals. The game was still close 26-21 when the Dubs put it into gear and outscored the Jazz 29-10 to end the second quarter ahead by 24 points 55-31. Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Steph Curry were all in double figures.

The Warriors put the game away in the third quarter. The Big Four of Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Steph Curry, and Draymond Green were just too much for the Jazz. Backup center JaVale McGee scored two buckets on lobs from Draymond and Patrick McCaw. McGee made a layup for another bucket, and he made a great pass to Draymond to pick up an assist. Steph hit a couple of threes, but the big play was a dunk by Draymond after he made a steal at the other end of the court. The Dubs led 82-54 at the end of three.

Kevin Durant played a few minutes of the fourth quarter but Steve Kerr removed him from the game, and the reserves went the rest of the way. The Warriors committed just four turnovers in the first three-quarters of play, but the bench got a little sloppy and made six in the fourth quarter. It didn’t matter as the Jazz were too far behind to catch up as the Warrior defense was superb and the Warriors were able to put the game in the win column 104-74.

Game Notes- The Warriors, with the win, improved the season record to 25-4 while the Jazz drops to 18-11. Steph Curry had 25 points, KD followed with 23, Klay Thompson had 17 and 5 boards. Draymond Green had another double-double as he had 15 points to go along with 4 assists and eleven rebounds. JaVale McGee scored eight and had seven rebounds off the bench. Rudy Gobert was the only Jazz starter in double figures with eleven. Gobert was a monster on the boards as he pulled down sixteen. Joe Johnson, off the bench, led Utah with 14. Joe Ingles and Trey Lyles each had 11.

The Warriors go East for a three-game road trip. They meet the Brooklyn Nets in Brooklyn Thursday night at 4:30 pm. They travel to Detroit for another back-to-back game Friday night against the Pistons. Game time will be at 4:30 pm. The Warriors then travel to face the LeBron James, Kevin Love and the rest of the Cleveland Cavaliers for the first time since the devastating loss in Game & at the Oracle Arena last June. The game will be on Christmas Day and will be on national television. This is a game that should be on every fan’s calendar.Game time will be at 11:30 am.

 

 

The Warriors, behind Kevin Durant, overwhelm the Portland Trailblazers

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- Kevin Durant hit his first shot, a three-pointer, to put the Dubs up 3-0. They never, ever trailed in the game as they blew out the Blazer by forty-five points 135-90 at the Oracle Arena Saturday night before another sellout crowd. The Dubs won all phases of the game. They shot 58.6% from the floor. They held the Blazers to 39.5%. They had another game with more than 30 assists. They finished with 36. They outrebounded the Blazers 66 to 36. The Dubs bench led by Ian Clark’s career-high twenty-three and JaVale McGee’s eleven were too much for Portland to handle.

In the first quarter, Durant and Steph Curry each had thirteen points. The Dubs made five three-point shots, including one by Ian Clark to end the first quarter on a 15-6 run to go up by eighteen 39-21. The Dubs outscored the Blazers 31-24 in the second quarter. Kevin Durant scored eight more in the quarter to finish the half with twenty-one. Klay Thompson had eleven and bench players Andre Iguodala, David West, Shaun Livingstone all contributed to the Dubs taking a twenty-five point lead at the half 70-45.

The third quarter belonged to the Dubs. They had it all going for the. They scored thirty-eight points on offense and held Portland to twenty-seven as they increased the lead to thirty-six 108-72. Kevin Durant was hot all night long he scored thirty-four points in just thirty-one minutes of action. He made eleven buckets on thirteen attempts. JaVale McGee scored nine points in seven minutes of action. He made three dunks on lobs and had a bucket on an offensive rebound and a foul shot. He finished the game with eleven. Steph Curry made a three-pointer as the buzzer sounded to end the quarter. Dubs lead 108-72

Steve Kerr removed all the starters from the game. Ian Clark, Shaun Livingstone, JaVale McGee, Andre Iguodala, David West, Patrick McCaw James Michael McAdoo, and Kevon Looney all played in the quarter. The Dubs reserves outscored the Blazer reserves 27-18 to give the Dubs the win 135-90.

Game Notes- The Dubs had five players in double figures Saturday night. KD had a double-double with thirty-four points, eleven rebounds plus 4 assists and one blocked shot. Steph had nineteen to go along with six assists and three rebounds. Klay had sixteen, Ian Clark 23 and McGee 11. Draymond Green had a double-double, too. He had thirteen assists with twelve boards and just three points. The Blazers were led by Damian Lillard’s twenty points. Maurice Harkness added 17, C.J.McCollum 10, and Allen Crabbe 9.

The Dubs improved their record for the season to 24-4 while the Blazers, who have lost seven of the last eight, drop to 13-16. The Dubs are off for two days but return to action Tuesday night against the Utah Jazz at the Oracle Arena. Game time will be at 7:30 pm.The Dubs will be handing on Nate Thurmond Bobbleheads for the first 10,000 fans. Thurmond, who is basketball’s Hall of Fame, Passed away earlier this year and the Warriors remember him as they wear his number 42 on their uniforms every game this year.

 

The Warriors return home, down the New York Knicks

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The Golden State Warriors returned home after a five-game road trip to play the visiting New York Knicks for the first time this season. The Knicks, with a record of 14-11, had to face the Dubs with two of their stars on the sideline. Derrick Rose was unavailable, and Carmelo Anthony did not play due to a sore shoulder. The Warriors were able to handle the rest of the Knicks and sent them down to defeat 103-90.

The Warriors trailed early 6-5 but took the lead for good when Draymond Green sank a three-point shot. The Dubs never looked back. They increased the lead to thirteen at the end of the first quarter. JaVale McGee, starting his second game in a row, was the high scorer for the Dubs with eight in the first quarter. McGee scored on a pass from Kevin Durant, he scored a layup on a pass from Steph Curry. He Made two dunks on lobs to account for his eight points. The Dubs increased the lead to fourteen at the half 59-45. The Dubs’ bench made contributions as the Knicks were able to keep Step nd KD in check. Klay Thompson led the Warrior attack with fourteen. KD had nine and Steph added six. The Dubs shot 52% from the floor and held the Knicks to 38.5% from the field. The Dubs were moving the ball well as the had 26 assists on 27 made baskets.

The Warriors put the game out of reach in the third quarter. About midway through the period, they went on a 14-0 run that sank the Knicks. JaVale McGee continued to play well. Ian Clark was effective coming off the bench as the Dubs increased the advantage to 22 as they owned the lead 88-66 after three-quarters of play. The Dubs played a lackadaisical fourth quarter. Most of the starters were removed from the game. They scored just fifteen points, and the Knicks were able to cut the deficit to twelve but the Dubs were able to run out the clock to preserve the win. Dubs win 103-90.

Game Notes- Klay Thompson was the player of the game for the Warriors. Klay scored twenty-five and had four assists and five boards. JaVale McGee, who played just fifteen minutes, had his best game of the season. He scored a season-high seventeen points. Kevin Durant had a double-double. He knocked down fifteen points to go along with eight assists and fourteen rebounds. Steph Curry scored just eight points, but he had eight assists and ten rebounds. Bench players Shaun Livingston, Ian Clark, Andre Iguodala, and Kevon Looney all made significant contributions to help the Dubs win. Former Warrior Justin Holiday led the Knicks with fifteen points. Brandon Jennings had ten: Courtney Lee nine, Ron Baker thirteen, and the big, big man 7 foot-3 inch Kristap Porzingis

The Warriors had 41 assists on 47 made basket. The team really moved the ball well and were able to find the open man. Steve Kerr said: “this was the lone bright spot of the game.” Kerr said this about the paly of the team during the game:”I didn’t think there was much purpose in the game. We looked tired and disinterested.”

The Warriors improve to 23-4 while the Knicks fall to 14-12.

Before the game, Steve Kerr asked both teams to join him at center court and the fans to stand the remember Craig Sager who passed away Thursday at the age of 65. Sager was a sideline reporter for many years and wore outrageous jackets and ties. He battled leukemia for three years until Thursday. Instead of a moment of silence, Kerr asked for a moment of joy and the teams and the fans responded with a loud and long round of applause for him. Also, before the game, Jerry West presented Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Carmelo Anthony with their Olympic championship rings.

The Warriors face the Portland Trailblazers Saturday night at Oracle Arens at 7:30 pm. The Blazers’ Damian Lillard, who is from Oakland, always plays his best against the Dubs. Should be an entertaining game.

 

The Warriors and Pelicans play a thriller, Golden State prevails

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by Jerry Feitelberg

New Orleans- The Golden State Warriors and New Orleans Pelicans played one of the best games of the season Tuesday night at the Smoothie King Arena in the Crescent City. Both teams played well on offense as well as on defense, but the Dubs were just a little bit better as they outlasted the Pelicans 113-109.

The first half belonged to the Pelicans. The Pelicans, coached by former Dubs assistant coach Alvin Gentry, played just like the Warriors. The Pelicans had great ball movement as they recorded 17 assists in the first half. They made ten 3-point shots and had six steals on defense. The Pelicans started the first quarter well. They had an early 13-5 lead as they went on an 8-0 run. The Dubs came back and led 25-22 after Steph Curry made his second 3-point shot of the quarter. New Orleans regained the lead and finished the quarter with a six-point lead 35-29. The Pelicans kept the lead for the rest of the half. They never got too far ahead, but the Dubs just couldn’t catch them, and they increased the lead to seven 65-58. Anthony Davis led the Pelican scorers with 18. Langston Galloway and Tim Frazier, both coming off the bench, scored 12 and 7 respectively. Steph Curry with 15, Klay Thompson 13, and Kevin Durant ten led the Dubs. The Pelican shot 52.3% from the floor and made ten 3-point shots. The Warriors shot a respectable 48.9% and made eight 3-pointers.

The Warriors, as they have done so many times in the past, outscored the opposition. The Dubs scored 37 and held the Pelicans to 29 to take a one-point lead at the end of three-quarters. The Dubs went on a 15-1 run to lead 74-68, but the Pelicans did not panic and kept the pressure on the Warriors. Steph made two 3-point shots, and Draymond Green added one. Kevin Durant made a sensational block late in the quarter to thwart an easy Pelican layup for a bucket. The Warriors were cold to start the final quarter of the game. The Pelicans scored the first six points to lead 100-95. The Dubs scored the next seven points to regain the advantage 102-100. The lead changed hands a couple of times until the teams tied the game at 107. The Dubs took the lead on a Steph Curry shot from the corner 109-108. On the next play, Draymond made a huge steal and Steph made another bucket to increase the lead to 111-108. Green made a big rebound, but the Dubs couldn’t score and then fouled Jrue Holiday with just 14.9 seconds left in the game fouled   Holiday made the first free throw. Holiday intentionally missed the second freebie, and the rebound went to the Pelicans. However, Draymond Green made another huge steal as he knocked the ball out of Anthony Davis’hands as Davis was attempting to move in for a two-point shot. Green sealed the win as he was fouled with about three seconds left to play. Green made the two free throws to seal the win. 113-109.

Game Notes- The Warriors played superb defense in the fourth quarter. They outscored the Pelicans 18-15 but did not allow the Pelicans to score a field goal in the last 4 minutes and forty-four seconds of the fourth quarter. The Defense was led by Draymond Green. Green was, without question, the player of the game. He had a triple-double with twelve points, ten assists, twelve rebounds, two blocks and at least two huge steals in the fourth quarter. Andre Iguodala, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Steph Curry all were excellent on defense, too. Steph led the Dubs with 30points to go with seven assists and four boards. Durant added twenty-seven, nd he had 3 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Klay Thompson finished with seventeen points, 3 assists,s rebounds, and two blocked shots. The Pelicans led by Anthony Davis, Langston Galloway, Tim Frazier, Solomon Hill, and Jrue Holiday all scored in double figures. Davis was a force with 28 points,3 assists,8 rebounds and 5 blocked shots.The Warriors improve to 22-4 and the Pelicans fall to 8-18.

After the game, Steve Kerr said this about Draymond Green’s play on defense:”he loves to be in that position.He relishes it.” Kerr also said this about the team’s play in the fourth quarter:”the defense was great the last five minutes, the offense not.” He praised Kevin Durant’s work on defense this way:”KD is so capable defensively.”

The Warriors finished the five-game road trip with a record of 4-1. The Dubs played six games in the last nine days and won five out of six. They played two back-to-back series on the trip. The Dubs return home to face the New York Knicks Thursday night at Oracle Arena at 7:30 pm.

The Warriors rally in the fourth quarter to subdue the Timberwolves

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Minneapolis- The Golden State Warriors, playing the fourth game in the last five nights, fell behind by ten points after three-quarters of play but behind excellent defense outscored the Timberwolves by eighteen in the fourth quarter to beat them 116-108.

The Warriors probably played the worst game of the year the night before in Memphis. Nothing went well for them. They didn’t shoot well, were outrebounded and mad too many turnovers. It was an ugly loss. No, they had to travel to Minneapolis where the weather was cold and snowy. The Dubs were facing the Timberwolves for the second time this year. The Wolves feature three young and talented stars Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine and Karl-Anthony Towns.The Dubs beat them 115-102 at the Oracle Arena on November 21st, but it wasn’t easy. The Wolves big three give the Dubs fits as they are big and can score as well as rebound. The Warriors entered the game hoping to put the loss to Memphis in the rear view mirror. The Wolves, for some reason, do not look like a team with a record of 6-17 especially when they play the Warriors. Tonight’s game was no exception.

The Warriors did not have Zaza Pachulia available for the second game in a row. Steve Kerr started Kevon Looney in his place. The teams played a very even first quarter. Klay Thompson and Draymond Green led the Dubs in scoring. The score seesawed back and forth. The Wolves led by four 15-11 but the Dubs regained it when Draymond made a layup on a feed from Steph Curry to give the Warriors a 22-18 advantage. The Wolves went ahead 27-24, but Steph and Kevin Durant scored the last six points of the quarter to Put Golden State up by three 30-27 at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter was also very close. The Dubs took an eight-point lead 48-40 after Draymond Green made two consecutive three-point shots. The Wolves refused to allow the game get out of hand. They tied the score at 58, but Steph made a bucket at the end of the half to make it 60-58. The Dubs shot 47.6% from the floor. So did the Wolves. The Dubs mad six 3-point shots. So did the Wolves. The Wolves held the edge in rebounds 32-19. The Dubs made just three turnovers and were able to capitalize on eight Wolves’ turnovers to the tune of eleven points. The Wolves had just one point off a turnover.

The third quarter belonged to Minnesota. The Wolves did everything right, and things went south for the Dubs. The Wolves behind Towns, Wiggins, and LaVine outscored Golden State 30-18 to take a ten point lead at the end of three-quarters of play. The game was close for the first seven minutes of action. However, the Dubs went ice cold. They did not have a field goal in the last five minutes of the quarter. The Wolves were licking their chops as they sensed they were going to send the Dubs down to their second loss in a row, something that hasn’t happened in the 110 games.

The Dubs went on a 17-4 run to start the fourth quarter. Klay Thompson was scorching hot. He scored twelve points in the run, and the Dubs took the lead 101-92. The Warriors excelled on defense and kept Minnesota from getting back in the game. The Warriors played most of the period without Steph and Draymond. Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, David West, Shaun Livingstone and Andre Iguodala carried the Dubs into the lead. Steph and Draymond entered the game with just 3:36 left to play. The Wolves were toast. The final score for Golden State 116-108.

Game Notes- Klay Thompson led the team in scoring with thirty points. Kevin Durant scored twenty-two to go along with five assists and eight rebounds. Steph had twenty-two, nine assists, and four boards. Draymond added eighteen. Green had four assists and five rebounds. The Warriors used Kevon Looney, JaVale McGee, and David West at center. Looney and McGee ran into foul trouble early in the game but didn’t foul out. David West played well, especially in the fourth quarter. Shaun Livingstone and Andre Iguodala gave the Dubs some help offensively and both played well on defense. The Warriors recored improves to 21-4 and Minnesota drops to 6-18.

Andrew Wiggins scored twenty-five for Minnesota. Towns and LaVine added twenty-five and twenty-three respectively.The Dubs ended the game shooting 45.8% from the floor. Both teams made twenty-seven free throws. The Timberwolves outrebounded the Warriors 52-36. The Warriors had just five offensive rebounds while the big men on the Wolves snagged seventeen offensive boards.The Dubs moved the ball well as they recorded thirty assists. On defense, they had nine steals and four blocked shots. The Warriors took better care of the ball as they turned the ball over just eight times.

The Warriors travel to the Big Easy (New Orleans) to end the five-game road trip as they face the Pelicans and Anthony Davis Tuesday night. Game time will be at 5.00 pm.

 

 

Golden State Warriors Saturday game wrap: The Grizzlies maul the Warriors 110-89

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AP photo: Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randoph (50) drives on Golden State Warrior Ian Clark (2) as the Grizzlies won their sixth straight on Saturday night in Memphis

by Jerry Feitelberg

Memphis- The Memphis Grizzlies shut down the vaunted Golden State Warrior offense Saturday night in Memphis 110-89. The Grizzlies, under first-year head coach Dave Fizdale, won their sixth game in a row and improved to 17-8 for the season. The Warriors effort in the first half was the worst half of basketball so far this year. They scored just 38 points in the half. The Grizzlies, not a great offensive team, tallied 61 in the first 24 minutes of play and led by twenty-three. The Warriors only lead of the game early in the first quarter when Kevin Durant hit a three-point shot to put the Dubs ahead 3-2. Memphis outscored the Dubs 31-16 in the first quarter. The Warriors were obviously out of sync. Nothing worked for them. They couldn’t make shots, they couldn’t rebound, they kept turning the ball over, and they committed too many fouls.

The second quarter was more of the same. Memphis continued to benefit from the free throw line and the Dubs continued to turn the ball over. They trailed by twenty-three at the half 61-38. The Dubs shot a miserable 34% from the floor. Memphis shot 40.5%. The Grizzlies had twenty-seven free throw shots and made twenty-four of them. They scored seventeen points off turnovers, The Dubs had one point off a turnover in the half.

The Warriors tried to regroup to start the second half, but Memphis scored the first seven points and had the Dubs down by thirty. The Warriors did outscore Memphis in the third quarter by just one point and could not get back into the game. The best the Warriors could do was trail by seventeen, but it was evident that Memphis owned the game. Final score 110-89.

Game Notes- Three of the Warrior players were not available for action on Saturday. Starting center Zaza Pachulia had a wrist injury and was replaced by Anderson Varejao in the lineup. Super sub Andre Iguodala was given the night off by coach Kerr. Shaun Livingston, who did not play Thursday in Utah, was back in action. Kevon Looney had a sprained ankle.

Kevin Durant led the Dubs offense with twenty-one. Steph Curry had seventeen. No one else was in double figures for the Dubs. Klay Thomson had eight and Draymond Green added seven. The Dubs’ bench contributed twenty-five. The Grizzlies, on the other hand, had seven players in double figures. Marc Gasol, JaMychal Green, Trey Williams and Zach Randolph were the key playmakers for the Grizzlies. They outrebounded the Dubs they had more assists than Golden State and committed just ten turnovers in the game. The Warriors turned the ball over an astounding twenty-three times. The Warriors lost for the fourth time this year and drop to 20-4. They have to regroup and play better Sunday

The Warriors will play for the fourth time in five days Sunday night in Minnesota against the Timberwolves. Game time will be at 5 pm.

The Warriors hold off the Utah Jazz to win again

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Salt Lake City- The Golden State Warriors, playing the third game in four days and the second in the last two days, downed the Utah Jazz 106-99. The Jazz, playing with five players out with injuries, fell behind early and trailed by nineteen at the half, rallied to outplay the Dubs in the second half but fell short. The Jazz love to slow the pace of the game and try to get opposing teams out of rhythm. The Dubs, on the other hand, run the court and enjoy it when they get good ball movement and get players open for shots.

The Warriors played their style in the first half. The Jazz scored the first two buckets of the game to lead 4-0. TheWarriors then went on an amazing 26-1 run to lead 35-17 after one-quarter. Steph Curry made two 3-pointers early in the run. The Jazz played the Dubs even in the second quarter. Steph finished the half with 17, and Draymond Green was second in scoring with 12. He also made two 3-point shots and had eight rebounds. Patrick McCaw, coming off the bench added ten as the Dubs increased the advantage to nineteen 65-46.

The second half was an entirely different story. The Jazz held the Dubs scoreless for the first three minutes of the third quarter. The Dubs were out of rhythm, and that allowed the Jazz to get back into the game. They outscored the Dubs by seven in the period and closed the gap to just twelve 82-70 after three-quarters. The Jazz refused to go away and the Warriors behind Kevin Durant’s strong play in the second half were able to play just well enough to win the game. Dubs win 106-99

Game Notes- With the win, the Warriors improve to 20-3 while Utah falls to 14-10. Shaun Livingstone had the night off. Backup guards Patrick McCaw, and Ian Clark played well. McCaw had ten points all in the first half and Clark nailed two 3-point shots in the fourth quarter that helped seal the win for Golden State. Kevin Durant, who scored just four points in the first half, finished the game with twenty-one points. Durant also recorded eleven rebounds to give him a double-double. Draymond Green also had a double-double. Green scored thirteen and had ten boards. Steph Curry led the team with twenty-six. Klay Thompson scored ten. The Warriors, loaded with talent, do not have to rely on one or two players to carry the load. The entire team makes contributions both on offense as well as defense. In Thursday’s game, Andre Iguodala, Kevon Looney, JaVale McGee, David West, Ian Clark, and Patrick McCaw all made significant contributions. Draymond Green hurt his ankle late in the third quarter. Green was helped off the court and went to the dressing room for treatment. Draymond returned to the bench in the fourth quarter and returned to action.

Joe Johnson with 13, Shelvin Mack(19), Rudy Gobert(20), and Joe Ingles(21) carried the attack for Utah. Steve Kerr said this about the Jazz:”give them a lot of credit.They are a well-coached team.”  Kerr said the Dubs”didn’t play our best.The first quarter was great, intensely fantastic.” He also thought Patrick McCaw had a nice game.

The Warriors travel to Memphis for game three of the five-game road trip on Saturday. Game time will be at 4 pm. After the game, the Dubs are off to Minneapolis to face the Timberwolves on Sunday.

 

 

Golden State Warriors-Los Angeles Clippers post game wrap: Thompson “cools off” nets 24 pts in W’s 115-98 win over Clips

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By Jessica Kwong

 LOS ANGELES The Golden State Warriors on Wednesday followed up a memorable blowout two nights earlier in which Klay Thompson scored 60 points by handing the Los Angeles Clippers their seventh straight loss to the team – their longest active losing streak against any opponent.

 Asked if the Warriors’ 115-98 victory was a letdown compared to Monday night, Thompson, who scored 24 points, said, “No, we got another win.”

 Golden State is now 19-3, while the Clippers dropped to 16-7.

 Stephen Curry said the win against the Clippers that deepened their losing streak against the Warriors wasn’t any sweeter than other victories.

 “We know they’re a good team. If you don’t show up, you’re going to get beat,” Curry said. “It’s a good test for us to come down on the road and win.”

 Fouls got the game off to a slow start, and Chris Paul picked up a technical after losing the ball while dribbling against Draymond Green. Kevin Durant missed a three – and a dunk. But the Warriors scored two dunks in transition.

 DeAndre Jordan answered back with two slam dunks.  But Curry passed the ball to Durant who found Green for a dunk and put the Warriors up 11-10 about halfway through the first quarter.

 Golden State wasted no time, quickening the pace of the game. Blake Griffin missed inside and Andre Iguodala stole the ball from Marreese Speights and passed it to Curry who scored and gave the Warriors a 24-13 lead with a few minutes to go in the period.

 The Warriors widened their lead after a timeout by head coach Steve Kerr. Durant passed the  ball to Ian Clark for a layup and he was fouled. With under a minute to go, the Warriors had a 20-point lead. Durant missed a buzzer shot and Golden State had a 37-19 lead at the end of the quarter.

 The Clippers committed nine turnovers. They couldn’t catch up in the second quarter either.

 A couple minutes in, when the Warriors led 41-21, Clippers head coach Doc Rivers called a timeout.

 Green made a three at the buzzer and Jordan hit a reverse slam dunk, then Durant made a layup past Griffin. Kerr called a 20-second timeout when Los Angeles cut the lead to 48-37 with 4:53 to go in the second period.

 After Durant missed, Clippers hit two straight shots. Paul made two jumpers to put Los Angeles within 53-46. Thompson fed Green for another bucket and the Warriors led at the half 62-49. Golden state made 21 of 49 attempted shots.

 “A crowd like this, they wait for it. The second quarter, they got going a little bit,” Durant said. “We just had to settle down.”

 Durant hit a triple with 6:11 to go in the third quarter to put the Warriors up 78-54. Soon after, JaVale McGee hit a three too.

 Green hit a season-high 22 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the field, while Curry had a career-high and NBA-high seven steals.

 Golden State led 89-66 at 2 minute mark and ended the third period with a 91-75 lead.

 Halfway through the final quarter, the Warriors led 104-85 and at the two-minute mark, 113-96. Green said his team walked away with the win by limiting turnovers – 11 versus 14 by the Clippers, and defending.

 “Honestly I don’t think we played well offensively tonight,” Green said. “The flow wasn’t really there but the most important thing is we defended and we didn’t turn the ball over.”

 Golden State continues a long road trip by visiting the Utah Jazz on Thursday. Tipoff is at 6 p.m.

 “It’s coming together pretty well here. I’m really happy with how our guys played,” Kerr said. “We have a really smart team, it’s a group effort.”

 
 

Golden State Warriors Commentary and Analysis: The Warriors win again, Down the Clippers in LA

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by Jerry Feitelberg

LOS ANGELES-The game was billed as a contest between the best offense(Golden State) in the NBA against the best defense(LA Clippers) in the NBA. It turned out to be a no contest as the Dubs offense and defense was better as they defeated the Clippers easily 115-98.

The Dub’s big three, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Steph Curry all scored in double figures. Steph had nineteen but was 0-for-8 from three point range. Durant scored sixteen, but he was terrific on defense. Klay, who scored 60 Monday night, struggled but made some key shots in the fourth quarter to lead the team in scoring with 24. The player of the game was “Mr. Defense” Draymond Green. He was second in scoring with 22. he had four assists and five rebounds, but he was magnificent on defense. He shut down the Clippers’ big man, Blake Griffin, holding him to just 12 points in the game. The Warriors’ other players also played well on defense. They held high-scoring guard J.J.Redick to just two points. The Dubs had eleven steals in the game, and Steph had seven all by himself. It was probably the best the team has played on defense all year. The big men, Zaza Pachulia and JaVale McGee, held DeAndre Jordan to just ten points.

Both teams started slowly in the first quarter. The Dubs missed the first seven shots from the floor, but the Clippers didn’t shoot well either. The Dubs led 11-10 with just six minutes left to play in the quarter when they went on a 23-5 run and led by eighteen 37-19. They kept it going for the first few minutes of the second quarter. They led by twenty 41-21 but they, suddenly, could not buy a basket and the Clippers were able to claw their way back. They cut the deficit to seven, but the Warriors behind Draymond Green and Klay Thompson extended the lead to thirteen 62-49 at the half.

So far this season, the Dubs love to break open the game in the third quarter. They increased the lead to 21 75-54 and were able to keep the Clippers at bay. The score at the end of three was 91-75. Steve Kerr rested Steph and KD for most of the fourth quarter. The second unit of Shaun Livingston, Andre Iguodala, Ian Clark, JaVale McGee played well and closed out the game for the  Dubs. Final score 115-98.

Game Notes- Draymond Green was the player of the game. The Clippers concentrated on shutting down the Big Three. That strategy backfired as Draymond found himself open and his shots went in. Steve Kerr, in the press conference after the game, said it was a “great night defensively.” To be able to “defend like that and take care of the ball (means) we’ll be all right” The Dubs had 32 assists and just eleven turnovers in the game. The Clippers’ Blake Griffin turned the ball over seven times in the game. The Warriors improve to 19-3 while the Clippers drop to 16-7. The Warriors have beaten the Clippers eight straight times. The Warriors travel to Utah to face the Jazz Thursday night in Salt Lake City. Game time will be at 6 pm.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary: Bill King wins the Ford C Frick Award finally!!

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Oakland A’s photo: After Bill King passed in 2005 the Oakland A’s players wore the “Holy Toledo” patch on their uniforms to honor the great announcer

Bill King wins the Ford Frick Award, Finally!

by Amaury Pi Gonzalez

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

OAKLAND–We all know the Bay Area needed some good news, after the terrible Oakland fire. We got the good news this morning. Bill King, the legendary Bay Area Oakland Athletics play by play man, finally was inducted into Cooperstown winning the Ford C. Frick Award for Excellence in Broadcasting. We live in a fast-moving-word, nowadays, with instant messages, Twitter (which allows a 140 letter character limit), and so much more, but anybody that was really into sports in the Bay Area, I do not know how can Bill King could be ignored. He was a broadcasters broadcaster.

The Ford C. Frick Award procedures have changed in recent years, once it was on Facebook for the public to vote, but whatever changes it might have gone through, one thing that it will never change is the quality and professionalism of Bill King. We all know that all these awards become political, and extremely subjective, but we all learned from Mr.King during his years on this earth. Bill King was a treasure. Although not a national broadcaster and in a market not the size of New York or Los Angeles, where people in the media get much less exposure and in many cases less respect, Bill King was always the mark of excellence.

For those of us lucky enough to have known him and listened to him, there was nobody better. And by the way,(in my opinion)should also be in the NBA Basketball Hall of Fame of broadcasters,as he painted a picture as the radio play by play voice for the Golden State Warriors, that “looked” better that same game you were watching on television. How many people in the Bay Area used to turn the television audio down so they could listen to him? More than you think.

Too bad Bill is not around to enjoy this well deserve award in person, but he is in heaven today saying  “Holy Toledo….do I need this?”

Amaury Pi Gonzalez does That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com