Category: Golden State Warriors

The Warriors struggle but they still win, defeat the Phoenix Suns

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by Jerry Feitelberg

AP photo: Eric Bledsoe (2) of the Phoenix Suns gets the throw down on the Golden State Warriors Andre Iguodala (9) in the first half of Sunday night’s game in Phoenix

Phoenix- The Golden State Warriors defeated the Phoenix Suns 106-100 Sunday night in Phoenix. The Dubs started strong and owned  15-8 lead midway through the first period. After a time-out, the Suns came roaring back and went on a 16-0 run to take a 24-15 lead. The Dubs tried to get even, but they just were not in sync. They trailed by eight points at the end of the first period. Steph Curry scored the Dubs’ first ten points.The rest of the team scored just seven points in the last six minutes of the period. In the second period, the Warriors were not able to close the gap until late in the period. The Dubs trailed 57-55 at halftime. Kevin Durant scored nineteen in the first half to get Golden State back in the game. Steph added eighteen. The Phoenix attack was led by Eric Bledsoe, T.J.Warren and Tyson Chandler. The Dubs turned the ball over thirteen times in the first half, and the Suns were able to capitalize on the Dubs’ sloppy play.

Golden State did not run away with the game in the second half. It was nip and tuck all the way until the final seconds of the contest. The Warriors committed just two turnovers in the final twenty-four minutes of action, and their defense was superb. Draymond Green was terrific, and the Warrior defense allowed just forty-three points as Golden State won its second game of the year.

Kevin Durant led the Warriors with thirty-seven points. Steph Curry added twenty-eight. Klay Thompson was cold for most of the game, but he did put in fourteen. Draymond Green was also cold from the floor, but he made up for it with nine assists and thirteen rebounds. Zaza Pachulia also had five points, and he tallied four assists and pulled down ten boards.

The Warriors had a hard time getting in rhythm all night long. They weren’t able to fast break a lot, and the biggest lead was just seven points. They were able to shut down the Suns late in the game, but the outcome was in doubt until Steph sunk two free throws with just 12.9 seconds left to play.

The stats in the game were this. Golden State shot 42.2% from the field. Phoenix shot 41.1% The Dubs were 8 for 29 from three-point range (27.6%). Phoenix was 8 for 23. The Suns grabbed 50 rebounds compared to the Warriors’43. The Dubs led 27-19 in assists. Golden State committed fifteen turnovers.

The Warriors record for the year is now 2-1 while the Suns, under first-year coach Earl Watson, drop to 0-3. The Warriors next game will be in Portland Tuesday night, and they return to the Oracle Arena Thursday night to face Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

 

 

Kevin Durant leads the Warriors to their first win of the year, beat the Pelicans

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by Jerry Feitelberg

AP photo: Golden State Warriors Kevin Durant goes for the high percentage points as the Dubs chalk up their first win of 2016-17 against the New Orleans Pelicans Friday night

New Orleans-The Golden State Warriors, led by the stellar play of Kevin Durant, subdued the New Orleans Pelicans 122-114 Friday night in New Orleans. The Dubs, although they led most of the way, could not break away from the Pelicans. The Dubs, however, had an answer for every challenge thrown at them by the Pelicans. Golden State took an early 7-6 lead and kept it until late in the third period when the Pelicans led by a single point 74-73. The Warriors went on a 19-7 run to finish third period leading 92-81. The Pelicans refused to quit. Golden State led by sixteen 103-87 but Anthony Davis and company continued to peck away and closed the gap to six with just 19.4 seconds left in the game.

The Warriors did not play well in the opening game against San Antonio. They were looking to get the offense going behind the Big Three of Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Steph Curry. They also wanted improvement on defense, especially rebounding. They did improve in both those categories but still need to be better.

Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson led the Dubs to a 59-50 halftime advantage. Durant scored eighteen and had ten rebounds. Klay Thompson found his shot and knocked down fourteen. Steph Curry, saddled with three personal fouls, added six. Steph picked up the pace in the third period. He drained a couple of three-point shots and had a bucket and a free throw to complete a three-point play the hard way. Kevon Looney entered the game slightly after the mid-point mark of the period and was very effective as the Dubs closed out the period on a 19-7 run. Kevin Durant continued to amaze everyone as he blocked an Anthony Davis shot and the ran the court to make a spectacular dunk. The Dubs worked hard for the win. The biggest lead of the night was sixteen points, and they had to work hard on the defensive end to stop the Pelicans from overtaking them. Golden State wins a tough contest 122-114.

Game Notes. Kevin Durant had a double, double in the game. He scored thirty points and had seventeen rebounds.  Durant has now scored at least twenty points in sixty-six consecutive games. It is the longest streak since Michael Jordan’s sixty-nine in the 1990-91 season. Klay Thompson added twenty-eight, and Steph Curry finished with twenty-three. Za Za Pachulia had a double, double, too. Pachulia scored ten and had eleven rebounds. Draymond Green finished with eight points, and he recorded eleven rebounds, too. The Pelican bench outscored the Warrior bench 39-23.  The good news for Warrior fans was the play of Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingstone. They made several key buckets and the second unit played much better than they did against San Antonio. The one sour note was the injury to Patrick McCaw late in the first half. McCaw sprained his left ankle and was helped off the court. The Dubs do not know the extent of the injury at this time.

Anthony Davis led the New Orleans attack with forty-five points and seventeen rebounds. He had ninety-five points in his first two games of the year. New Orleans lost both. Tim Frazier had a career-high twenty-one points to go along with ten assists and six rebounds.Lance Stephenson and Duane Cunningham each scored fifteen, coming off the bench.

After the game, Klay Thompson said: “it felt great to get the first win of the season.” , “I was just trying to be myself” when asked if he was too aggressive in the first half. He  said this about Kevin Durant: “he’s gonna be huge for us all year.”

Dubs’  head coach Steve Kerr was pleased the Dubs had just fourteen turnovers in the game. “We did a good job of taking care of the ball.He added that we had “lapses defensively and (that we have)some things to work on.” “We played hard, but we had some breakdowns when everyone just looked at each other.” It was “more lack of communication that led to the breakdown.” “We are going to get much better. You can see how much work we have ahead. We gotta be smart, tough, and grow.”

The Dubs travel to Phoenix to play the Suns Sunday. Game time is at 3:00 pm

 

Golden State Warriors Tuesday game wrap: Big Tumble–The San Antonio Spurs trounce the Dubs on Opening Night.

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by Jerry Feitelberg

AP photo: Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry can only roll on the floor in the first half after being overwhelmed by too much San Antonio Spurs in Tuesday night’s game at Oracle Arena for the home opener

My oh my. The San Antonio Spurs spoiled opening night by trouncing the Golden State Warriors 129-100. The Spurs, led by Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Johnathan Simmons outplayed the Warriors in every facet of the game and sent the sellout crowd home wondering if the Warriors are in trouble. Golden State did not look at all like the team that won 73 games last year. They are still a very good team, but it may take a little time for all the pieces to mesh together.

The Dubs took the lead 16-14 with 5:54 left in the first period. That was the only lead they would have the entire night. The Spurs outran, outshot, outrebounded and beat the Dubs on defense all night long. The Spurs, Kawhi Leonard who was second in last year’s MVP voting, scored a career-high thirty-five points. Big LaMarcus Aldridge knocked down twenty-six and had fourteen rebounds. The Spurs bench outscored the Dubs’ bench by an astounding 45-13. Every time the Dubs made a run to narrow the gap, the Spurs answered the challenge. Leading 18-16 late in the first period, they went on a 13-4 run to lead 31-20 at the end of the first period. The Spurs scored thirty-three in the second period as they took an eighteen-point lead at the half 64-46. Steph Curry and Kevin Durant led the Dubs’ attack with eighteen and fourteen respectively, but Klay Thompson had just two points and was one for seven from the floor. The Warriors made just four three-point shots in nineteen attempts. San Antonio made six treys in just ten attempts. Leonard, Aldridge and Jonathan Simmons, off the bench, were the key players for San Antonio.

The home crowd was hoping for a patented Warrior come-from-behind surge in the third period. However, The Spurs continued to beat the Dubs on offense and continued to disrupt the Warrior attack. The Spurs led by twenty at the end of the third and won by twenty-nine 129-100. Leonard finished the game with 35, Aldridge with 26 and bench players Simmons had 20, Mills with eleven and the veteran, Manu Ginobili pitched in with 10. Kevin Durant led the Dubs with 27 points and ten rebounds. Curry scored 26, and Draymond Green knocked down 18 to go with six assists and twelve rebounds. Klay Thompson finished the night with 11. The Spurs dominated the board on both ends of the court. They outrebounded the Dubs 62-41. They had the edge in offensive rebounds 20-8 and 34-27 on defense. The Dubs turned the ball over sixteen times to add to their woes.

The Warriors are a work in progress. The Warriors lost six key players. The new players have shown that they can play in the NBA. However, it takes time for the players to mesh together and find the rhythm that the Dubs had the last two years. They have 81 games left, and the Spurs are an excellent team and will be in contention for the best record in the Western Division. The Dubs play the next three games on the road. They face the New Orleans Pelicans Friday night. They then travel to Phoenix on Sunday. They are in Portland next Tuesday to face Damian Lillard and the Blazer. They return home November 4th to face the Oklahoma Thunder, Kevin Durant’s old team. Talk about a grudge match. That game should be a barnburner.

Golden State Warriors Friday game wrap: The Warriors big guns play well, beat the Portland Trailblazers

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by Jerry Feitelberg

AP photo: Draymond Green knows whose top notch as he celebrates after a score on the Portland Trailblazers in pre season action on Friday night at Oracle Arena in Oakland

Oakland- The Portland Trail Blazer played very well in the early going of the final preseason game before the start of the regular season. The Blazers, behind the play of Damian Lillard and C.J.McCollum led 24-9 about halfway through the first period. The Warriors, however, started to play defense and Steph Curry got hot and the Warriors were able to come from behind the defeat the Blazers 107-96.

Curry scored fourteen in the first period and twenty-eight in the half. The Warriors led by just a single point 57-56 at the end of the first twenty-four minutes of play. The Dubs, behind Kevin Durant, outscored Portland 33-16 in the third period.  Durant was on fire. He scored fourteen points in the period and tallied twenty-eight for the game. He also had seven rebounds. The Blazers made a run in the fourth period, but it was their bench against the Warriors bench.  They scored twenty-four and held the Dubs to seventeen. Ian Clark, coming off the bench, scored seventeen points in just seventeen minutes of play.

Steph Curry scored thirty-five and Klay Thompson was held to nine. Draymond Green had eleven rebounds. The Dubs outrebounded the Blazers 51-45.

The Dubs offense was terrific once they got untracked and the defense was superb. After the game, Kevin Durant said’ Steph had it going early on.” He also remarked the he “can’t wait for the start of the season.”  Coach Steve Kerr noted that the Blazers are “one of the hardest teams to guard.  (they are) explosive and space you out and we weren’t quite ready” at the start of the game. He also said this about Draymond Green”(he was) all over the place defensively.” Kerr praised Ian Clark this way ” really like him, and he will play a big role for us this year.”

The Dubs went 6-1 in the preseason. However, those games do not count. The season opens Tuesday night at the Oracle Arena. The Warriors will face the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs, coached by Greg Popovich, are always tough. Tim Duncan has retired, but they still have Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldredge, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker. They may be a little older, but they know how to win. Game time will be at 7:30 pm.

Golden State Warriors Wednesday game wrap: Curry in season form in pre season match with Lakers scores 30 pts

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by Jessica Kwong

goldenstatewarriors.com photo: The Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Kevin Durant are a force against the Los Angeles Lakers during Wednesday night’s pre season game in San Diego

The Golden State Warriors showed they are ready for the regular season right around the corner with a 123-112 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in San Diego on Wednesday night.

Golden State took charge in the first quarter, with three pointers by Draymond Green and Stephen Curry.
Then Kevin Durant got a dunk, Curry hit two free throws and Zaza Pachulia made a jumper to put 12-0 on the scoreboard. The quarter ended with the Warriors up 33-20 over the Lakers.
At halftime, the Warriors led 52-43. Curry, Durant and Green displayed much of the athleticism and shots that made them stars last season.
The young, Kobe-less Lakers, led by Warriors former assistant coach Luke Walton, tried to come back but were overpowered by the solid-looking Warriors.
Curry has his most impressive performance yet this preseason, with 30 points, making 11 of his 19 shots.
Other top scorers for the Warriors were Durant with 27 points, Thompson with 19 points and Green and Kevon Looney with 10 points each.
The Warriors finished with 34 assists and 14 turnovers.
Golden State, 5-1, play their last preseason game versus the Portland Trail Blazers back at Oracle Arena on Wednesday Oct 20. Tip off is at 7:30 p.m.
The regular season begins on Tuesday Oct 25th, with the Warriors facing off the San Antonio Spurs at Oracle Arena in Oakland catch Jerry Feitelberg for the post game wrap up right here at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

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Golden State Warriors Saturday game wrap: Talent thick Warriors drub former assistant coach’s Lakers 112-107

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by Jerry Feitelberg

AP file photo: Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr in Oct 14th photo is happy for his former assistant coach Luke Walton who is now head coach at the Los Angeles Lakers faced each other in their pre season game against the Los Angeles Lakers at T-Mobile Center Las Vegas on Saturday night

The Golden State Warriors took off with a furry when they ran a 23-9 score up on the Los Angeles Lakers at T-Mobile Center in Las Vegas Saturday night. It wouldn’t take much longer when the W’s inflated that lead to 30 points. That wasn’t all the W’s shooting from the floor was a satisfying 54.3 and they hit their targets beyond the perimeter at 43.5 in the 112-107 exhibition victory.

The Warriors grabbed for the gusto in rebounding over the Lakers 43-38 and had 29 assists and 44 field goals. They picked up from where they left off from last season with another strong talented team assembled. The Warriors also rested many of their starters handling the Lakers and they did it all without Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, or David West each had the game off by Warriors head coach Steve Kerr’s decision to give them some rest.  Even Klay Thompson (24), Kevin Durant (17), and Stephen Curry (14) didn’t play over 22 minutes in the contest.

The Lakers head coach Luke Walton who was the Warriors head interim coach last season while Kerr was rehabilitating his bad back said that he’s now trying to develop the Lakers player personnel along the same lines when he was at Golden State, “I’m tying to build same culture down here. Obviously it’s different. It’s a different point were at with the youth that we have and new coaches.” said Walton

Walton went onto guide Golden State last season in Kerr’s absence to a 39-4 record and what sold him was that impressive 24-0 start at the beginning of last season Walton had played for the Lakers for eight of his ten seasons in the NBA. The temptation was too great and the offer was too good by his former organization to take the helm at the Lakers and leave his assistant position at Golden State and his former boss at the Warriors Kerr.

After Kobe Bryant’s retirement last season Walton is looking at building around the core players in Los Angeles of D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson, and Brandon Ingram. At this juncture of the season and with just two weeks until the Lakers opener Walton is still pushing the fundamentals of the offense and defense systems. “Were all going to miss him, but were all happy for him” said Kerr “I know he wouldn’t have taken any other job except the Laker job to leave Golden State. I’m glad we’re in the same division, so at least we’ll be able to see each other four times a year, plus pre season.” said Kerr

For Kerr it won’t be a long wait to see Walton again as the Warriors face the Lakers on Wednesday.

Jerry Feitelberg covers Warriors basketball catch his game recaps home and away at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Golden State Warriors Friday game wrap: Quick Draw McCaw andThe Dubs win a thriller in Overtime, Down the Nuggets at the buzzer.

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by Jerry Feitelberg

AP photo: Golden State Warriors Patrick McCaw is defended by the Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray in the second half of Friday night’s contest at Denver

Denver- The Golden State Warriors, playing their fourth game of the pre-season and the first since October 6th, won a thriller beating the Denver Nuggets in Denver Friday night by a score of 129-128.

Warrior rookie, Partick McCaw who was a second-round draft pick, scored eighteen points and saved the Dubs bacon twice. McCaw hit a three-point shot with just one second left in regulation to tie the game at 112 each. McCaw’s performance in overtime was sensational. He single-handedly kept the Warriors from going down to defeat. McCaw hit two three-point shots and a two-pointer in the five-minute OT period. He saved his best shot for last as he hit a running floater at the buzzer to secure the win for the Dubs. The coaches must have been thrilled with his performance, and he appears to be winning a spot on the roster.

The scoring leaders for Golden State were the usual suspects. Steph Curry knocked down twenty-two in twenty-seven minutes of action. Kevin Durant added nineteen and Klay Thompson scored seventeen.  Danilo Gallinari led Denver with nineteen and teammates Jamal Murray and Jamell Stokes contributed sixteen points each in a losing effort.

The game was close all throughout the contest. Golden State led 59-54 at the half. Denver led at the end of three. The Dubs closed to 89-88 with just 39 seconds played in the fourth but Denver pulled away and led by three 112-109 when McCaw came through with the clutch 3-pointer.  The stat sheet shows how close the game was. Virtually every category was even. Golden State shot 45.9% from the floor while Denver’s percentage was 46.3%.The Nuggets had a slight edge in three-point percentage 41.4% to 40.5% Denver snatched 68 rebounds to edge the Dubs 61. Both teams turned the ball over sixteen times.

The Dubs are 3-1 so far in pre-season play. The travel to Las Vegas to square off against the Los Angeles Lakers Saturday night and then play the Lakers again Wednesday night. The Warriors play their final pre-season game on October 21st before opening the season against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday, October 25th at the Oracle Arena.

 

Golden State Warriors Thursday game wrap: The Warriors down the Kings 105-96

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by Jerry Feitelberg

AP photo: Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors raises his hands in delight as head coach Steve Kerr (right) is thrilled with the Warriors play against the Sacramento Kings on at SAP Center on Thursday night

SAN JOSE–The Golden State Warriors overcame a five-point halftime deficit to beat the Sacramento Kings 105-96 at the SAP Center Thursday night. The Dubs played their third pre-season game and had to work to defeat the Kings. Kings’ center DeMarcus Cousins led the Sacramento attack with twenty points, and Dubs’ center Zaza Pachulia had his hands full trying to contain the big man. Warriors’ coach Steve Kerr continued to play his regulars for about twenty-five minutes as they try to get Kevin Durant to adapt to the motion game that the Warriors feature.

Durant played twenty-six minutes and scored twenty-five points. Steph Curry also played 26 minutes, and he added thirteen to the Dubs’ attack. Klay Thompson and Draymond Green played 25 minutes, and Klay tallied eleven. Patrick McCaw and Ian Clark performed well coming off the bench. McCaw scored 8 and Clark poured in 16.

The stats were very even for the teams. The Kings shot 42.2% from the floor while the Dubs came in at 44.3%. The Kings shot 46.2% from three-point range, and the Warriors came in at 42.9%. Sacramento committed 22 turnovers contrasted the Dubs 24.  Golden State had the edge in fast-break points 33-14 while the Kings had a 32-22  edge in the points in the paint category.

The Warriors play the next three pre-season games on the road. They meet the Denver Nuggets on October 14th in Denver. They play the LA Lakers on Saturday the 15th and then again on the 19th.

Golden State Warriors-LA Clippers game wrap: The Warriors blow out the Clippers, Durant, Thompson, Curry star

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Oakland- The Warriors and the LA Clippers are meeting for the first time Tuesday night at the Oracle Arena. The game doesn’t count as it is a pre-season contest but the Warrior fans have been salivating to see their heroes. The Dubs lost six key players, and the coaching staff is hoping that the new players will mesh quickly with the Warrior stars. The Clippers and Warrior battles are well known, and neither team likes the other. The Dubs want to win, but Steve Kerr will probably not use his starters for the whole game. The game will also feature the debut of superstar Kevin Durant in front of the home fans. The fans gave him an ear-splitting welcome when introduced. The Warriors won going away. The offense behind Durant, Thompson and Curry looked magnificent, and none of the Clipper starters scored more than six points in the game.

The Warriors dominated play on both ends of the court in the first period. They had the offense going as they scored thirty-three points and held the Clippers to just seventeen. Klay Thompson led the Dubs with ten and Draymond Green added eight. Durant had seven and Steph had just one bucket for three points. The defense was strong as they held the Clippers to just nine points until Mo Speights entered the game. “Instant offense” Mo scored ten to lead his team in scoring in the first period.

The Warriors continued the onslaught in the second period as they scored thirty-eight points and held the Clippers to just sixteen. The offense was clicking on all cylinders, and the defense was superb. The Dubs shot 59.5% from the floor, 8-for-16 from three-point range and 90.5% from the free throw line. The Clippers, on the other hand, shot a woeful 24.4% from the floor, 3-for-13 on three-point shots. The Warriors had twenty-four rebounds and nineteen assists while all LA could do was seventeen rebounds and just eight assists. Klay Thompson led the Warriors attack with twenty-four, and Kevin Durant added eighteen. David West led the subs with six points in the period. Warriors lead 71-33 at the half.

In the third period, the Clippers could not make up any ground. Kerr removed the regulars with about four and 1/2 minutes left to play. The second unit kept the Dubs ahead by 51 points at the end of three. The fans began to leave the Arena as there is no doubt about the outcome. Dubs lead 102-51. Javale McGee, James Michael McAdoo, Phil Pressey, Patrick McCaw, and Cameron Jones are on the floor to start the fourth period for Golden State.None of the Clipper regulars played in the last quarter. Golden State wins 120-75.

After the game, Warriors coach Steve Kerr made some comments about what he saw during the contest. Kerr said this about Kevin Durant” Durant did a great job tonight. Kevin can be devastating defensively. He is really good on defense when he applies himself.” Kerr also remarked that it was “very encouraging to see the level of play. The players are getting used to playing together” and that he was “very pleased with the progress. Forward Draymond Green pointed out that ” we wanted to play with more passion.” The Warriors were very passionate, indeed.

The Warriors resume play Thursday evening against the Sacramento Kings. They will play the game at the SAP Center in San Jose and game time will be at 7:30 PM.

The Warriors lose the first pre-season game of the year to the Toronto Raptors

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Vancouver, British Columbia- The Golden State Warriors lost to the Toronto Raptors 97-93 in the first practice game of the 2016-2017 season. The Warriors added superstar Kevin Durant to the team in the hopes of reclaiming the NBA championship. However, they lost six key players due to salary constraints. Andrew Bogut and Harrison Barnes are now with the Dallas Mavericks. Backup centers Festus Ezeli and Mo Speights with the Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Clippers. Leandro Barbosa went to Phoenix, and Brandon Rush signed with Minnesota. The big question facing the Warriors is how well will the new pieces fit in with the club. The new acquisitions Zaza Pachulia, David West, along with holdovers Ian Clark, Anderson Varajeo, James Michael McAdoo, must find a way to blend in with the Warriors big guns. Those guns are Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala, and Shaun Livingston.

The Warriors play looked ragged at times. Kevin Durant was just two-for-nine from the floor, and he scored just nine points in the game. Steph Curry had eight points and was one-for-five from three-point range. Klay Thompson led the team in scoring with sixteen and Draymond Green had two. The starters played in the first half only and the second unit and players trying to make the club played the entire second half. The Raptors, on the other hand, used their regulars for the full game.

After the game Warriors coach, Steve Kerr had this to say about his team’s effort “we looked like a team that had four days of practice.” Talking about Kevin Durant, Kerr remarked ‘he’s going to fit right into what we do.

The Warriors next game will be at the Oracle Arena Tuesday night October 4th and will feature a Steph Curry Back-to-back MVP Bobblehead. The Warriors will travel to the SAP Center October 6th to play the LA Clippers and the giveaway that night will be a Klay Thompson San Jose Sharks Bobblehead.