Category: Golden State Warriors

Warriors pull away from Timberwolves late

Published on by Eric HeLeave a comment

By: Eric He

It seemed for a minute that the Golden State Warriors were in jeopardy of losing their third home game of the season, but with the help of a late push, they won handily over the Timberwolves 110-101 at Oracle Arena on Saturday night.

The Timberwolves behind a monster 37-point outing from Zach LaVine, trimmed a 17-point fourth quarter deficit down to just one with 4:15 to play in the fourth quarter. But the Warriors responded with a 13-3 run, sparked by a corner three from Klay Thompson. On the ensuing possession, Thompson stole the ball and fed it to Stephen Curry, who finished with a layup plus the foul to put the Warriors up 105-95.

Curry led the Warriors with 34 points and was 5-of-11 on three-point attempts. His wild, buzzer-beating three at the end of the third quarter gave the Warriors an 86-69 advantage and capped off a quarter where the Warriors held the Timberwolves to just 14 points.

Thompson had 23 points, while Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green both finish with 13.

The Warriors pulled away in the third quarter after a tight first half in which the feeble Timberwolves managed to hang around against the NBA’s best team.

Golden State led 60-55 at halftime.

Notes

This is the Warriors’ franchise-record 37th home win of the season. … The Warriors swept the season series against the Timberwolves, going 4-0. They have won 18 of the last 21 games against Minnesota. … Leandro Barbosa did not play with a sore right Achilles. … Up next for the Warriors are the Grizzlies on Monday at Oracle Arena.

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Warriors reduce minutes for key players in preparation for post season

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by David Zizmor

OAKLAND–The Golden State Warriors are in the weird part of the season an unexpected part of the season really. They have no real immediate thing to play for. They clinched the Pacific Division, they’ve clinched the Western Conference for the number one seed overall in all of basketball. Which means they’ve clinched the best record in all of basketball.

The only thing their playing for is pride just to keep themselves in tune, whereas the teams they were playing San Antonio and New Orleans who the Warriors lost to had a lot on the line. The Spurs are playing for a higher seed. If you look at the Western Conference standings the two through six seeds are incredibly fluid.

It just changes every single night because these teams are playing each other, just the other night San Antonio played Houston because the Spurs won and the Rockets dropped all the way to the second seed down to the sixth seed. Whereas San Antonio went all the way up from the fifth seed to the third spot.

It’s a lot of moving around and New Orleans another team that the Warriors lost to in a very close game 103-100 last Tuesday. The Pelicans are fighting just to make the playoffs. They are tied with Oklahoma City for the eighth seed and with a tie that would mean New Orleans would get in the tie breaker. They beat Oklahoma City three games to one for the season series this season.

Every game is a big deal for the Pelicans they need to win or they’re going to end up going home. The Spurs are not as desperate because their in no matter what. They want to get that home court advantage for one round if they can. The Pelicans and Spurs have a lot to play for, the Spurs have a good chance as everybody has been praising the Warriors.

The Warriors have been good all season and the Spurs by beating the Warriors last Sunday wanted to send a message to the W’s beating them 107-92 that things won’t be so easy. The W’s have been reducing some of the minutes for some of their top players just to make sure they’re rested and ready to go when the playoffs start.

David Zizmor does the Golden State Warriors commentary each week at http://www.sportsrsadioservice.com listen to his podcast below

Curry Breaks Own Record, Warriors Clinch Best Record

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

By Matthew T.F. Harrington

Stephen Curry’s Most Valuable Player campaign received a massive boost Thursday night with the All-Star guard scoring 45 points in a 116-105 Golden State Warriors victory over the visiting Portland Trail Blazers. Curry also dished out 10 assists to pick up the double-double.

Curry hit 17 of 23 shots attempted, including an 8-for-13 night from behind the 3-point line. One of those eight treys helped Curry to set the new record for three’s in a season, eclipsing the previous mark of 272 in a campaign also set by Curry two seasons ago. He now sits at 276 on the year.

As a team, the Warriors (64-15) hit 48 of 90 field goals for a 53.3 shooting percentage. Klay Thompson supported Curry with 26 points, while Draymond Green picked up a double-double of his own with 11 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.

LaMarcus Aldrige topped the playoff-bound Blazers (51-28) with 27 points while Damian Lillard added 20 of his own.

With the win, Golden State has now clinched the best record in the NBA. It also ended a losing streak of two-straight games for the Warriors. The only downside is that the Warriors, considered one of the best defensive teams in the association, have now given up 100-plus points in six consecutive games.

Golden State can buck that trend when the Dubs host the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves Saturday night. The T-Wolves currently only hold 16 wins on the season.

 

Warriors Can’t Escape New Orleans with Win

Published on by Eric HeLeave a comment

By: Eric He

In a game that meant much more to the home team than the visitors, the Golden State Warriors fell just short in a 103-100 defeat to the New Orleans Pelicans on the road on Tuesday night.

After Stephen Curry tied the game at 100-100 with 35 seconds to play with a three-pointer, he missed the Warriors’ final two shots — a floater and a last-second attempt at a three to tie the game — and the Warriors dropped their second game in a row.

Down five in the final minute, the Warriors went on a 5-0 spurt with a Draymond Green layup and a contested three by Curry to even the score. But the Pelicans took the lead on a free throw by Tyreke Evans after Evans was fouled coming across midcourt by Andre Iguodala, a questionable call after replays showed Evans fell on his own.

Nevertheless, the Pelicans emerged with an important victory to take over the eighth seed in the West.

It seemed as if the Warriors had control of the game, taking a 12-point lead into half-time.

But the Pelicans got themselves back in the game with a 10-0 run to being the second half, cutting a 12-point lead down to two. Davis and Omer Asik scored all 10 points, and Andrew Bogut was forced to exit after picking up three fouls early in the half.

The Pelicans took a 79-78 lead into the fourth quarter and opened up an 88-82 advantage midway through the fourth. A 13-2 run by the Warriors, however, put them back in the driver’s seat temporarily. as Curry and Klay Thompson both made jumpers. A breakaway layup by Curry gave the Warriors a 95-92 lead.

It would prove to be not enough, as a 29-point, 10-rebound performance by Anthony Davis led the Pelicans to victory. Quincy Pondexter had 20 points, making all four of his three-point attempts.

Curry’s 25 points led the Warriors, but Green had the best all-around performance with 24 points and 14 rebounds. Thompson struggled for the second consecutive game, managing just seven points on 2-of-10 shooting and 1-of-5 from three-point range.

The Warriors opened up a 55-43 lead at half-time thanks to a barrage of threes by Curry, who had 16 points in the half. Nine of them came late in the second when he knocked down three-straight triples, his final one hitting nothing but net over two defenders as time wound down in the half.

It concluded a 14-5 run by the Warriors to end the half and extend a five-point lead to 12. The Pelicans had hung around, putting forth their best effort in a game they had to win.

Trailing 19-17 at the 3:20 mark of the first quarter, the Warriors finished the quarter on a 10-0 run, holding the Pelicans scoreless over the last three minutes thanks to terrific interior defense by Andrew Bogut.

The Warriors held Davis to just six points on 2-of-10 shooting in the first half.

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: While W’s lost Warriors don’t have a lot to play for while San Antonio does for post season

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by David Zizmor

OAKLAND–Everybody quotes that the Golden State Warriors haven’t won in San Antonio since the 90s they did win a playoff game just a couple of seasons ago. It’s not quite as long as it seems that 102-97 loss to the Spurs on Sunday was disappointing but we have to keep a couple of things in mind, one that Warriors are on the second game of a back to back schedule that’s always tough, number two San Antonio is just a tough place to win in general.

The third point also is the Warriors have nothing to play for at this point and the Spurs have a lot to play for, the Warriors have locked up hone court advantage throughout the playoffs they have that number one seed they’re playing for. They could try for a potential MVP award for Steph Curry or a potential defensive MVP for Draymond Green.

In terms of the team there’s not a whole lot the Warriors are working on right now their just trying to make sure their trying to stay in tune as they head into the playoffs. The Spurs they have a lot going on their sitting in the sixth seed but they can move up to the sixth seed their only half a game behind the Clippers right now.

The Spurs have a lot going for them they’ve been playing incredibly well aside from the Warriors you would say that the Spurs are the hottest team in the NBA and they’ve been playing incredibly well. While it stinks that the Warriors lost they had that 11 game winning streak that was great it was their first loss in quite some time.

The fact of the matter is the Warriors played on back to back nights against a team that has a lot more incentives to play hard and to play strong than the Warriors did if these two teams face each other in the playoffs it’s going to be a different ball game. Simple as that the Warriors will have home court and the big guns are out everybody is out for the full 48 minutes.

You won’t be getting Curry for less than 48 minutes like in San Antonio. There were certain points that Curry said about resting key players before the playoffs “you know what the Spurs have our number tonight were not going to risk anything were going to put in some of our reserves up and make sure were set to play in New Orleans on Tuesday.”

David Zizmor does Warriors commentary each week on http://www.sportsradioservice.com listen to his podcast below

Warriors Downed by Spurs on the Road Again

Published on by Eric HeLeave a comment

By: Eric He

The Golden State Warriors haven’t won a game in San Antonio since 1997, and the streak continued on Sunday night with a 107-92 blowout by the Spurs over the NBA’ best team.

The Warriors came in having won their last 12 games, but ran into a brick wall as the Spurs dominated from the beginning and never looked back.

Stephen Curry’s 24 points kept the Warriors afloat — he trimmed a 23-point deficit down to 14 all by himself with 13 straight points in the third quarter — but received little help from his teammates. Klay Thompson had just six points, and Andrew Bogut was the only other starter to score in double figures.

Meanwhile, the Spurs were paced by 26 points from Kawhi Leonard, who also had seven steals, imposing his will on both ends of the floor.

The Warriors trailed 57-38 at halftime and the Spurs extended the lead to 89-67 at the end of the third quarter, despite Curry’s best efforts.

San Antonio received contributions all around and shot a blistering 53.0 percent from the field. Meanwhile, Golden State was held to just 42.9 percent shooting.

Notes

The Warriors were playing on the back-end of a back-to-back after beating the Mavericks the night before. … Shaun Livingston was suspended one game for a flagrant foul on Dirk Nowitzki on Saturday night. … The Spurs have beaten the Warriors twice this season, the only team to do so. … Next up for the Warriors are the Pelicans on Tuesday in New Orleans.

Warriors Clinch Home Court in Win Over Mavs

Published on by bentleonard181 Comment

By: Ben Leonard

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It’s just been one of those seasons.

Even on a night when Stephen Curry was virtually absent, the Warriors dispatched the Dallas Mavericks 123-100. Curry had lead the Warriors all season long, leaving them just one win short of guaranteeing the NBA’s best record for the first time in 40 years. The star point guard scored just 11 points, but the Warriors did just fine without him.

His teammates picked him up, taking pages out of his book with hot shooting beyond the arc. Klay Thompson had 21 points on 5-10 shooting from long range, and guard Andre Igoudala chipped in 18 of his own, going 4-9 on three-point attempts. The team victory, with seven scoring in double figures, gave head coach Steve Kerr the record for wins by a rookie coach.

Even without Curry’s stabilizing presence, the squad got out to an eleven point halftime lead. It was a hard fought game, with lots of physical play from both sides. The Mavericks had a season-high 54 free throw attempts because the Warriors were called for 37 team fouls. One of them was a technical on assistant Jarron Collins, for his actions after Marresse Speights made a buzzer-beating half-court shot right before halftime. Speights fouled out For this reason, Monta Ellis, a former Warrior, took a free throw to start the second period but could not convert. In another physical moment, Dallas point guard Rajon Rondo had to leave the game after running into Harrison Barnes while driving in the lane. Even Shaun Livingston got in on the action, getting called for a flagrant call after giving a low blow to Dirk Nowitzki.

No matter the circumstances, the Warriors will take the win, especially to take home court, although they’d prefer a less dirty win. They’ll have six more tune-up games before the playoffs start, the first of which being Sunday at San Antonio.

 

 

Barnes Buzzer Beater Gives Warriors 62nd Win

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

By Matthew T.F. Harrington

If Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr had to draw up one play to win a game, chances are he’d funnel the ball to potential Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry. Unfortunately for Kerr, Thursday night against at the Phoenix Suns the ball didn’t find Curry when the Dubs needed it to most. Instead, it came to an unlikely hero; Harrison Barnes.

With 4 seconds remaining and the Warriors trailing 106-105, Draymond Green’s inbound pass found Barnes cutting to the basket. After a few seconds, Barnes put up the game-winning lay-up with .4 ticks of the clock left. It was later ruled that time had expired, handing Golden State (62-13) their 62nd win (adding to the franchise record set this season) with a final score of 107-105.

The magic moment was almost for not in a frantic finish. In a mad scramble that started around the :30 mark of the fourth, the Warriors set up camp in the offensive zone. After three offensive rebounds and a steal, Klay Thompson fed Curry for a three to put Golden State ahead 105-104 with just 6 seconds left in regulation. The Suns answered back after an unguarded Eric Bledsoe drove to the hoop for the easy two points to hand Phoenix the one-point lead with just under 5 seconds left, setting up Barnes big moment.

Over 23 minutes, Barnes only collected four total points. Of course, Curry led the way offensively for the Warriors. The All-Star guard went 10-for-22 from the field, collecting a game-high 28 points to go with 8 boards and 5 assists. Thompson pitched in 16 points of his own. Bledsoe topped the Suns (38-38) with 18 points on 6 of 17 from the field.

Both teams shot around 46 percent on the night, with the Warriors winning the rebound battle 50-47. The Suns committed only 11 turnovers to Golden State’s 13 in an evenly-played contest.

The Warriors outscored Phoenix 55-44 in the first half, but were outpaced 62-52 over the second half to set up the tense final moments.

Next on the schedule for the Warriors is a tougher opponent than the .500 Suns. The Western Conference leaders will match-up with the 7th seed out West, the Dallas Mavericks. The two teams link up in a Saturday night showdown in the Lonestar State.

The Warriors knock off the Clippers

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

March 31st Los Angeles

by Jerry Feitelberg

What a great game. It was fast and furious and the outcome was in doubt until the final twelve seconds of the game but the Warriors came back from a seventeen point deficit in the second period to defeat the Los Angeles Clippers 110-106

It was the Warriors tenth straight win and they won the last four games on the road. The Clippers were also playing great basketball as they came into the game having won seven in a row but the win streak ended Tuesday night. It did not start off well for the Warriors as they played a very poor first period. The Clippers opened the game with a 7-0 run and the Warriors were not playing very well on defense. Draymond Green did not play again tonight as he has a shin injury and David Lee started in his place.  The Warriors offense was not very good as they shot just 31% from the floor and they watched the Clippers All-Star, Blake Griffin, have a very strong first period as he went 6 for 7 from the floor for 12 points as the Clippers had the lead at 30-18 at the end of the first period.

For the first six minutes of the second period, it was more of the same. The Clippers led by Griffin and Chris Paul built the lead to 17. The Dubs woke up and started to chip away at the lead.  They closed the gap to nine with 4:20 left in the half and they did outscore the Clippers by five in the period, but they still trailed by seven at the end of the half 53-47.

The Warriors came to life in the third period. As they have done so many times this season. they got things going and they were able to actually take the lead for the first time 72-71 with about 5 minutes left in the period. The lead lasted about 20 seconds as the Clippers pushed back and had a six point lead 88-82 at the end of three periods of play. Klay Thompson got hot for the Warriors and at one stretch, Klay and Steph Curry accounted for 19 straight points. The Warriors scored 36 points in the period, but the Clippers kept them at bay.

In the fourth and final period of play, the Warriors went on a 9-0 run to put them ahead 91-88. The Clippers fought back and took a 94-91 lead, but Klay drained a 3-point shot to tie the game at 94. The game was tied again at 98 with 4:03 lefty in the game.  The Warriors went ahead 103-100 as Andre Iguodala was fouled attempting a 3-point shot and he made all three free throws to give the Dubs the lead for good. The score was 106-102 with 22 seconds left and the Clippers had the ball in the forecourt following a timeout. On the attempt to get the ball into play, the ball was mishandled by Chris Paul and the Clips were called for a backcourt violation and the ball went to the Dubs and that was the game. Final score 110-106.

Notes- The Warriors won their 10th straight game and are now 61-13 for the season. The Clippers are now 49-26.

Steph Curry led the Dubs in scoring wit 27points and he had 9 assists. Klay Thompson had a great second half and ended the evening with 25 points and 8 rebounds.  Andrew Bogut, who fouled out with 1:26 left in the game, was his usual defensive force as he had 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 6 points. David Kee, starting just his second game of the year, pitched in with 17 and the Warrior bench led by Mo Speights, Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston and Leandro Barbosa added 34. The Clippers were led by Blake Griffin’s 40 points. Chris paul knocked down 27 and J.J. Redick had 14. The Clipper bench did not provide any offense and Clipper coach, Doc Rivers, had his starters on the floor for most of the game.

Next up for the Warriors will be the Phoenix Suns Thursday night at the Oracle Arena. Game time will be at 7:30pm and the Warriors will then go on another four-game road trip.

Warriors Win 60th Game, Clinch West

Published on by Eric HeLeave a comment

By: Eric He

Not since Gerald Ford was President have the Golden State Warriors been this good.

With a 108-95 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night, the Warriors won their franchise-record 60th game of the season and clinched the top seed in the West, ensuring them home-court advantage through the Western Conference Finals in the playoffs.

The last time the Warriors won more than 59 games and were the top seed in the conference was the 1975-1976 season.

After a rather sluggish first quarter, the Warriors pulled away in the second, dominated in the third, and coasted in the fourth for a comfortable win.

Stephen Curry’s 25 points led the way, and he maintained his torrid shooting from beyond-the-arc, hitting 6-of-9 three-point attempts. Klay Thompson, who finished with 21, scored 17 points in the third quarter that saw the Warriors outscore the Bucks 34-25 and extend a 10-point lead to 19.

Thompson made jumper after jumper, and scored nine consecutive points at one juncture to propel the Warriors’ advantage.

Back-to-back shots by Curry midway through the fourth put the Warriors up 99-78 and sealed the game.

Notes

The Warriors rested Andre Iguodala and Draymond Green on the back-end of a back-to-back. David Lee started in Green’s place … James Michael McAdoo contributed 12 points off the bench. … The Warriors held the Bucks to 37.9 percent shooting and 13.3 percent (2-of-15) from three-point range. … With their 26th road win of the season, the Warriors set yet another franchise record. … Next up for Golden State will be the Clippers on the road on Tuesday night.