Category: Golden State Warriors

Warriors improve to 29-1 behind Curry’s triple double

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — Stephen Curry overcame a slow start, but managed to pick up the pace by finishing with 23 points helping the Golden State Warriors improve to 29-1 with a 122-103 over the visiting Sacramento Kings Monday night in front of a sellout Oracle Arena crowd.

Curry finished with a career-high 14 rebounds and 10 assists, earning his sixth career triple double to help Golden State remain undefeated at home improving to 14-0, and extending their regular season home winning streak to 33 games dating back to last season.

Curry was held scoreless for 20:44 minutes to begin the game, but got red-hot in the second quarter scoring 17 points and nailing five 3-pointers.

Klay Thompson scored 29 points and Draymond Green finished with 25 points, helping Golden State to their 11th straight win over their Northern California rival, their longest losing streak since the Cincinnati Royals dropped 13 straight to the Philadelphia Warriors in 1959-60.

Omri Casspi scored a career-high 36 points (leading all scorers for the game), and tying a Kings’ record set by Mike Bibby with nine made 3-pointers.

Center DeMarcus Cousins, who was finally healthy in three games versus Golden State, was ejected in the third quarter by referee Monty McCutchen after arguing his fifth personal foul.

Once Cousins was ejected, the Warriors went on a 15-0 run that after being up by just two points to push their lead to 79-66. Another Curry 3-pointer just before the end of the third raised Golden State’s lead to 90-75.

Rudy Gay finished with 17 points and eight rebounds, Darren Collison had 13 points and 11 assists, while Rajon Rondo scored just four points and played just 17 minutes after picking up three fouls in the first quarter.

Sacramento (12-19), who lost 98-94 at home to the Portland Trailblazers on Sunday, have lost three of their last four games.

Warriors center Festus Ezeli left the game with a sore left foot and forward Harrison Barnes missed his 13th game with an ankle sprain.

Golden State travels to Texas for a two-game road trip, visiting Dallas on Wednesday and Houston on Thursday.

The Kings host Philadelphia on Wednesday.

 

 

 

Warriors defeat Cavaliers in marquee Christmas Matchup

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By: Eric He

The Golden State Warriors fought their way past the Cleveland Cavaliers in a marquee Christmas Day matchup, defeating the Cavaliers 89-83 on Friday afternoon.

The Cavaliers closed on a 10-point Warriors advantage in the fourth, but Stephen Curry sliced to the rim for a couple of layups to keep the Warriors ahead. His layup put the Warriors in front 85-80 with a minute to play.

Golden State knocked down its free throws, finishing off one of the signature wins of the season thus far and advance its record to 28-1.

Draymond Green was the best player on the court with 22 points, 15 rebounds and 7 assists. Curry added 19 points, 7 assists, and 7 rebounds.

With a five-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, the Warriors maintained the slim advantage, playing Cleveland’s halfcourt style of offense but still outscoring the Cavaliers. A dunk by Shaun Livingston in transition put the Warriors ahead 77-69 midway through the fourth. Livingston was key off the bench with 16 big points.

Out of a timeout, Green’s layup gave the Warriors a 10-point lead, their first double-digit advantage of the night.

However, the Cavaliers answered with a 6-0 run, fueled by James to claw within four at 81-77. J.R. Smith knocked down a three to make it a one-possession game at 83-80.

The Warriors started off the second half well. Thompson connected on some jump shots and a dunk by Green put the Warriors up 54-46 and forced a timeout. Curry’s three-point play on a layup inside gave the Warriors a 57-49 advantage.

But the Cavaliers answered, and a three by Smith cut the lead to three. With both teams playing tight, the Warriors took a 64-59 lead into the fourth quarter.

After a slow offensive start, the Warriors went on a 19-5 run to end the first quarter and take a 28-19 lead into the second. Green had a big first quarter with 10 points, six rebounds and three assists. Livingston made a couple of jumpers to extend the Warriors’ advantage at the end of the quarter.

Curry retreated to the locker room early in the second quarter with an apparent leg injury, but returned a few minutes later after he was cleared to play. Meanwhile, the bench unit allowed the Cavaliers to go on a 9-0 run and tie the game at 31-31.

In a low-scoring first half, the Warriors scored eight of the final 10 points to enter halftime with a 45-42 lead. Despite the injury, Curry still had 10 points, although the Warriors’ 45 points was tied for their lowest in a first half this season.

The Warriors continue their winning ways, down the Jazz

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Image result for klay thompson

photo by Google images

The Golden State Warriors won their 31st straight home game in a row by beating the Utah Jazz 103-85 Wednesday night at a sold-out Oracle Arena. The Dubs did not play an A-game on offense, but their defense was outstanding as they challenged the Jazz on every shot. The Dubs took an early 13-9 lead in the first period and never relinquished the lead. The Defense held the Jazz to just thirteen points in the first period. The Dubs defense forced six Jazz turnovers, and the Dubs scored eight points on fast breaks.  The Dubs lead 23-13 after one period of play.

The Jazz played better in the second period as they outscored the Dubs 27-24 and trailed by nine at the half. Klay Thompson led the Warrior scoring with ten points. Steph Curry added nine. Draymond Green pitched in with eight. The Warriors shot 45.2% from the floor. The Jazz was held to 38.5% Jeff Withey and Rod Hood each had seven points to lead the Jazz in scoring. Gordon Hayward pitched in with six for Utah.

In the third period, the Dubs kept the pressure on the Jazz and were able to extend the lead to fifteen at the end of three.  The Jazz tried to get back into the game but the Warriors defense kept them at bay. The Jazz narrowed the gap to ten but interim coach, Like Walton, went small late in the period, and the Dubs increased the lead as they were able to play at a more upbeat pace. The Jazz like to slow the game down and keep the score low, but the Dubs were able to stifle that strategy.

Steph Curry started the fourth period on the bench as a Utah player hit on the back of his leg, and the Dubs didn’t want to take any chances that he might injure his leg. The Dubs led by ten with 6:03 left when Steph came back into the game. He played just three minutes, and when he exited, the Warriors led by seventeen. That was the game. Golden State wins 103-85.

Game Notes- The Warriors made history on two fronts with the win. The Dubs are 13-0 at home to start the season. This breaks the record of 12- 0 set by the 1975-76 Warriors. The Warriors 27-1  record to start a season is the best winning percentage in NBA history heading into Christmas Day.

Steph Curry numbers were 16 points, nine assists,  five rebounds and three steals. Klay Thompson led the Dubs in scoring with 20. Andrew Bogut had a huge game. He tallied 10 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and had four assists plus he blocked several shots. Draymond Green just missed a double-double as he had 15 points, nine rebounds, and six assists.

Derrick Favors led the Jazz with 17 points and nine rebounds. Rod Hood knocked down 15. Alec Burks and Trey Burke each added 13 points for Utah.

The Warriors meet the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday, Christmass Day at 2 PM. The game will be a rematch of the two teams that met in the NBA Finals last June. The game will be on national TV.

 

 

 

Warriors hang tough, rally past Bucks to move to 26-1

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — Klay Thompson scored a game-high 27 points and Stephen Curry added 26 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists to help the Golden State Warriors avenge their only loss of the season with a 121-112 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks Friday night in front of a sellout Oracle Arena crowd.

Thompson shot 8 of 16 from the floor (2 of 9) on 3s, while Curry shot 7 of 14 including 2 of 6 on 3s.

Curry extended his streak to 100 games with at least one 3-pointer made.

The Bucks ended the Warriors 28-game winning streak dating back to last season in Milwaukee last weekend. Milwaukee came within an eyelash of  joining the Chicago Bulls as the last team to beat the Warriors at Oracle Arena.

With the win,  Golden State has now won 30 straight games at home.

Golden State (26-1) yielded a season-high 70 points in the first half, but turned on the defense in the second half by limiting Milwaukee to just 42 points the rest of the way. The Warriors found themselves down by as much 15 points in the third, and trailing by 11 points with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Draymond Green nailed a huge 3-pointer from straight away to pull the Warriors within three at 100-97 and after being fouled on a 3-point attempt, Curry sunk three free throws to tie the game midway in the fourth quarter.

Green finished with 21 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists, but Andre Iguodala’s 3-pointer from the corner pushed Golden State’s lead to seven cementing the Warriors’ victory.

The made 3-pointer by Iguodala was his only points of the game.

Festus Ezeli who played the majority of the game in place of starting center Andrew Bogut, finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Bogut left the game in the first quarter with a back injury and never returned.

Michael Carter-Williams led the Bucks with 24 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo chipped in 20 points for Milwaukee (10-18), who have dropped five of their last six games but have provided Golden State with its stiffest competition so far this season.

Greg Monroe had 10 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists for the Bucks, who were out-rebounded 46-41 but shot a blistering 62 percent from the floor in the first half.

Khris Middleton added 16 points and Jabari Parker scored 14 points.

So much trash talk was voiced between both squads leading up to their rematch tonight and even after the final whistle, the trash talk couldn’t be stopped.

Green and O.J. Mayo had some heated words when exiting the court, prompting security and fellow players having to come in between the two before heading into the locker room.

Mayo scored just 12 points off the bench after scoring 18 points as a starter in the previous meeting in Milwaukee.

Milwaukee head to Phoenix Sunday, while Golden State doesn’t play until Wednesday when the Utah Jazz visit Oracle Arena.

 

Golden State Resumes Winning Ways With 128-103 Thrashing of Suns

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By Shawn Whelchel

Returning to action for the first time since their winning streak came to an abrupt end, the Golden State Warriors resumed their winning ways with a dominating 128-103 victory over the Phoenix Suns at Oracle Arena on Wednesday.

With three days of rest under their belt, the Warriors had to shake off some first quarter rust, shooting under 40 percent from the field while playing in to the Suns’ strategy of making the contest more of a derby race than a basketball game. The result was a first quarter marathon that saw 50 total shots hoisted up between the two teams, with the Suns assuming a two-point advantage over the Warriors at the end of the first.

But the Warriors would not stay down for long, cleaning up their play on both sides of the ball while dictating the flow of the game in the second quarter to take a 13-point lead heading into the locker room. It would be the last time the Suns were even in contention.

The Warriors started the second half with a scorching offensive display, led by Klay Thompson, who scored 27 of his game-high 43 points in the third quarter. Steph Curry backed up his teammate with a mini-clinic of his own, putting through 13 points of his own to further the Warriors lead. The two Splash Brothers combined for 40 of the Warriors 46 third quarter points, effectively shutting the door on the Suns before the final frame even commenced.

Not to be outdone by their backcourt mates, Golden State’s big-men also got the job done for the Warriors in their dominating third quarter outburst. C Andrew Bogut continued to gobble up boards en-route to his 12-rebound night, while Draymond Green produced his fourth triple-double of the season by the sound of the whistle. He would finish the night with 16 points, 10 assists and 11 rebounds.

With no answer for the Warriors dominance on both ends of the court, the Suns were outscored 79-37 during the middle portion of the night’s contest, paving way for what was essentially a victory lap of a fourth quarter.

The Suns would come out shooting, putting up a game-high 38 points in the final quarter, but it would be too little, too late, as the Warriors would put the cap on the beginning of a possible new win-streak.

In a game between the league’s number one -the Warriors- and number three- the Suns- three point shooting teams, it was Golden State who used the deep ball to their advantage, scoring 45 of their points from behind the arc on 15 of 32 shooting. The Suns were uncharacteristically bad from downtown, putting through just 5 of their 22 attempts while trying to play catch up.

With the win, the Warriors were able to keep alive at least one winning streak, as they’ve now won 29 straight games at Oracle Arena. Ominously enough, the Milwaukee Bucks- who were responsible for snapping the Warriors 24 game streak on Saturday- will come to Oracle Arena on Friday to face Golden State for the second time in under a week.

Warriors’ streak ended in Milwaukee by Bucks

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By: Eric He

photo credit: AP Golden State Warrior Stephen Curry hangs head after loss to Milwaukee

It took 25 games, but the Golden State Warriors finally suffered their first loss, a 108-95 defeat on the road to the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.

The Warriors trailed 80-77 at the start of the fourth, but the Bucks opened on a 11-2 run to take a 12-point lead with under seven minutes to play, taking advantage of the Warriors’ bench lineup.

Golden State was never able to recover from the deficit, despite Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green re-entering the game midway through the fourth.

A dunk by Michael Carter-Williams sealed the deal on the Warriors’ first loss.

The Warriors entered the night 24-0, hoping to become the first team in history to sweep a seven-game road trip. But their record-breaking start to the season was stopped short by an energetic Milwaukee squad.

Curry led the way with 28 points, while Green had 24 points. Greg Monroe led the Bucks with 28 points as well.

The Warriors started the third quarter on a 15-3 run, which ended with a dunk by Brandon Rush that cut the advantage to 7-69. A couple of layups by Jabari Parker pushed the lead back up to eight, and the Warriors trailed 80-77 heading into the fourth quarter.

The Bucks began the game on a spurt and led 14-5 early on after a couple of jumpers by O.J. Mayo. The Warriors ended the quarter on a 10-0 run to draw within 30-28 after one.

But the Warriors were outscored by nine in the second quarter. After they took a 33-30 lead, the Bucks went on a 12-2 run to take a seven-point advantage. The Warriors struggled from the floor as the Bucks poured it on. A three by Giannis Antetokounmpo put the Bucks ahead 56-42 late in the second.

Milwaukee took a 59-48 lead into halftime.

Warriors use guts, guile to keep legendary streak going

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By Jeremy Harness

The Warriors have won a lot of games with their lights-out outside shooting to go along with crisp execution on both sides of the court. Friday night, however, was not one of those occasions.

The Boston Celtics’ defensive toughness made things extremely tough on Stephen Curry & Co., which was already missing Klay Thompson and Harrison to ankle injuries, throughout the game and appeared poised to end the Warriors’ NBA-record undefeated streak.

However, he overcame that and found a way to score 38 points, and the Warriors followed suit to keep the streak alive with a 124-119 double-overtime thriller over the Celtics Friday night inside Boston’s TD Garden.

“Nothing was pretty about this game the whole time,” Curry said. “I can’t say enough about every guy who stepped out of the floor, considering all the injuries we had.

“A lot of people thought we were going to lose this game, (but) we got it done.”

To get past the Celtics, the Warriors ratcheted up their defensive intensity and made big stops down the stretch. Shaun Livingston, for example, got a huge block on Isaiah Thomas’ 3-point attempt to force the game into overtime.

Draymond Green, whom head coach Steve Kerr has identified as the heartbeat of their team, made several big plays, particularly in the second overtime that saw him drive past Amir Johnson to give the Warriors a three-point lead. His impact was also reflected in the stat sheet, as he finished with 24 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists, five blocks and five steals.

“Everybody stepped up to the challenge,” Green said. “This was a complete team win. Everybody wants to be that team that knocks you off. We’ve been getting everybody’s best shot, but we continue to give our shot back as well.

“There’s no pressure; we’re just playing basketball and having fun.”

The Warriors are chasing one more streak. They have now won 28 consecutive games dating back to last season and only stand five games behind the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers as the longest winning streak in NBA history.

 

Warriors hang on against Pacers to reach 23-0

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By: Eric He

Some thought the Golden State Warriors’ undefeated start to a season would be stopped by the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night.

But the Warriors put big numbers on the board in a 131-123 win over the Pacers on the road to advance to 23-0 and continue their record-breaking campaign.

Klay Thompson erupted for a season-high 39 points, making 10 three-pointers. Stephen Curry added 29 points as the Warriors controlled the game from the start.

A 79-point first half set the tone for a high-paced affair, featuring 29 first-half points from Thompson. Shaun Livingston and the bench played well to start the second, with Livingston’s jumper putting the Warriors up 62-42.

The Pacers went on a 9-0 run to cut the lead to 62-51, but Thompson answered with 12 points on four three-pointers to end the quarter as the Warriors responded with a 17-7 spurt. Thompson went 8-of-10 from beyond-the-arc in the first half alone and the Warriors led 79-60 at halftime.

Golden State began the half with three straight lobs to Andrew Bogut and went on an 11-3 run midway through the quarter, with Thompson bottoming a shot to give them 100 points at the 3:56 mark of the third. Curry added a setback jumper to end the quarter, which put the Warriors up 111-83 heading into the fourth.

With the bench playing the fourth, the Pacers made a little run, cutting the lead to 11 with four minutes to play. That forced Luke Walton to put Curry and Thompson back in. Chase Budinger’s layup made it a 127-120 game with under a minute to play, but Curry answered with a layup on the other end to put the game away.

The Warriors scored 44 points in the first quarter, and overcame a slow start with the help of a 19-0 run after being down 21-15 midway through. Thompson had 17 points in the quarter, including a three that gave the Warriors a 23-21 lead. Curry’s three-pointer with under two minutes to play put the Warriors ahead 37-21.

The Warriors led 44-28 after the first quarter and tied their season record for most points in the quarter.

Warriors Cut Down Nets, Keep Streak Alive

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By: Ben Leonard

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It wasn’t as easy as it should have been, but they’ll take it. The Warriors found themselves in a position they haven’t been used to, but Stephen Curry and the Dubs (22-0) proved worthy of the now-unfamiliar task of coming from behind, pulling past the lowly Brooklyn Nets (5-15) 114-98.

Golden State had jumped out to an early lead, but eventually found themselves down by as many as five points midway through the third quarter, a major accomplishment for Brooklyn given the Dubs’ recent prowess. With the victory, Golden State is now just one win short of tying the 2012-13 Miami Heat’s all-time NBA second-longest win streak (23).

But Curry wouldn’t settle and willed his team to win, scoring 16 points in the third (including 11 in the last 2:10) to help the Warriors pull away, going on a 53-32 run to end the game. Curry finished his night with 28 points but was uncharacteristically bad from the charity stripe, making just one of four tries. He wasn’t alone in struggling on free throws — Golden State made just 12 of their 23 tries (52%), well below their season average of 75.8%.

Power forward Thaddeus Young led the way with a double-double for Brooklyn in a losing effort, dropping 25 points and pulling down 14 rebounds. Former Stanford center Brook Lopez also chipped in with 18 points and 8 boards.

The next unlucky team to play the Warriors: the Indiana Pacers, who will square off at home with Golden State on Tuesday to try to end their incredible win streak. After Indiana, Golden State will have two more games left on its East Coast road trip, taking on Boston on Friday and Milwaukee on Saturday in a rare back-to-back.

 

Warriors Advance to 21-0 with Win Over Raptors

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By: Eric He

The Golden State Warriors hung on for a 112-109 win over the Toronto Raptors on Saturday evening for their 21st consecutive victory to start the season.

Stephen Curry poured in 44 points, while Klay Thompson added 26.

The Warriors trailed 85-84 early in the fourth as the bench let a slim lead slip. Thompson and Curry hit consecutive threes and Shaun Livingston connected on a layup to give the Warriors a 92-87 lead midway through the fourth.

But the Raptors responded with a burst of their own and Lowry’s sneaky layup inside regained the lead for Toronto again with under five minutes to play. Down 98-95, Curry dropped in a tough triple to tie the game at 98-98. He made another three to give the Warriors a 102-100 lead at the 2:30 mark.

The Warriors went without a field goal for the rest of the game, but didn’t need to because they connected on their foul shots after Draymond Green was fouled. Curry sealed it with five seconds to play on a pair of free throws to put the Warriors ahead 102-99, and the Raptors turned it over on the ensuing possession.

Up by 10 at halftime, the Warriors were outscored by the Raptors 30-24 in the third quarter. Kyle Lowry had 13 points in the quarter and his three cut the lead in half at the nine-minute mark. The Warriors stayed afloat and maintained the lead with Festus Ezeli chipping in. Curry’s floater off glass put the Warriors ahead 83-79 heading into the fourth quarter.

Lowry scored 41 points for the Raptors, a career-high.

The Warriors trailed 5-0 early, but that would be the extent of their struggles. Curry knocked in his first four shots — all three-pointers — as he and Thompson scored 11 straight points to give the Warriors a 21-10 lead. That marked a 16-0 run for the Warriors in the first quarter which ended with them up 32-21.

But they let the Raptors into the game in the second quarter as Toronto capitalized on second chance points, grabbing rebounds off misses. The Raptors went on an 11-2 run to start the second, capped off by a three from DeMar DeRozan to cut the Warriors lead to 36-32.

The Warriors’ bench unit struggled in the second and the Raptors took a 43-42 lead halfway into the quarter. But still, the starters reentered and took control. Thompson, who had 19 in the half, hit a three to give the Warriors a 56-47 advantage. Another three by Thompson to end the half send the Warriors into the locker room with a 10-point lead at 59-49.