Category: Golden State Warriors

The Warriors squeak by the Hawks, win twelfth in a row

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors had to fight tooth and nail to defeat the Atlanta Hawks Monday night at the Oracle Arena. The Dubs trailed for most of the game but rallied in the fourth quarter to down the Hawks 105-100. The game was a thriller, and the outcome was in doubt until the final fifteen seconds of the contest.

The Dubs got off to a slow start as they trailed the Hawks 14-8 in the early going. The Dubs went on a 15-1 run to take a 23-15 lead, but the Hawks clawed their way back and trailed the Dubs 29-27 at the end of the first quarter. The Hawks played their game and refused to let the Warriors get any rhythm. Atlanta, coached by Mike Budenholzer who was an assistant at San Antonio under Greg Popovic, had his team use most of the twenty-four-second clock as they took the lead 42-38. The Dubs tied the game at 44, but Atlanta kept making shots and led by three 53-50 at the half. Klay Thompson put in fifteen for the Dubs while Steph Curry and Kevin Durant were held to 8 points each. Malcolm Delaney and Dennis Schroder had nine each and Tim Hardaway; Jr added eight. The Warriors committed eleven turnovers in the half and looked like they were out of sync.

The Hawks led the entire third quarter. Every time the Dubs got close, the Hawks had an answer. They led by seven 74-67 with just 3:53 left in the quarter. Kevin Durant and Andre Iguodala each made a three-point shot to close the gap to just two points 78-76. The Hawks increased the lead to four but backup guard Ian Clark hit a three-pointer as time expired to make it a one-point game 81-80. The Dubs scored the first ten points to start the fourth quarter. Iguodala made two clutch layups to put the Dubs ahead by five 86-81. The Hawks would not fold. They fought back but could not regain the lead. They narrowed the lead to two, but the Warriors fought them off. Steph made a huge three-point bucket to put the Dubs up by eight 102-94. The Hawks know how to play defense too, and the kept the Dubs from scoring. However, Draymond Green stepped up in the final few minutes of the game as he blocked a Dennis Schroder shot and seemed to be everywhere as he guarded Hawks’ center Dwight Howard and guard Dennis Schroder. The Dubs held on to win their twelfth game in a row 105-100. The game was a thriller.

Game Notes- The Warriors are now 16-2 for the season. The twelve-game winning streak is fourth longest in franchise history.  The Warriors big three of Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Klay Thompson all scored over twenty points in the game. The Dubs are 8-0 when those three score more than 20 in a game. Durant had a double-double with twenty-five points and fourteen rebounds; Durant blocked two shots too. Steph added twenty-five and three assists and three boards. Klay Thompson knocked down twenty. Draymond Green was fantastic on defense; Green had just three rebounds, but he blocked four shots. Andre Iguodala scored twelve, and he had five assists, five rebounds, and one blocked shot. Andre provided the spark the Dubs needed to get the win. The Warriors committed eleven turnovers in the first half but just four in the second. Dennis Schroder led the Hawks with 24. Paul Millsap had fourteen points and fourteen rebounds for Atlanta. The big man, Dwight Howard added fourteen and had sixteen boards. Atlanta falls to 10-8.

After the game, coach Steve Kerr had this to say about the defense and Draymond Green in particular. “That was amazing. Don’t know if I ever saw a sequence like that. Incredible defensive sequence. (Green) can guard anyone in the league. Defense in the second half was great. I thought Andre was brilliant. He played with great energy, such a great basketball player.”

The Warriors meet the Houston Rockets Thursday night at the Oracle Arena. Game time is at 7:30 pm.

The Warriors win their eleventh in a row, down the Minnesota Timberwolves

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By Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The Golden State Warriors beat the young and talented Minnesota Timberwolves Saturday night at the Oracle Arena by a score of 115-102. The Warriors played the game without Draymond Green and Ian Clark. Green and Clark suffered injuries on the same play Friday night in Los Angeles. Coach Steve Kerr said that when he told Draymond that he would not play, Draymond “did not fight me on it. If someone is banged up, we give him the night off, no matter who he is.” Kerr gave Kevon Looney the first start of his relatively short NBA career. Looney, in a career-high nineteen minutes of play, scored six points, had two assists and three rebounds. Without Green in the lineup, the Dubs had to find a way to defend the Wolves Big Three. Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, and Rookie-of-the-Year Karl-Anthony Towns are all just twenty-one years old, and these three can play basketball. Those three kept the Wolves in the game, but the Warriors prevailed. Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson led the Warriors in scoring. Durant was magnificent on defense as he had ten rebounds and a career-high six blocked shots. Steph had eight boards and six assists. Zaza Pachulia, Javon McGee, and David West all made their presence felt in the game.

The Warriors started the game well. They had a 21-13 lead until Minnesota went on a thirteen-three run. The first quarter ended with the Wolves leading 33-30. Karl-Anthony Towns (12), Andrew Wiggins(9), and Zach LaVine(9) scored thirty of the thirty-three Wolves’ points in the quarter. The Wolves were 62.5% from the floor. The Dubs weren’t bad as they shot 60%, but they trailed by three.

The Warriors’ and the Wolves were cold to start the second quarter. The Dubs went four minutes without scoring a point. The Timberwolves weren’t much better. They scored just three to take a 36-30 lead with eight minutes left. The Dubs behind Durant, Curry, Looney, and Pachulia managed to put Golden State in the lead. The Warrior defense shut down the Minnesota offense and the Dubs outscored them 26-25 to take an eight-point lead (56-48) at the half. KD(18), Steph(11), and Klay(11) were the high scorers for Golden State.

The Warriors increased the lead to seventeen at the end of three as Steph continued to make three-point shots. However, Minnesota came to life in the fourth quarter and closed the gap to eight but Steph, Klay, and Durant made clutch baskets when needed and they took down the Timberwolves 115-102.

Game Notes- The Warriors won their eleventh straight game to improve to 15-2. The Wolves fall to 5-11. Steph led the Dubs with 34 to go along with six assists and eight rebounds. Klay Thompson had twenty-three and six boards. Durant had a double-double with 28 points and ten rebounds. Durant had a career-high six blocked shots. The Warriors streak of ten consecutive games with 30 or more assists ended. The Dubs made just twenty-five in the contest. Zach LaVine led the Wolves with 31. Towns had 18 and Wiggins added 18.

The Warriors meet the Atlanta Hawks Monday night at the Oracle Arena at 7:30 pm.

The Warriors beat the Lakers again, win their tenth in a row 109-85

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Los Angeles-The Golden State Warriors extended their winning streak to ten as they downed the Los Angeles Lakers 109-85 at the Staples Center in LA. The Dubs, playing the Lakers for the second time in three nights and the third time this season, won handily. The Dubs fell behind early in the first quarter to trail 12-8. Golden State went on a 12-0 run to take the lead 20-12. The Dubs never relinquished the lead for the rest of the game. They led by ten 30-20 after the first twelve minutes of play.

The Lakers tried to come back in the second quarter went they went on a 14-3 to close the gap to three 44-41. The Warriors played better defense after the Laker run and increased the lead back to ten at the half. The Dubs went on a 9-2 run to finish the half. Kevin Durant led the Dubs with sixteen. Steph Curry added seven and Klay Thompson had nine. The score at the half was 53-43 for the Warriors.

The Warriors continued to play great defense in the third quarter. Steph Curry scored two buckets after he made two steals. Draymond Green continued to torment the Lakers on defense. The Warriors increased the lead to 80-64 at the end of the quarter.  However, with just 3:04 left in the quarter, The Lakers’ Larry Nance.Jr pushed guard Ian Clark to the floor. Draymond, who was in the air at the time, came down and somehow hit Clark in the throat. Green tumbled to the hardwood, and both men were down. Green went to the dressing room, and he was diagnosed with a contusion to his left ankle. Clark also went to the dressing room. Both men were done for the night. It is not known if they will play Saturday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

In the fourth quarter, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Klay Thompson kept scoring, and the Warriors’ defense kept the Lakers from gaining ground. The Dubs win by twenty-four 107-85.

Game Notes- The Dubs Big Four, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green all scored double figures. Durant had twenty-nine points, nine assists, and six rebounds. Steph added twenty-four points to along with five assists and five rebounds. Klay had 18 points and seven rebounds. Green, playing a little over 2 and 1/3 quarters of play scored twelve points, had four assists and eight rebounds. The Warriors shot 51.8% from the floor, and they held the Lakers shooting percentage to just 35.6% The Dubs had 44 rebounds, 31 assists, ten steals and ten blocked shots. They were a little sloppy handled the ball as they committed 17 turnovers. They won their tenth game in a row and improved their season record to 14-2. The Lakers drop to 8-9. Jordan Clarkson led the Lakers in scoring with twenty points.Lou Williams had thirteen and Larry Nance; Jr finished with eleven. The Warriors had 31 assists for the tenth straight game in which they had thirty or more assists.

The Warriors return home to face the Minnesota Timberwolves Saturday night at the Oracle Arena. Game time will be at 7:30 pm.

 

 

The Warriors win their ninth in a row, crush the Lakers

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The Golden State  Warriors returned home from a successful four-game road trip to face the Los Angeles Lakers Wednesday night at Oracle Arena. The Lakers, who beat the Dubs by twenty points earlier in the season in LA, were no match for the Warriors as the Dubs sent them down to defeat by a score of 149-106. The Warriors had the highest point total of any team in the NBA so far this season. They also set a franchise record with 47 assists. The Warriors ball movement was superb as they scored just six unassisted buckets. The Dubs big three, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Steph Curry, all played well. The Warrior bench added fifty-three points. They Dubs defense did not allow the young Lakers to drive to the basket the way they did in the game in LA. Draymond Green was everywhere. The Dubs were rebounding, making steals and blocks and they made it difficult for the Lakers to get into a rhythm. Before the game coach Steve Kerr said “we got killed by the Lakers last time. Hope we’re better prepared.” One could say that was an understatement as the Dubs won by forty-three points.

The game was fairly close in the first quarter for about eight minutes. The Dubs led by six 25-19. They picked up the pace as they closed out the quarter with a fifteen-point lead. JaVale McGee made two fantastic dunks on passes from Draymond Green. Steph Curry’s four 3-point shots were helpful giving the Warriors the advantage 41-26 after twelve minutes of play. The Warriors scored thirty-nine points in the second quarter to blow the game open, and they ended the first half with an 80-49 advantage. Steph led the Dubs with twenty-four, Durant had nineteen and Klay Thompson pitched in with fourteen. Steph had six assists. Draymond Green scored four points but he had eight assists and seven boards.

The Lakers outscored the Dubs 29-26 in the third period. The Warriors play was a little ragged but they still led by twenty-eight at the end of three. Klay, Steph, and KD continued to torment the Lakers. Steve Kerr removed his regulars from the game for the entire fourth quarter. The Dubs’ bench, led by Ian Clark’s twenty-one point effort, scored forty-three points and held the Lakers to twenty-eight to put the game away.

Game Notes- The Warriors won their ninth in a row and improve to 13-2 for the season. The Lakers drop to 8-8. The two teams meet again Friday night in Los Angeles. Game time is 7:30 PM. The Warriors had more than 30 assists in a game for the ninth game in a row. They set a new franchise record with forty-seven Wednesday night. Steph led the Dubs in scoring with thirty-one. KD added 28 and Klay recorded 26. Steph made seven 3-point shots. The Dubs outrebounded LA 48-37. They also had 7 steals and 5 blocked shots. The Dubs turned the ball over just ten times in the game. Klay Thompson, when asked about how the team was coming together, remarked:”yeah, we’re getting the hang of things.”

After the game, Steve Kerr had this to say about the game:”I don’t think I’ve ever been part of a team that had 47 assists in a game.” “the ball is moving and the guys, apparently, are getting comfortable playing together.”He also said:”this was a great night” for the team and their fantastic offensive performance. “it was fun to watch.” Was it ever.

 

The Warriors crush the Pacers to win the final game of the four-game roadtrip

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Indianapolis- The Golden State Warriors, led by Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green, beat the Indiana Pacers 120-83 Monday night at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Pacers, depleted by injuries, were no match for the Dubs. The Warriors were hot in the first quarter as they went on a 7-0 run early and slowly but surely increased the lead to 34-21 at the end of the first twelve minutes of play. Klay Thompson scored ten, including two 3-point shots) in the quarter. JaVale McGee made two nice buckets in relief of Zaza Pachulia. The Warriors increased the lead to nineteen at the end of the first half. Steph Curry found his shot and make a couple of three-pointers Klay scored six more points to end the half with sixteen. Kevin Durant had twelve. Draymond Green was all over the court in the first half. He scored six points to go along with seven assists, four rebounds, and two blocked shots. In the half, the Dubs had thirty-five rebounds, eighteen assists, four steals and five blocked shots as they held the Pacer offense to just 35.2% from the floor.

In the second half, the Warriors continued to have no trouble with the Pacers. The Pacers did score twenty-nine points in the third quarter, but the Dubs countered with thirty-nine to take a commanding twenty-nine point lead at the end of three-quarters. The Dubs in the lead 100-71. Coach Steve Kerr removed his starters for the entire fourth quarter. The Dubs, nevertheless, held the Pacers to just twelve points and won the game 120-83.

Game Notes- The Dubs won their eighth game in a row to improve to 12-2 for the year. The Pacers fell to 7-8. The Dubs had 31 assists for the eighth game in a row, too. The Warriors outrebounded the Pacers 70 to 56, and the defense had nine steals and ten blocks in the game. After the game, Steph Curry remarked that “we’re getting better” No kidding, Steph. He also said the guys were ready to go home” it’s a little too cold out here”. Steve Kerr said the game was dedicated to young Brody Stephens who is battling cancer. Steph made a 75 foot 3-point shot just after the buzzer sounded ending the first half and Kerr said that shot was for Brodie. Kerr said the team appears to be getting “better and better” He also thought is was a “great trip to go undefeated.” He mentioned that the team “took care of the ball and defended well.” he also said this about Draymond Green: ” I’m thrilled with Draymond’s play on both ends of the court.” Klay Thompson led the Dubs with 25 points. Steph had 22 while Durant scored just fourteen, Durant, however, had 11 rebounds and six assists plus a couple of blocked shots. Andre Iguodala pitched in with nine, Ian Clark ten and David West seven. Rodney Stuckey scored 21 for the Pacers. Jeff Teague added 11 and Thaddeus Young knocked down 14 for the hometown Pacers.

The Dubs return home to face the Los Angeles Lakers at Oracle Arena Wednesday night at 7:30p PM. The Dubs will attempt to avenge the loss to the Lakers earlier this season in LA. Luke Walton’s Lakers would love nothing more than to come to Oracle and send the Warriors down to defeat.

 

The Warriors win a thriller, beat the Bucks in Milwaukee

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors and the Milwaukee Bucks played a very fast-paced and very entertaining game Saturday night in Milwaukee. The contest was very close, but the Dubs were able to prevail as they won their seventh game in a row downing the Bucks 124-121.

Last year, The Dubs lost to Milwaukee after playing a double overtime win in Boston the previous night.  The Bucks then beat the Warriors the following night to snap the Warriors twenty-four game winning streak. This year, the schedule makers sent the Dubs to Boston on Friday night and then to Milwaukee on Saturday night. The Warriors did not have to go to overtime to beat the Celtics on Friday. However, the Bucks, coached by Jason Kidd, a great high school player at St.Joseph’s in Alameda and at Cal and an All-Star in the NBA, went tooth and nail against the Warriors and nearly came back from an eleven point deficit at the end of three-quarters to beat them. The Dubs defense held the Bucks to just one point in the last two minutes and thirty-three seconds to seal the win.

The first quarter was very close. The bigger Bucks, led by Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker, went on a 21-5 run at the end of the first quarter to lead by nine 37-28.The Bucks were on fire as they shot 66.7% from the field and made all three three-point shots. The Warriors shot 47.8% and were three for seven from behind the three-point arc. The Bucks led for most of the second quarter, but the Dubs clawed their way back and took the lead late in the period. The finished the first half leading by three 69-66. Kevin Durant was terrific as he led the Dubs with twenty-five points. Steph had eleven and Klay Thompson had just four. Zazu Pachulia played well as did Andre Iguodala, coming off the bench. The Bucks’ shooting percentage dropped to 59.6%, and the Dubs came in at 47.1%. The Warriors made six 3-point shots in the quarter and the Bucks connected on just one.

In the third quarter, Klay Thompson got hot. He made four three-point shots and eighteen points total in the period. JaVale MvGee scored a couple of key buckets as the Dubs increased the lead to eleven. Draymond Green made a great play when he stole the ball and made a slam dunk with 2:57 left. The Dubs had the lead 103-92 heading into the fourth quarter.

The Dubs increased the lead to thirteen, but Milwaukee refused to go down. The Bucks went on a 14-4 run to close the gap to four 114-110. The Warriors, behind a layup by Steph, owned a five-point lead 122-117. Milwaukee narrowed the deficit to two 122-120 with 2:33 left in the game. The Warriors defense, led by Draymond Green, stiffened and allowed Milwaukee just one point in the last two minutes and thirty-three seconds of play. Draymond Green mad the defensive play of the night when he tipped an inbound pass over to Klay Thompson. Thompson was fouled and made both free throws to increase the lead to four with just a few seconds left. The Bucks’ big man, Giannis Antetokounmpo was fouled. The only hope the Bucks had was that he make the first free throw, then miss the second shot and hope the ball would be tipped to another Buck player for a three-point shot. That strategy failed, and the Dubs recorded their seventh win in a row. Warriors win 124-121.

Game Notes- The Warriors are now 11-2 for the season. The Bucks fall to 5-7. The Warriors had thirty assists in the game for the seventh straight game. Kevin Durant led the Warriors with thirty-three points, five assists, and six rebounds. Klay knocked down twenty-nine, nd Steph had twenty. Steph also had five assists and five rebounds. Draymond Green played very well again. He scored ten points, to go along with five assists, two rebounds, three steals, and two blocks. The Dubs recorded a total of eight steals and five blocks in the game. Leading scorers for Milwaukee were Antetokopounmpo with thirty, Jabari Parker added twenty-eight and former Cleveland Cavalier, Matthew Dellavedova, contributed ten.

After the game, Durant, when asked about the play of Draymond Green, had this to say:”he was huge.” He also said this about how close the game was” no matter how you do it it, a win is a win.” Coach Steve Kerr also said this about the win:”any win on the road is a good win.” When asked about the defense, Kerr said we”made some stops down the stretch.” “It was the first close game in a while and it was good for us.” He also said  that “we wre kinda sitting on the lead” in the fourth quarter.

The Warriors finish the four game road trip Monday Night in Indianapolis playing the Indiana Pacers for the first time this season. Game Time will be at 4:00 PM.PT

The Warriors win their sixth in a row, beat the Boston Celtics

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Boston-The Golden State Warriors beat the Celtics Friday night by a score of 104-88. The Warriors, keeping in mind the tough time they had last year beating the Celtics in double overtime, won the game in the third quarter as the outscored the Celts 31-9 to put the game out of reach.

The first quarter was close. The biggest lead the Dubs owned was 25-16. The Celtics went on a 9-0 run to tie the game at 27. James Michael McAdoo made a two-point bucket at the end of the quarter to give the Dubs the lead 29-27. The Warriors, behind the stellar play of Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson, increased the lead to eight 55-48 at the half. The Warriors played solid defense holding the Celtics to just twenty-one points in the second quarter. Draymond Green, Zazu Pachulia, and Andre Iguodala all did their jobs. Pachulia rebounded, Green rebounded, made assists, blocked shots and Andre Iguodala was terrific off the bench.

The third quarter belonged to Golden State. The Warriors went on a 24-3 run to start the third quarter.Klay was hot, and Green made two three-point shots early in the quarter. The Warriors held theCeltics to just nine points. It was the fewest points allowed in any quarter this season. The quarter ended with the Dubs ahead by twenty-nine 86-57. The Dubs went to sleep in the final period of the game. The Celtics outscored the Warriors 30-13 at one point to close the gap to eleven 99-88 but Steph Curry hit a three then a layup to put the game out of reach.

Game Notes- Klay Thompson led the Dubs with 28 points. Kevin Durant had a double-double. He was second in scoring with 23 and he pulled dow 10 boards and had 7 assists. Steph Curry didn’t score a lot. He had sixteen but had seven assists. Draymond contributed 11 points, eight assists ,and eight rebounds. Zaza Pachulia had 12 rebounds.The Dubs had ten steals and seven blocked shots as the defense was superb. They shot 48.9% from the floor and had thirty-three assists in the contest. It was the sixth straight game the Dubs had 30 or more assists and the eighth time this seasonIsiah Thomas had 18 for Boston. Avery Bradley chipped in with 17 and rookie Jaylen Brown had 11 as did Terry Rozier.

After the game, Durant said this about his teammates”they help me out a lot”. He also remarked this about his performance Friday night” I just want to contribute the best way I can.” He commented that”the defense was great.” Klay Thompson also said,”we just played great defense.” CVoach Steve Kerr said:”when we went to the smaller lineup,[there was]lots of switching, getting our hands up”. Kerr observed that the “guys are getting more comfortable with each other.” There was one downside as Kerr had this to say about the team’s performance:”we still haven’t put four quarters together but we are playing longer stretches of good basketball.”

The Warriors face the Milwaukee Bucks Saturday night in Milwaukee. Last year, the Buck ended the Dubs twenty-four game winning streak the night after the Warriors beat the Celtics. The Warriors do not want to have history repeat. Game time ia at 5:30 PM.

 

 

The Warriors defeat the Raptors, it was not easy

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Toronto- The Golden State Warriors downed the Toronto Raptors 127-121 Wednesday night in Toronto. The Raptors were playing the second game of a back-to-back series. They faced the Cleveland Cavaliers Tuesday night and lost 121-117. The Raptors, however, did not show any signs of fatigue as they scored thirty-eight points in the first quarter to take a four-point lead 38-34 over the Dubs. The Warriors, as has been their custom so far this season, started slowly. The trailed by ten 29-19 late in the quarter. The Raptors were controlling the boards on defense and driving the lane attacking the rim on offense. Raptor center, Jonas Valanciunas, scored eight points and clogged the middle for Toronto. The Dubs closed the gap to four late in the quarter. Kevin Durant hit a three-point shot as time expired. The Warriors came to life in the second quarter. The Warriors took the lead 41-40 when Durant hit another three. Toronto regained the lead and led by four 49-45 when Steph, KD, and Draymond Green went to work. The Dubs went on a 21-2 run at the end of the quarter to take a thirteen point lead 66-53. They outscored the Raptors 32-15 in the second quarter.

In the second half, Klay Thompson got hot, and the Dubs increased the lead to twenty(74-54). The Dubs appeared to have put the game away, but the Raptors are not exactly chopped liver. They fought back behind the play of Demar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry. The Dubs had no rhythm and were committing dumb fouls. DeRozan kept going to the charity stripe and the Raptors went on a 17-4 run to trail by nine 95-86 at the end of three.

The Warriors behind Steph, Andre Iguodala, Patrick McCaw were able to fend off the Raptors as they refused to go down. DeRozan kept making free throws, but Shaun Livingston and David West made key buckets for the Dubs. McCaw sank a three-point shot from the corner and played well on defense making a couple of steals. The Warriors held on to win 127-121.

Game Notes- With the win, the Dubs improve to 9-2. The Raptors drop to 7-4. Steph led the scoring with thirty-five points. KD had thirty, and he had six assists and nine rebounds. Draymond added eleven, and he had five assists and seven rebounds. Draymond also had a couple of steals and several blocks in the contest. Klay Thompson scored fifteen, but he made three key three-point shots in the third quarter.

DeMar DeRozan led Toronto with thirty-four points. He made all seventeen free throws, too. Kyle Lowry had twenty-four. Valanciunas had twelve, and Corey Joseph(14) and Terrence Ross(11) helped the Raptors, albeit in a losing cause.

The Warriors became the first team since 1990 to shoot better tan 50% from the floor and had thirty plus assists in five straight games.

The Warriors travel to Boston to play the Celtics Friday night.

The Warriors dominate the Nuggets in Denver

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Denver- The Golden State Warriors played well all four quarters of Thursday night’s game in Denver and defeated the young Denver Nuggets 125-101. The Warriors excelled on offense and defense.The Dubs put the pedal to the metal and they did not let up all night long. They Looked like the potent force that everyone expects them to be and they did it for all four quarters. Steph Curry did his work  in just three-quarters of play. Steph tallied thirty-three points. He had seven assists and five rebounds. Steph scored fifteen in the third quarter alone and made seven 3-point shots in the game. The Dubs led by twenty-four at the end of three and Steph sat out the rest of night. The Nuggets entered the game with a record of 3-4 under coach Mike Malone. The Warriors expected to have a tough night as the Nuggets had two 7-foot players, Jusuf Nurkic and Nikita Jokic, in their starting lineup. The Nuggets entered the game leading the league in rebounding. The Warriors’ centers met the challenge.

The Nuggets last lead occurred in the first quarter when they were ahead 6-3. The Warriors went on a 17-2 run to take the lead for good. They led 38-19 at the end of the first quarter. Steph had fourteen in the period. The big story was the play of JaVale Mcgee. McGee entered the game after Zaza Pachulia picked up two quick fouls. Draymond Green added eight points and had two assists and two rebounds in the first twelve minutes of the contest.

The Warriors continued to assert themselves and showed everyone ow good they could be. Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, David West and Shaun Livingston all contributed as the Warriors finished the half leading 65-51. The Nuggets closed the gap near the end of the half, but the Warriors were in complete control.

Steph took command in the third period as he netted fifteen points. He made four 3-pointers and seven for the game.  The Warriors led by thirty-one 97-66 late in the third quarter. Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson played in the fourth quarter, but they came out when the issue was well in hand about halfway through the final stanza. The Warriors win 125-101.

Game Notes- Kevin Durant’s seventy-two consecutive game streak of scoring at least twenty points ended as Durant left with eighteen. Durant had five assists and nine rebounds. Draymond added thirteen, and he also had five assists and nine boards. The Big news was the combined play of Zazu Pachulia, David West, and Javale McGee. They put in a total of nineteen from the center position. McGee had ten, and the play of the big men negated the Nuggets’ Twin Towers. Five Nuggets scored double figures. Rookie Jamal Murray led them with fourteen. The Dubs shot 54.1% from the floor. They made fourteen 3-point shots in thirty attempts for a percentage of 46.7%. The Dubs had forty-four rebounds to tie the Nuggets in that department. The Warriors defense had fifteen steals and six blocked shots in the win. The Warriors improve to 7-2, and the Nuggets drop to 3-5. The Warriors played their ninety-fifth consecutive game without back-to-back losses.

The Warriors return home to face the Phoenix Suns Sunday afternoon at Oracle Arena.at 5 pm PT.

The Warriors roll over the depleted Mavericks 116-95

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The Golden State Warriors beat the Dallas Mavericks 116-95 at the Oracle Arena Wednesday night. Former Warrior starters Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut returned to the Bay Area for the first time since they left the club after last season. Both players received a very warm welcome from the fans when they were introduced before the start of the game. Barnes played and scored twenty-five points for Dallas, but Bogut did not play at all. In fact, Dirk Nowitzki sat out the game as well as guards Wesley Matthews and Deron Williams.

The Warriors played a terrific first half. The only time the Dubs didn’t lead was early in the first quarter when the game was tied at seven. Klay Thompson, who had been in a shooting slump, was on fire. He scored eighteen points in the first twelve minutes of play. He had four three-point shots and two buckets for his eighteen. Kevin Durant hit two three-point shots as did Draymond Green. The Dubs led by nineteen 34-15 after one period of play.

The Warriors remained hot in the second stanza as their defense continued to shut down the Dallas attack. In the meantime, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Draymond Green led the relentless Warrior offense, and the Dubs led at the half by thirty-three points 67-34.

The third quarter, however, was a different story. The Mavericks went on a 25-9 run while the Warriors went to sleep. Steph Curry twisted his right ankle early in the third quarter and went to the locker room for treatment. He would return later. The Dubs were three-for-eleven from the floor with eight minutes played. They got back on track when Steph returned and led by sixteen 84-68 at the end of three. Steph took over in the fourth period and the Dubs led by twenty-three 103-80. Kevin Durant also played very well in the win. Steve Kerr inserted his bench players Kevon Looney, Patrick McCaw, J’Vale McGee, and Ian Clark to play against the Mavs’ bench players.

Kevin Durant led Golden State with 28 points and ten rebounds. Steph had 24 and six assists. Draymond Green had sixteen points, four assists, and ten boards. The Warriors shot 58.1% from the floor and made 17 three-point shots. They shot  51.5% from behind the arc. The Warriors moved the ball well as they had thirty-three assists in the game. The Mavs leading scorers were Harrison Barnes(25), 7Justin Anderson(16, seven assists and 8 rebounds), Dwight Powell(14points,9 boards). The Mavs shot 39.5% from the floor and just 21.9% on three-point shots.

The Warriors improve to 6-2 for the season and Dallas falls to 2-6. Mavs’ owner, Mark Cuban was in attendance at the Arena Wednesday night.
The Warriors play a back-to-back game Thursday night against the Denver Nuggets in Denver. Game time will be at 6:30pm PT.