Category: Golden State Warriors

Curry, Warriors ease by Grizzlies by 50 points

Published on by jhawkes51Leave a comment

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — The Golden State Warriors are putting the NBA on notice: it’s going to be tough to beat them.

Reigning league MVP Stephen Curry scored 21 of his game high 30 points in the third quarter helping the Warriors dismantle the Memphis Grizzlies 119-69 Tuesday night at Oracle Arena. It’s Golden State’s 20th straight win at home, a first in franchise history and their third 50-point win in franchise history.

Curry, who won Western Conference Player of the Week honors after averaging 39.3 points per game during the opening week, shot 10 for 16 from the floor, with four 3-pointers, and three assists.

In three of the team’s first four games, Curry has scored at least 20 points in a quarter.

Klay Thompson finished with 14 points and seven rebounds on 6 of 11 shooting.

Festus Ezeli, starting for the injured Andrew Bogut, scored 11 points and 10 rebounds. Draymond Green nearly had a triple double, finishing with 11 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists. Golden State shot a blistering 51 percent from floor (43 for 84) and 44 percent from 3-point range (11 for 25). Green knocked down 3 of 4 3-pointers.

The Warriors held Memphis to just 27 percent shooting form the floor (26 of 96) and out-rebounded the Grizzlies 65-44. Memphis was outscored 72-27 between the second and third quarters.

Memphis’ starting lineup combined to shoot 11 for 45 from the floor, with center Marc Gasol leading the Grizzlies with 13 points and nine rebounds. Point guard Mike Conley was the only other Grizzly to score in double figures with 10 points.

Golden State (4-0) has defeated their first four opponents by 10 points or more for the first time in franchise history, while Memphis has dropped their last three straight in Oakland.

Memphis (2-2) wanted to extract some revenge on a Golden State Warriors team that eliminated the Grizzlies in six games during last season’s playoffs in which the Warriors captured their first championship in forty years, but Golden State’s stingy defense stymied the Grizzlies.

The two teams will meet each other again on Nov. 10 when Golden State travels to Memphis.

Golden State continues its three-game home stand Wednesday with the hated Los Angeles Clippers visiting Oracle Arena.

Warriors Defeat Pelicans Behind Curry’s 53

Published on by Eric HeLeave a comment

By: Eric He

Stephen Curry put on yet another dazzling display of basketball as he lit up the New Orleans Pelicans for 53 points, leading the way for a 134-120 victory by the Golden State Warriors on the road Saturday night.

Twenty-eight of Curry’s points came in the third quarter, where the Warriors outscored the Pelicans 41-26 (yes, Curry outscored the Pelicans by himself) and pulled away.

The Warriors actually trailed 65-64 at halftime before Curry, who had 15 at the half, went off. Three-pointers, scoop layups, four-point plays, fancy dribbling — Curry simply took over and would not let the Warriors lose.

By the end of the third quarter, the Warriors led 105-91 and cruised in the fourth to a double-digit win.

Draymond Green chipped in 21 points, making a few crucial threes in the second half. Klay Thompson got on track for the first time this season with 19 points.

The Warriors shot 54.8 percent from the field and a blistering 56.7 percent (17-of-30) from beyond-the-arc, a dazzling display of offense.

Golden State advances to 3-0 while New Orleans drops to 0-3. The Warriors fly home to take on the Grizzlies on Monday.

Curry Shows Up Harden, Downs Houston 112-92

Published on by swhelchLeave a comment

By Shawn Whelchel

In their first meeting of the 2015 NBA season, Steph Curry gave James Harden a first-hand demonstration as to why he was voted the leagues MVP over the disgruntled Rockets player, dropping 25 points while leading his team to a 112-92 victory on Friday.

The league MVP and NBA Champion shot an efficient 9-of-15 from the field, including 4-of-9 from beyond the arc, while also dishing out six assists and grabbing seven rebounds in 27 minutes of play. Curry’s MVP challenger struggled for the second straight game, shooting just 4-for-18 for 16 points on the night in a losing effort.

Harrison Barnes, Klay Thompson, Marreese Speights and Andre Iguodala all finished in double-digits for Golden State, with Speights leading the group with 14 points on the night.

The contest was tight and physical through the first quarter, with Golden State holding on to just a one point lead at the end of the first quarter. But a posterizing dunk from Barnes on Houston center Dwight Howard seemed to energize the team and swing the match in their favor, as they jumped out to a comfortable 57-44 lead at the half.

Golden state would continue to expand upon their lead as the game went on, cruising their way to a 20 point victory by the games end. The team worked their way into a 2-0 record, while denying Houston their first win of the season.

Houston was led by Montrezl Harrell’s 17 points off the bench, followed by Harden’s 16. Even without C Andrew Bogut, Golden State was able to limit Dwight Howard’s impact on the game, holding him to just nine points on 4-of-11 shooting and seven rebounds.

The Western conference runner ups were clearly frustrated by being steadily handled by the reigning NBA champions, as both Harrell and Houston coach Kevin McHale were called for technical fouls during the night’s contest. The team suffered a 4-1 series exit at the hands of Golden State before the team moved on to the NBA Finals last season.

The team will now move on to continue their win streak with their second game of the season against the New Orleans Pelicans on the road on Saturday, their first back-to-back games of the season.

 

Warriors raise championship banner, drop Pelicans in season opener

Published on by jhawkes51Leave a comment

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND, Calif — Talks of a championship hangover for the Golden State Warriors were quickly put to rest behind Stephen Curry’s 40 points, leading the reigning NBA Champions to a 111-95 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans Tuesday night to begin their title defense.

Curry was blistering hot in the first quarter, knocking down seven of his first nine shots, including four 3-pointers, en route to 24 points in the opening period. The Warriors point guard finished 14 for 26 from the floor, with seven assists and six rebounds for his 10th career 40-point game.

The Warriors raised their championship banner and received their rings in a pregame ceremony. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, who is out indefinitely while recuperating after offseason back surgery, was on hand and got a huge roar from the sold out Oracle Arena crowd. Assistant coach Luke Walton is serving as interim head coach until Kerr returns.

“This is an unbelievable day,” Curry said. “We would not have been able to do what we did last year with your guys’ support.”

Andrew Bogut had 12 points and five rebounds before leaving the game in the third quarter with a right eye laceration following an inadvertent headbutt from Pelicans forward Dante Cunningham. Bogut was already wearing a protective face mask after breaking his nose during the preseason.

Festus Ezeli chipped in 13 points off the bench, while Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green combined for 18 points on 6 for 24 shooting. Earlier in the day, Barnes and the Warriors broke off talks for a new contract extension but left on “amicable terms” according to Warriors GM Bob Myers.

Golden State never was really threatened by the Pelicans, building a 10-point halftime lead and never looked back. The Warriors dominated the Pelicans on the boards, holding a 56-33 edge.

Anthony Davis, who terrorized Golden State last season, shot just 4 for 20 from the field finishing with a team-high 18 points. Golden State played great defense on the Pelicans center, who scored the majority of his points from the free throw line (10 for 15).

Ish Smith scored 17 points and dished out nine assists for the Pelicans, who had just nine players in new head coach and former Warriors assistant coach Alvin Gentry’s debute. The Pelican were without stars Tyreke Evans, Jrue Holiday and Omer Asik.

Curry had the second-most points by a reigning MVP in an opener since 1963-64, according to STATS. Milwaukee’s Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 41 on Oct. 13, 1972, against Phoenix.

Warriors end preseason with a bang

Published on by smallforceLeave a comment

By Pearl Allison Lo

~ Golden State followed up their worst preseason loss with their biggest preseason margin, win or lose, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers Thursday in the teams’ preseason finale, 136-97, at the Honda Center.

It was a much different game than Los Angeles’s last game and the shortened game the last time the teams met on Saturday.

The Warriors’ Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry led all with 24 points apiece, Harrison Barnes just behind with 23 points. Golden State outscored Los Angeles each quarter, the biggest being the third, where the points margin was 16. The Warriors also outrebounded the Lakers, 57-34.

Lou Williams, who had not played since October 13, led the Lakers with 19 points, which made it double digits in all his preseason appearances. It was the fourth time Williams led his team in points. Los Angeles was again without Kobe Bryant.

There was only one tie, the second shot of the game and Los Angeles’s first. The Lakers had the lead for 42 seconds until Curry’s first three of the game, which came with 9:37 left in the first period. Curry had three three’s in the period, as he scored his most in the first quarter, with 11 points. Barnes also scored a tie for his most in the quarter, just behind Curry with 10 points.  Los Angeles almost went to the free throw line as often as they scored from the field in the first. Williams and Ryan Kelly each scored eight points apiece for the Lakers.

In the second, Golden State started with a 6-0 run as Los Angeles did not score until 9:44 remaining in the half. Two turnovers by the Lakers’ Julius Randle eventually led to jump shots by Leandro Barbosa. The Warriors also had an 8-1 run and during an 8-0 run, with 6:17 left in the half, Los Angeles Coach Byron Scott, made five substitutions. Clarkson left during then due to injury and did not return.   

Curry got a technical and Scott made another four substitutions with 6:14 left in the third. Golden State went on a 10-0 run with 2:36 left thanks to three’s by Curry and Barnes. Five rebounds, two apiece for Marreese Speights and Barnes, led to the other four points.

The Lakers went a span of over five minutes without a field goal. It went from 2:49 left in the third to 9:26 left in the game. Scott made his final round of substitutions, five, with 5:46 remaining. The Warriors’ Chris Babb, who entered in the fourth quarter, scored five points in eight minutes as he made the final two shots for Golden State, a jump shot with 59 seconds left and a three with 13.6 seconds left.

Game notes: Harrison led all with five three pointers. Thompson and Curry had four apiece. Barnes and Thompson shot 9 of 12 and Curry shot 9 of 14 from the field. Curry also led all with 10 assists and four steals. Los Angeles’s Roy Hibbert led all with 10 rebounds. The Warriors’ Jason Thompson was the only player not to score in the game. Golden State kicks off the regular season Tuesday, when they face the New Orleans Pelicans at 7:30pm.

Warriors Routed By Clippers in Preseason Action

Published on by Eric HeLeave a comment

By: Eric He

The Golden State Warriors were handed a convincing 130-95 defeat by the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on Tuesday night, dropping another preseason game.

The Warriors rested Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala and sat Andrew Bogut with a broken nose. Shorthanded, they were no match for Blake Griffin and the Clippers.

Griffin finished with 29 points, dominating anyone the Warriors put against him. He scored from inside and out, showing his vast array of offensive moves.

The Clippers had 67 points by halftime and 100 points at the end of the third quarter.

For the Warriors, Klay Thompson recorded 21 points, 15 in the third quarter. Shaun Livingston chipped in 10 points and roster hopeful Ian Clark had 11 off the bench, but otherwise it was an unproductive night for the rest of the team.

The game did get chippy, with eight technical fouls handed out and an ejection to Chris Paul for talking back to a referee. Luke Walton, Draymond Green, and Jason Thompson received technicals for the Warriors.

The Warriors have one more preseason game — Thursday in Anaheim against the Lakers — before the regular season begins next Tuesday against the Pelicans.

 

Lakers and Warriors end early due to wet floor

Published on by jhawkes51Leave a comment

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

SAN DIEGO — With the playing surface at the Valley View Casino Center filled with too many wet spots and players noticeably slipping, the game between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers was called at the 2:16 mark in the third quarter with Los Angeles holding a 85-70 lead.

According to CSNBayArea.com’s Warriors’ Insider Monte Poole, “On no fewer than seven occasions, players were seen slipping and sliding on the floor. In one notable first-half instance, Warriors guard Steph Curry slipped and recovered to drain a 3-pointer over Jordan Clarkson.”

Curry finished with 19 points on 7-for-13 shooting (5-of-10 on 3s), leading all Warriors in scoring. Curry also added four assists and three rebounds. The reigning MVP scored 14 points in the first half and drained 4-of-8 3s.

Festus Ezeli, starting for injured center Andrew Bogut, scored 10 points and grabbed nine rebounds.

Clarkson led all Lakers with 17 points on 7-for-9 shooting, while forward Julius Randle added14 points.

Lakers guard Nick Young, who scored 10 points, said after the game per ESPN, “It was just too dangerous to play on, people slipping left and right.” Young began the game hot, knocking down three straight 3s in under two minutes in the second quarter.

Los Angeles (2-4) shot a better percentage from the floor than Golden State (46% to 38%), and controlled the points in the paint outscoring the Warriors 34 to 22. Golden State turned the ball over 12 times, compared to just five by the Lakers.

Golden Staten continues their three-game SoCal road swing Tuesday against the Clippers on ESPN, before finishing up against the Lakers once more on Thursday on TNT.

Sharks Beat Devils 2-1, Start Season 4-0

Published on by M WalshLeave a comment

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks won their fourth in a row to start the season. They needed overtime and a shootout to defeat the New Jersey Devils 2-1. Goaltender Martin Jones set a new shutout record for the franchise, spanning from the team’s first game of the season to the final minutes of the fourth game. Regulation goals were scored by Patrick Marleau for the Sharks and Adam Henrique for the Devils. The game was a far cry from the trouncing that they gave to the Washington Capitals, but in light of recent injuries, it was a good win.

Earlier Friday, the Sharks announced that they would be without the services of forwards Logan Couture and Joonas Donskoi. Head coach Peter DeBoer opted to make wholesale changes to his lines when he lost the top top six forwards. Bringing Ben Smith in as fourth line center, he moved Chris Tierney to the third line between Tommy Wingels and Matt Nieto. Tomas Hertl moved to the second line between Patrick Marleau and Joel Ward. Nikolay Goldobin took Donskoi’s place next to Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski.

Near the end of the game, DeBoer moved the more experienced Barclay Goodrow to that top line. Patrick Marleau took on some additional penalty killing minutes in Couture’s absence, while Paul Martin took the point on power plays. The number of adjustments required spoke to the importance of Couture to the team.

The Sharks’ penalty kill streak ended at 15, and Martin Jones set a new shutout streak for the franchise. The game was not pretty but it did keep their winning streak alive.

Less than three minutes in, the new second line of Hertl, Joel Ward and Patrick Marleau scored. The goal featured a good board battle won by Hertl, followed by a smart pass from Ward to a well-positioned Marleau. All in all, that line looked good.

Martin Jones has not given up a goal since 1:49 into the Sharks’ first game of the season on October 7. Shutouts in game against the Ducks and the Capitals put Jones in a position to break Al Stalock’s shutout record of 178:55, 45 seconds into Friday’s game. He did that and set the new one at 234:33. A couple of pucks got by him during that time, only to have the goals waived off, but it is still a tremendous record.

Jordin Tootoo and Mike Brown took matching roughing penalties at 8:58 of the period but the four-on-four minutes did not change the score. The first period ended with the score still 1-0 Sharks, and the shot count 10-5 Sharks.

Early in the second period, Tomas Hertl had a scoring chance thwarted by a slash to the hands from Adam Larsson. No penalty was called but Hertl looked a little sore. That hand could bear watching. The first power play of the game went to the Devils at 14:01 of the second. Joe Pavelski was called for hooking. The Sharks killed it off, keeping their penalty kill record perfect at 12-0.

With 2:06 left in the period, Goldobin drew a penalty against Jon Merrill. The ensuing power play highlighted how the Sharks were losing some momentum. They let Stephen Gionta escape the zone for a short-handed chance just over half way through the power play.

Gionta saw his rebound go to Josefson, who put it in the net, but the goal was waived off because Gionta made contact with Martin Jones before the shot went in. The contact was initiated while Gionta was still outside the crease, and ended with Gionta falling over Jones in the crease. The contact certainly slowed Jones down, but calls like that are going to make this season interesting. It was probably worth a coach’s challenge, but Devils head coach John Hynes did not make one.

At the end of the second period, shots were 23-17 Sharks, with the 1-0 score unchanged.

Less than two minutes into the third period, the Devils were back on the power play after Justin Braun was called for holding the stick. With 43 seconds left in the power play, Brenden Dillon shot the puck out of play in the defensive zone and gave the Devils a two man advantage. The Sharks survived the five-on-three and were about to kill the second penalty when Marc-Edouard Vlasic shot the puck out of play and joined Dillon in the box. The second two man advantage would only last 17 seconds. Chris Tierney managed to clear the puck out during the short five-on-three. Matt Nieto cleared it next, letting the team refresh their lines. The Sharks managed to steal the puck in the neutral zone shortly after that, getting a quick short-handed chance for Pavelksi. Several quick clears by the Sharks frustrated the rest of the Devils power play.

Jones made his 100th consecutive save once the teams were back at even strength.

Chris Tierney and Tommy Wingels had a good chance around the nine minute mark but Corey Schneider stopped it. Tierney had a very good game and proved that he is a great option for the Sharks in that third line center spot.

The Sharks penalties were not done, as they were called for too many men with under five minutes left in the third. The Martin Jones shutout streak ended with a power play goal from Adam Henrique. The score was still tied at the end of regulation.

The Sharks only had a 32-28 lead in shots as overtime started. Thornton, Pavelski and Burns started for the Sharks in three-on-three. Next came Marleau, Hertl and Vlasic. DeBoer put Tierney on the third unit with Wingels and Martin.

With 11.3 seconds left in overtime, Burns tripped Henrique and went to the box. The 4-on-3 power play looked good for New Jersey but they ran out of time.

The Devils shot first, starting with Adam Henrique (goal). Jacob Josefson shot second (save) and Mike Cammalleri went third (miss) .
The Sharks’ shooters were: Joe Pavelski (goal-smokin’ shot, top shelf), Brent Burns (goal-very slippery backhand). No third shooter was needed for San Jose.

The shot leaders for the Sharks were Joe Pavelski, Brent Burns and Paul Martin with four apiece. Burns (30:38) and Martin (30:09) led the team in ice time by a sizeable margin.

The Sharks next play Saturday in Brooklyn against the New York Islanders. The game will start at 4:30 PT.

Warriors blow out Rockets in preseason action

Published on by Eric HeLeave a comment

By: Eric He

The Golden State Warriors routed a shorthanded Houston Rockets team 123-101 on Thursday night in preseason action.

Brandon Rush started in place of the injured Harrison Barnes and played 28 minutes, recording 12 points and knocking down two 3-pointers, a good sign for the forward who struggled mightily last season.

Playing a Rockets team without James Harden and Dwight Howard, the Warriors jumped on them early and often, scoring 83 points in the first half alone. Stephen Curry recorded 19 points in 17 minutes, shooting 6-of-7 from the field, leaving no doubt his preparedness for the regular season.

The second half was essentially an audition period for roster hopefuls and playing time for veterans such as Marreese Speights and Jason Thompson. Fetus Ezeli had a strong game with 11 points and five rebounds in 22 minutes.

Ian Clark, Chris Babb, Juwan Staten and Jarrell Eddie saw some action, with Clark seemingly the favorite to earn the final roster spot.

Andrew Bogut sustained a broken nose in the second quarter and did not return to the game.

Warriors fall to Blazers in Preseason action

Published on by Eric HeLeave a comment

By: Eric He

Stephen Curry looked in midseason form, but the Golden State Warriors fell to the Portland Trail Blazers 118-101 in the second preseason game on Thursday night.

Curry finished with 30 points and knocked down six-of-11 three-pointers, hitting jumpers from all angles. He played 26 minutes, departing the game late in the third quarter. Draymond Green and Klay Thompson both had 14 points, with Green also in midseason form as he picked up a technical foul less than two minutes into the game arguing a non-foul call.

For the Blazers, Allen Crabbe recorded a team-high 25 points off the bench. The Cal product was 9-of-12 from the field and 5-of-6 from three-point attempts.

The Warriors trailed by double-digits for much of the game, and were down 77-62 at halftime. A brief spurt by the starters in the third cut the lead down to four at 81-77, but they gave way to the reserves for the rest of the game.

Ian Clark had the best showing out of all the training camp invitees, scoring six points in 10 minutes. Ben Gordon recorded a field goal in 10 minutes. Leandro Barbosa, who still looks fresh, has been the Warriors’ best reserve through two games, putting up eight points.

Up next the Warriors take on the Nuggets at Oracle Arena as the preseason continues.