Category: Golden State Warriors

Warriors Blaze Past Portland — But Will Golden State Break Record?

Published on by bentleonard18Leave a comment

By Ben Leonard

Great basketball teams know how to rebound — from a tough loss and on the glass alike. Although its hard to revolutionize the former, the Warriors have revolutionized the latter, winning with a small lineup game in and game out. After a sound 136–111 win over the Portland Trailblazers to rebound from their first home loss of the season, can the revolutionary Warriors make basketball history and break the ’95-’96 Chicago Bulls vaunted record?

They certainly looked the part on Sunday, showing resiliency after that heartbreaking loss to Boston on Friday. One potential record lost — a perfect home slate, never before accomplished — didn’t discourage Golden State, but rather served to motivate them after a shaky first quarter. Portland got off to a quick start, dropping 37 points in the first, but Golden State seemed to keep its larger goal in mind, and took it into second gear. The energy picked up and the defense tightened up, allowing just 19 points in the second quarter to give Golden State a 63-56 halftime lead.

The offense looked like that of a team on a mission, with three players scoring above 20 points. Joining the usual suspects, the Splash Brothers (60 points), in that company was Draymond Green, scoring 22 points. Stephen Curry had 39, which seems routine nowadays.It was a well-rounded offensive performance (56.8 FG%, 60.0 3-PT FG%) —  what we’ve come to expect from these Warriors. If they keeping playing like this, watch out, record books. You’re in for a change.

However resilient and dominant they were, common sense says that who you’re playing matters just as much as how you’re playing when predicting future performance. Sure, the Warriors only need to win four out of five games to break the record, but it makes things a little more problematic when you take into account that they’re playing the Spurs twice, once on the road.

According to ESPN’s Basketball Power Index, the Warriors have over a 78% chance of beating all three of their remaining opponents not from San Antonio. They start with a home game against Minnesota, which should be chalked up as a win (94% chance of win per BPI), barring apocalyptic catastrophe. Then they take on San Antonio at Oracle Arena, a venue where Golden State routed the Spurs earlier this season, giving them a 59% chance of winning. Next, a road-home with Memphis (78% and 91%, resptively) that sandwiches the next meeting with the Spurs on the road should both go down as wins. Essentially, unless the Warriors let their guard down, they need to take only one of two from San Antonio.

The Warriors have a unique way of willing themselves to win, a heart and chemistry unmatched in today’s NBA of super teams and super egos. It’s hard to see a team of this caliber and this makeup dropping both games to San Antonio, or one and a massive upset in one of the other three games. This record means too much to this team for them to let it slip away. As we saw tonight, when the Warriors want to take it into a second gear, they do. Nothing can stop them. Like it or not, losing twice in five games just won’t happen to these Warriors.

 

 

Golden State Warriors Friday game wrap: Warriors’ home streak falls

Published on by smallforceLeave a comment

~ PC: (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ If only it was an April Fool’s Day prank, but it was not, as Golden State’s streak fell at 54 to the Boston Celtics, Friday, 109-106.

The Celtics had ties to another one of the Warriors’ streaks. While last matchup, Boston was not directly tied to ending the streak of Golden State aiming to be the first to go 7-0 on the road, the Celtics did take the game the night before to double overtime.

The Warriors’ Stephen Curry finished with 29 points, all but one his shots from the field a three, five rebounds, six assists and nine turnovers. For Boston, Isaiah Thomas, Evan Turner and Jared Sullinger had 22, 21 and 20 points respectively. Sullinger had a double-double with 12 rebounds.

Golden State lost the turnover battle 14-22. The Celtics outscored the Warriors in the paint 48-30.

It was a tough first quarter for Curry. After a rebound, he committed four straight turnovers when he had the ball, five overall in the quarter. Curry did not have a point until a three with 4.3 seconds left in the quarter, to give Golden State the lead heading to the locker rooms.

The second did not have that much activity until the very end. With 2:14 left, Curry hit another three. There were two ties. Sullinger had four points and the Warriors’ Klay Thompson had three. Curry had an offensive foul turnover and the next possession, a backcourt turnover. Bradley gave Boston the 45-43 lead with a three after missing one earlier and Thompson tried a three with .4 seconds left. Golden State had a seven point lead during the quarter.

Curry came out firing with two consecutive threes in the third. They would be the first of six total in the quarter, as Curry went three crazy. He scored a total of 21 points in the quarter. When Curry made the first of three consecutive free throws with 2:19 left in the third quarter, that was his first non three pointer. Curry’s last three in the quarter would be the last time the Warriors led though.

The Celtics’ lead grew to 10 points by 8:41 left in the third quarter, thanks to an 11-4 run. Marcus Smart had five points and Golden State missed three straight. Draymond Green almost single handedly brought back Golden State to within three with 3:58 left. He had six straight out of eight points he made starting with 5:26 left. Harrison Barnes’ three made it 106-107 with 10.2 seconds left, but a layup by Thomas with 8.3 seconds left, sealed the deal. Curry and Barnes tried a three apiece after to no avail.

Game notes: The Warriors’ Andrew Bogut left the game early after taking a drive to the ribs. Golden State also lost their six game win streak. The Warriors play the Portland Trailblazers Sunday at 5pm.

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Warriors believe in themselves that they can get to 72 wins

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

On the Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor the Warriors who picked up their 68th win their closing in on the Chicago Bulls all time winningest record. The 1995-96 World Champion year and during that regular season the Bulls lost only ten games that season going 72-10. The Warriors can make it interesting if they can win their next four games in a row. They face the Boston Celtics Friday night at Oracle in seeking win number 69.

The Warriors played the Utah Jazz in their last game it was a hard fought game in Salt Lake City and the Warriors who were down by eight points in the closing minutes miraculously escaped defeat for their 68th win of the season. Their aiming to get number 72 in the win column and according to the Warriors star Stephen Curry he’s a believer.

David has lots more Warriors comments on the podcast click below listen at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Warriors survive Jazz in overtime

Published on by Eric HeLeave a comment

By: Eric He

The Jazz gave the Warriors as good a battle as any team could, but the Warriors pulled out a 103-96 overtime victory in Utah to advance to 68-7 and take another step toward a record-breaking 73-win season.

With the game tied 91-91 in overtime, the Warriors went on a 10-2 run to put the game away. Stephen Curry, who finished with 31 points, made a difficult shot at the basket — part of a self-orchestrated 6-0 run — to give the Warriors a 99-93 lead and the Jazz never threatened in the overtime session.

The Warriors trailed by three in the final seconds of regulation, but Klay Thompson tied the game with a 3-pointer on a second opportunity after Shaun Livingston grabbed the offensive rebound on Thompson’s original miss. The Warriors entered the fourth trailing 69-63, but the Jazz kept them in the game with missed free throws — they went 13-of-29 — and the Warriors took advantage.

Golden State took a 42-40 lead into halftime, as the Jazz hung with the defending champions every step of the way until the very end. Gordon Hayward led Utah with 21 points and Rodney Hood added 20.

But the Warriors’ grit and desire won out, and they now sit five wins away from a record no one ever though would be broken.

The Warriors next play the Celtics at home on Friday.

Warriors’ winning ways continue, hold off Wizards

Published on by jhawkes51Leave a comment

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND, Calif — Reigning league MVP Stephen Curry led all scorers with 26 points and Draymond Green fell one assist shy for his 13th triple double of the season helping the Golden State Warriors fend off a pesky Washington Wizards team, 102-94 Tuesday night in front of a sold out raucous Oracle Arena crowd.

Curry shot just 9 for 20 from the field, but drilled 6 of 8 threes to go along with seven assists, seven rebounds, five steals and emphatic dunk in the closing moments of the first quarter as Golden State (67-7), tied the franchise mark for wins in a season from last season and remain on pace to break the all-time wins mark in a season.

The 1995-96 Chicago Bulls finished the season 72-10 en route to the NBA title.

With eight games to go, Golden State must finish no worse than 6-2 to set a new single-season record for wins in a season.

Green finished with 15 points, 16 rebounds, and nine assists, while Klay Thompson scored just 16 points after back-to-back games of 40+ points over the weekend for the Warriors, who picked up their 54th straight win at home dating back to last season.

Golden State is 36-0 at home this season and have a chance to break the 1985-86 Boston Celtics’ 40-1 home record, an NBA record.

Washington (36-38) played Golden State very tough for three quarters, scoring 25 points off of 16 Golden State turnovers and out-scoring the Warriors in the paint, 50-40.

Golden State did dominate on the glass, out-rebounding Washington 55-48 and held the edge on fast break points, 24-13.

Bradley Beal led the Wizards with 17 points, Markieff Morris had 15 points and eight rebounds, and Otto Porter Jr. finished with 11 points for Washington, who allowed Golden State to close the first half on a 12-0 run to take a 49-46 lead after building a nine-point lead.

Both teams return to floor quickly Wednesday with Golden State flying to Salt Lake City to play a surging Utah Jazz team, while Washington looks to bounce back when they visit Sacramento.

 

 

 

 

Warriors hold off Mavericks

Published on by Eric HeLeave a comment

By: Eric He

The Golden State Warriors inched closer to history on Friday night, beating the Mavericks 128-120 to advance to 65-7 on the season and take another step toward breaking the Chicago Bulls’ record for most wins in a season.

Klay Thompson led the way with 40 points and Stephen Curry added 33 points — the duo combined for 14 3-pointers to help the Warriors break another record by hitting 938 3-pointers on the season.

The Warriors put up 40 points in the first quarter and 72 in the first half as Curry knocked down a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the second quarter and give the Warriors a 72-58 advantage at halftime.

But Steve Kerr complained about the team’s defense after the game, as the Mavericks quietly worked their way back into the game in the second half. A run in the fourth quarter by Dallas cut the lead to as little as three when Charlie Villanueva hit a 3-pointer.

The Warriors were to put the game away, though, on back-to-back 3s by Thompson and Harrison Barnes to put the Warriors up 10 with under a minute to play.

Golden State shot 48.9 percent from the field as four starters finished in double-figures. They play the 76ers next at home on Sunday.

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Bogut’s return adds to the confidence of the team

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

by David Zizmor

photo credit: pixgood.com–Golden State Warriors Andrew Bogut returned Wednesday and had a great night

OAKLAND–The Golden State Warriors Andrew Bogut who came back from his injury and missed two games returned on Wednesday night and it gave something the Warriors to be proud about as Bogut contributed greatly against the Los Angeles Clippers and everything helps especially when your in a game playing against a player like DeAndre Jordan of the Clippers. You need a big body like Bogut in there to be a little speed bump for Jordan.

The Warriors are great at home, they love playing in front of the home crowd and they have both of their remaining games at home and their looking to clinch home court advantage in the playoffs because let’s face it San Antonio is still breathing down the Warrior’s neck. The Warriors have about a three game lead right now which is sufficient given the way both teams are playing right now.

David Zizmor does the Golden State Warriors podcast each week for http://www.sportsradioservice.com and catch David on the Bob Benson show on fccfreeradio.com next Wednesday March 30th.

 

Golden State Warriors Wednesday game wrap: Warriors Cut Down Clippers

Published on by bentleonard18Leave a comment

By Ben Leonard

Photo credit: Noah Graham NBAE–Golden State’s Stephen Curry goes up against the LA Clippers on Wednesday night

Over the years, the newly-formed Warriors-Clippers rivalry has been extremely intense. Tempers have flared, barbs have been exchanged, and tension has risen.

But Wednesday, even though that traditional hype was strangely missing, the Warriors still found motivation to win on Wednesday, cutting down Los Angeles 114-98 at Oracle Arena. Stephen Curry had 33 points, Klay Thompson had 32, and Draymond Green tallied yet another double-double in the victory.

“It was kind of a dead atmosphere in there and it didn’t seem to have the same energy of the rivalry,” Warriors head coach Kerr said. “For whatever reason tonight didn’t have the same juice.”

But that didn’t stop the Warriors from taking care of business behind the Splash Brothers. Motivation seemed to stem from staying alive in the race to beat the Chicago Bulls’ record of 72 wins. With just eleven games remaining, all Golden State has to do is go 9-2 to beat Jordan’s record. They won’t back down and rest players — they’re going to gun for it.

Green exemplified this effort on Wednesday, dropping twelve points while pulling down twelve boards, hustling on the boards and playing hard defense to keep the Warriors ahead. More classic Warriors basketball: the Splash Brothers combined to shoot 11 of 20 from beyond the arc, and 24 of 44 from the field.

All in all, it was enough to give the Warriors their 33rd win at home this season — no team has ever finished a home slate with a perfect record. But if anyone is up to the task, it’s the Warriors.

 

Golden State Warriors Monday game wrap up: The Warriors struggle with the T-Wolves, find a way to win.

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

By Jerry Feitelberg

UPI photo: Golden State’s Draymond Green goes for a bucket as the Warriors just get by the Minnesota Wild on Monday night

The Warriors had their hands full with the young and tall Minnesota TimberWolves Monday night at the Target Center in Minneapolis. Steph Curry and Klay Thompson did not shoot well for the second game in  a row, but Draymond Green and the bench picked up the slack as the Warriors won a thriller 109-104. The Warriors were looking to rebound from the loss in San Antonio Saturday night. The Spurs had crept to trail the Dubs by just three games in the race for home-court advantage in the Western Conference. Minnesota entered the game with a record of 22-47. The Dubs have on the T-Wolves the last couple of seasons and most people would think that this game would be a breeze for Golden State. Those people would be wrong as the Wolves played the Dubs tough. The T-Wolves big four, Ricky Rubio, Karl-Anthony Towns. Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine accounted for eighty-eight points. The Warriors bench, on the other hand, outscored the Minnesota bench 36-8. Andrew Bogut missed his third straight game with an injured toe. Andre Iguodala did not play as he is recovering from an ankle sprain. Festus Ezeli is still not ready to return from knee surgery, but reports indicate that he will be returning to practice next week.

The Warriors had their hands full with the young and tall Minnesota TimberWolves Monday night at the Target Center in Minneapolis. Steph Curry and Klay Thompson did not shoot well for the second game in a row, but Draymond Green and the bench picked up the slack as the Warriors won a thriller 109-104. The Warriors were looking to rebound from the loss in San Antonio Saturday night. The Spurs had crept to trail the Dubs by just three games in the race for home-court advantage in the Western Conference. Minnesota entered the game with a record of 22-47. The Dubs have on the T-Wolves the last couple of seasons and most people would think that this game would be a breeze for Golden State. Those people would be wrong as the Wolves played the Dubs tough. The T-Wolves big four, Ricky Rubio, Karl-Anthony Towns. Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine accounted for eighty-eight points. The Warriors bench, on the other hand, outscored the Minnesota bench 36-8. Andrew Bogut missed his third straight game with an injured toe. Andre Iguodala did not play as he is recovering from an ankle sprain. Festus Ezeli is still not ready to return from knee surgery, but reports indicate that he will be returning to practice next week.

The Warriors and the Wolves played a very tight first period. Neither team could get a big lead and the Warriors trailed by two 29-27 after the first twelve minutes of play. It was the sam story in the second period. Neither team could get much going but the Dubs were able to lead by three 61-58 at the half. Golden State had seventeen assists and just three turnovers in the half. They were able to score fourteen points due to several Minnesota turnovers. Steph and Draymond led the Dubs in scoring with ten apiece. Mo Speights had eight of the bench and James Michael McAdoo, who started the game, contributed seven. LaVine, Towns, Rubio and Wiggins did most of the scoring for Minnesota.

In the third period, Minnesota was able to take an 89-83 lead but the Dubs came back and tied it at 89 at the finish of the third period. In the fourth period, the dubs defense put the clamps on the Minnesota offense and limited them to just fifteen points. The Warriors offense wasn’t much better as they scored twenty points but it was enough to secure the win. Draymond Green made two clutch layups in the final stanza. Klay and Steph also made four key free throws to help the Dubs win. Final score 109-104.

Game Notes- Steph finished the game with a double-double. He had nineteen points, eleven assists, and seven rebounds. Draymond had twenty-four points, nine rebounds and six assists. Klay Thompson scored seventeen. He made five three-point shots and two free throws. However, he was 0-for-9 from the floor.

Minnesota’s Big Four had Rubio with twenty, Towns with twenty-four, Wiggins twenty-five and LaVine nineteen. The Dubs bench received contributions from Mo Speights, Shaun Livingstone, Leandro Barbosa, Brandon Rush and Anderson Varejao. The bench contributions were the difference in the game.

The Warriors improve their season record to 63-7 with twelve games left to play. They play nine games at Oracle and just three on the road. The Dubs won for the thirty-first time on the road. They became the eleventh team in NBA history to achieve the feat. The Charlotte Hornets beat the San Antonio Spurs 91-88 to help the Dubs increase their lead to four games in the race for home-court advantage.

Next up for Golden State will be the Los Angeles Clippers Wednesday night at Oracle Arena.

 

 

 

Spurs down Warriors to move to 35-0 at home

Published on by jhawkes51Leave a comment

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

SAN ANTONIO — In what many believed to be the biggest game on the NBA calendar this year, the San Antonio Spurs held court, dispatching the NBA World Champions Golden State Warriors 87-79 Saturday night to improve to an NBA-best 35-0 at home in front another sellout crowd at the AT&T Center.

The Spurs were fueled by power forward LaMarcus Aldridge, who appeared unstoppable finishing with 26 points and 13 rebounds against a Warriors team that were held to a season-low in total points and beaten their California rivals 33-straight games in the Alamo City dating back to 1997.

“They’re a great team, they’re the bar in the NBA and it felt good to get a win tonight,” Aldridge said after the Spurs (59-10), moved within three games of Golden State (62-7) for the best record in the NBA with two more meetings in April.

Kawhi Leonard added 18 points and 14 rebounds, and Boris Diaw added 14 points and eight rebounds to help San Antonio win their 44th-straight home game in the regular season, tying the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls for second all-time in NBA history.

San Antonio handcuffed and harassed league MVP Stephen Curry the entire night, limiting the Warriors’ most lethal weapon to just 14 points on 4-of-18 shooting (1-of-12 from 3-point range) and six assists. Spurs’ shooting guard Danny Green made life difficult for Curry, blocking two of Curry’s shots.

“Tonight we executed well on the defensive end, but offensively I didn’t allow us to get comfortable offensively,” the reining league MVP said after the game.

Klay Thompson scored 15 points, and Draymond Green finished with 11 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists.

San Antonio decided to started Boris Diaw at center, opting to bring Tim Duncan off the bench and proved to be one of the difference makers as Golden State were forced to start Brandon Rush in the frontcourt with Green and Harrison Barnes.

Green started at center in place for the injured Andrew Bogut, who injured his toe in Golden State’s 130-112 victory over the Mavericks in Dallas Friday night.

Golden State travels to Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves Monday at the Target Center before returning home to face to Los Angeles Clippers Wednesday back at Oracle Arena.