Category: Golden State Warriors

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

 

The Warriors steamroll the Pacers behind Klay Thompson’s 60-point game

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors crushed the Indiana Pacers 142-106 Monday night at Oracle Arena. The Dubs were wary about the Pacers. The Pacers upset the Clippers in Los Angeles Sunday night and were hoping to even the season series with the Dubs. Paul George, C.J.Miles, and Myles Turner did not play when the two teams met earlier in Indiana.

The story of the game was Klay Thompson. He scored a career-high sixty points in twenty-nine minutes of play. He sat out the entire fourth quarter as the Dubs were just too powerful for the Pacers. The Dubs were magnificent on offense, but they excelled on defense, too. The Warriors led by eleven 38-27 after the first quarter. The game was even for about the first five minutes of play, but Klay was on fire. He scored seventeen points in the quarter. The Dubs were rebounding and getting the ball out on the fast break. Draymond Green and Steph Curry combined for twelve assists in the quarter. Klay stayed hot in the second period. He scored twenty-three and the Warriors went on a 17-2 run to gain a thirty-point lead 80-50 at the end of the half. They had twenty-five assists and just two turnovers in the half. They had twenty-three fast break points and scored 36 in the paint. Durant had sixteen and Steph ten. They shot 59% from the field. Thompson had 40 of the Dubs 80 points in the half. It was an amazing performance.

The Warriors did not let up in the third quarter. Thompson stayed hot as he scored twenty points.  He made three three-point shots and the crowd went ballistic. He received a standing ovation and the crowd kept chanting Klay, Klay, Klay. His sixty points was a new career high for him. The lead at the end of the quarter was 116-83. Coach Steve Kerr kept Klay, Steph, KD, Draymond, and Zaza on the bench for the entire fourth quarter. The second unit of Ian Clark, Patrick McCaw, Kevon Looney, JaVale McGee, and James Michael McAdoo finished out the game for the Dubs.

Game Notes- The Warriors’ record improved to 18-3 with the win. The Dubs hit the road and face the Los Angeles Clippers Wednesday night in LA. They play the Utah Jazz on Thursday. They do not play Friday but they have another back-to-back  set with Memphis on Saturday and then Minnesota on Sunday.

Kevin Durant scored twenty and had eight rebounds. Steph Curry scored just thirteen but he had eleven assists and he thoroughly enjoyed Klay’s performance as he was jumping up and down off the bench watching his teammate’s magnificent performance. Draymond Green had ten assists. Paul George scored twenty-one for the Pacers. Thaddeus Young and Jeff Teague scored 10 and 16 respectively.

The Dubs shot 52% from the floor. They outrebounded the Pacers 63-45 and they had twelve steals and twelve blocked shots as they overpowered the Pacers.

After the game, as Klay as being interviewed, Klay remarked that he “felt great obviously. It was a lot of fun.” At that point, Steph Curry dropped a bag of ice on his head. The interviewer asked him “did it cool you off?'” Klay remarked: “no, I’m still hot.” Was he ever. Later, Coach Kerr said this about not letting Klay play the fourth quarter:”we were up and hand the game in hand. Had no thought of playing him in the quarter.” When asked about his team he said this:”the team takes a lot of joy in each others success.” He was also quite pleased with the way the way the team moved the ball and did not commit many turnovers:” we kept our turnovers way down. Don’t give up the easy stuff when you take care of the ball.” The Dubs committed eleven turnovers in the game but seven of them came in the fourth quarter when the second unit was in the game.

Next game is Wednesday night in Los Angeles against the Clippers at the Staples Center. First meeting of the year between the two bitter rivals. Game time is at 7:30 pm.

 

The Warriors trounce the Phoenix Suns

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The Golden State Warriors defeated the Phoenix Suns 139-108 in front of the 199th consecutive sellout at Oracle Arena Saturday night. The Warriors rebounded from the double-overtime loss to the Houston Rockets Thursday night. The Warriors increased their streak to 106 games without two losses in a row. The last time that happened was April 5-7, 2015.

The young Suns, coached by Earl Watson, were competitive with the Warriors in the first quarter. They took an early lead, fell behind, stayed even with the Warriors but the Dubs offense behind Steph Curry’s nine and JaVale McGee’s seven gave the Warriors a seven-point lead 37-30 after one-quarter. The Warriors went on a 16-0 run to start the second quarter  and led by twenty-one 61-40. They turned the ball over four times late in the period and the Suns behind a 17-5 surge closed the gap to just nine 66-57 at the half.

The third quarter belonged to Steph Curry. Curry scored twenty points and the Warriors blew open the game. They scored forty-two points in the stanza to lead by twenty-four 108-84. Steph and Draymond Green sat on the bench for the final twelve minutes. Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant played about six minutes and the bench finished up the game. The Dubs win 138-109.

Game Notes- The Dubs had five players in double figures. Steph Curry led them with 31. Klay Thompson had twenty-six and Durant finished the night with 20. The Dubs had thirty-seven assists. Durant had 8 and Green finished with 13 in just three-quarters of play. The bench was terrific. David West scored ten and JaVale McGee had 11. Leading scorers for Phoenix were Eric Bledsoe with 27 and Devin Booker had 21.

After the game, Steve Kerr said the team” had some good moments.” He also said ‘the most disappointing moment was the last two to three minutes of the second quarter.” That was when the Suns went on a 17-5 run that not only quieted the crowd but produced a little sweat on Kerr’s brow. Kerr, when talking about Kevin Durant, remarked that Durant “doesn’t care if he shoots.” Durant had taken just five shots in the first three-quarters of play. He finished the night with twenty and took just seven shots in the entire game. Durant had eight assists and blocked three shots.

The Dubs finish the homestand Monday night against the Indiana Pacers at Oracle Arena. Game time is at 7:30 pm. The Dubs then start a six-game road trip in Los Angeles against the Clippers Wednesday night. The Clippers are 16-5 and trail the Dubs by 1 1/2 games in the standings. Golden State’s record improved to 17-3 and the Suns fell to 6-14.

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The Houston Rockets subdue the Dubs in double overtime 132-127

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AP photo:Montezl Harrell of the Houston Rockets (right) loses the ball as Kevin Durant (left) of the Golden State Warriors defends in the first half as the Warriors drop an double overtime performance to the Houston Rockets at Oracle Arena on Wednesday night

by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland-The Houston Rockets snapped the Golden State Warriors twelve-game winning streak Thursday night at Oracle Arena in double overtime by a score of 132-27. The game was fiecely contested by both teams all  night. Neither team would give an inch. The Rockets had seven players finish the night in double figures. The Dubs had five. There were five technical fouls called in the game. Draymond Green played his heart out, but he was called for a flagrant foul one in the second overtime period that, unfortunately, turned out to be the key play that doomed the Dubs. Green was going up for a layup when he was fouled by James Harden. As Draymond was going down backward to the floor, his right leg came up and hit Harden in the face. To many, it appeared to be inadvertent, but after a long review, the refs charged him with the foul.Draymond was awarded two free throws, and he made one. Harden made both, and the Rockets retained possession. The Rockets went up by four 128-124. They increased the lead to six, and that was the ballgame.

The game went back and forth all night. The Rockets biggest lead of the night came in the first period when they had a 13-4 lead. The game was tied at four when the Rockets went on a 9-0 run. The Dubs came back and tied the game at twenty. The Dubst hen took the lead by four 24-20, but it didn’t last long. The Rockets tied  it at twenty-five Houston then went ahead and finished the first quarter with a 32-30 lead.

The Dubs tied it at 32 on a Kevin Durant bucket. Houston regained the lead, but the Dubs came back and led by three 46-43. The Rockets continued to match the Dubs offensively and regained the lead 51-48. They finished the first half with a five -point lead 64-59.  James Harden, Ryan Anderson, and Eric Gordon led the Rockets attack. Durant with nineteen, Draymond Green had ten points, six assists, and six rebounds. Andre Iguodala added nine. Steph Curry, saddled, with three fouls, had just five points in eleven plus minutes in  the first half. Klay Thompson did not have a good shooting night, and he finished the first twenty-four minutes with seven points. The Rockets scored ten second-chance points while Golden State had zero. That was the most telling stat of the first half.

The Rockets continued to answer every Warrior challenge in the third quarter. Steph got it going as he made a couple of clutch three-point shots. Houston refused to bend. The Dubs outscored the Rockets by just one point and trailed by four 86-82 after three. The Dubs closed the gap to one 86-85 when KD hit a three to start the quarter. The Rockets increased the lead to seven 97-90.The Dubs started a comeback. They tied Houston at 97 behind two key buckets by Draymond.  Neither team could get separation from the other. They tied the score four times before the buzzer ended the game tied at 113 in regulation.

Steph Curry scored the Warriors’first six points of the first overtime session. He made a reverse layup and was fouled on the play. He made the free throw. Houston came back with a 2-point bucket to make it 116-115. Steph hit a three. Harden countered with a three of his own to trail 119-118. KD responded to put the Dubs up by three. The Rockets scored the next five points to take the lead 123-121. The Dubs tied it again. The Rockets had the ball for the last twenty-five second but the Dubs defense held and the Rockets committed a 24-second violation and the first OT period ended with the score tied.

Steph Curry, saddled with five personal fouls, committed an offensive foul and had to leave the game early in the second OT. Harden made a three to put the Rockets up 126-123. It was at this point that Harden fouled Draymond as he was going in for a layup. Both players were called for a foul. Green made one but Harden made his two and Houston had pssossion of the ball. That was the game. The Dubs could not catch up and they lost by five 132-127.

Game notes- With the loss, the Dubs fall to 16-3 while Houston improves to 12-7. James Harden had his fourth triple-double of the season as he had 29 points, 13 assists, and 14 rebounds. Ryan Anderson had 29 and Eric Gordon added 23, coming off the bench. Four other rockets were in double figures.  Kevin Durant had a double-double with 39 points and 13 boards. Draymond also had a double-double. He scored 20, had nine assists and 15 rebounds. Curry scored 28, Iguodala ten and Klay fifteen.There were 12ties in the game. The Rockets won the offensive rebound battle as they scored twenty-eigh second chance points.

The Warriors hope to get back on the winning track Saturday night againstthe Phoenix Suns. It won’t be easy as the Suns seem to match up well agains the Warriors and have played the Dubs hard in the two meeting so far this year. The game will be at the Oracle arena at 7:30 pm.

 

The Warriors get a win not on the court but in the court

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by Jerry Feitelberg

SAN FRANCISCO–The Golden State Warriors plan to build an 18,500 seat arena in San Francisco moved one step closer to fruition when a state court of appeals upheld the city’s plan to manage increased traffic congestion and said the project would not impede access to the hospital or damage the environment.

The court recognized that some of the impacts on traffic and street intersections were “significant and unavoidable”  The court also noted that some transit funding was uncertain. The court looked at the environmental study that said the project would not interfere with access to UCSF Medical Center or the biotech companies in the area and would not change the character of the neighborhood.

The opponents of the project led by the Mission Bay Alliance plan to appeal the case to the California Supreme Court. The Warriors plan to open the new arena in 2019, but they have not set a date to start construction at this time.