Category: Golden State Warriors

Warriors offense falls flat, lose to Wizards 88-85

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By Gabe Schapiro

The Golden State Warriors (27-19) struggled for most of the game, losing to the Washington Wizards (22-22), 88-85, Tuesday night, at Oracle Arena. Neither squad looked particularly good, in a contest that quickly turned into an ugly offensive showing. Both sides failed to shoot above a 38% clip, and combined for 37 turnovers.

The contest remained close throughout in a very defense-oriented game, and ultimately came down to which side would make the least mistakes and hit the big shot when the opportunity presented itself.

For the Wizards it was their electric backcourt that saved the day, and nailed the last nail in the Warriors coffin. Washington held a slight one-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. Bradley Beal, who’s impact had been limited, came up big and sunk three straight from beyond the arc to open up a lead.

Golden State slowly scratched their way back. A tough David Lee lay-up in traffic tied the game up at 85-85 with 1:47 to play. Unfortunately, that would be the last points they could muster.

On the very next possession Beal finally missed a three-pointer, but an offensive rebound kept it alive for the Wizards. The pass quickly went to a wide-open John Wall, who nailed the trey. The basket would prove to be the game-winner. Stephen Curry had the final shot, but Trevor Ariza did an impressive job covering him, and all Curry could get off was an awkward heave that never had much of a chance.

For Golden State, Curry was their only consistent source of offense. Despite an off shooting night, he finished with a game-high 23 points, to go along with four assists and four steals. He was the only Warrior to reach double figures until Klay Thompson joined him in the fourth quarter. Thompson contributed 13, on 5-of-17 shooting.

Lee and Andre Iguodala both struggled. They combined to make just four-of-17 shots, for 16 points.

Golden State’s bench, which has struggled for much of the season, was the biggest bright spot. They combined to hit 11-of-20 shots, for 29 points. Jordan Crawford in particular played a big role in bringing the team back in the fourth quarter with several electric plays.

Beal led the way for Washington. He contributed a team-high 20 points, with seven rebounds and four assists. Wall came up big when he needed to, and had 15 points, eight boards, and five assists. Ariza and Marcin Gortat both finished with double-digit rebounds, with 11 and 12 respectively. As a team they out-rebounded the Dubs, 56-47.

It was a disappointing loss after such a strong win over the Portland Trail Blazers a couple of nights ago. They’ll look to rebound when the LA Clippers come to town, this Thursday.

Warriors snap home losing streak, smother Blazers 103-88

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By Gabe Schapiro

The Golden State Warriors (27-18) got back in the win column, easily beating the tough Portland Trail Blazers (33-12), 103-88, Sunday night, at Oracle Arena. They won this one thanks to strong team defense and the lethal Stephen Curry. The Trail Blazers came into the contest as the NBA’s top scoring offense, and the Warriors made them look helpless for several stretches. For Portland the 88 points are a season-low, to go with 33% shooting from the field, also a season-low.

With their poor play as of late, it was important for the dubs to come out of the gates strong, and they did just that. They established an early lead, and set the tone with smothering defensive play. The splash brothers started especially hot, combining to score 18 of the team’s first 20 points, on 3-3 from beyond the arc. Through 12 minutes of play they led 28-22.

In the second quarter, however, the Blazers swung the momentum back in their favor. They scratched their way back and eventually took back the lead, which they hadn’t owned since the opening moments of the game. They led by as many as seven, before the Warriors re-inserted most of their starters and made a strong late push before halftime. Heading into the locker room, Golden State trailed by one, 55-54. Thankfully, the second was basically the only blip on the radar.

The Warriors thoroughly dominated the third quarter, and early portion of the fourth. At one point, during a 16 minute span, they outscored the Trailblazers 35-10, eventually building a 21-point advantage.  Portland had one last gasp in them. They went on a 16-3 run late in the fourth, momentarily making Golden State sweat a little. The Warriors weren’t going to let this one slip away, however, and closed it out strong.

Curry finished with a game-high 38 points, to go along with eight assists and seven rebounds. David Lee had a prototypical David Lee game, posting 17 points and 12 boards. Andre Iguodala notched his second double-double of the season, with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. Klay Thompson had an off shooting night, hitting just 6-of-21 shots, but still contributed 17 points and fantastic defense.

The theme of the night, however, was of course their superb defense. LeMarcus Aldridge lit up the Warriors in their last meeting, and tonight they held him to just 2-of-14 from the field. He still managed to finish with a double-double, but ultimately didn’t have much of an impact on the contest. They also held star point guard Damian Lillard at bay. He finished with 16 points, 5-of-16 from the field, and five assists.

Tonight was a textbook look into how the Warriors need to play to compete with the league’s best. Hopefully they can springboard off of this win and continue this kind of play.

Golden State’s home stand continues this Tuesday, when they will be taking on the Washington Wizards. The game begins at 7:30 pm.

Warriors commentary: Defense lacking in the Warriors last four loses

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by David Zizmor

OAKLAND–If the Golden State Warriors want to be playoff bound they have to step up their game, they’ve lost three in a row at home the latest is a one point loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves by one on Friday night at the O.Com and the Warriors have been struggling a little bit losing four of their last six games.

Mostly on the defensive end, their scoring plenty that hasn’t been much of an issue and everybody knows this is a team with a very strong starting line up. Four of the Warriors just got selected to be part of the Olympic preparation team for 2016. Steph Curry, Clay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, and David Lee, and Andrew Bogut all named for the team earlier this week. Bogut is not American so he can’t be named to the American team but he has been on the Australian team before and he would have a chance to be named again.

This would put the Warriors with potentially five members that are potential Olympic starters or Olympic players, the Warriors have been great on offense even that one point loss the other night they scored 120 losing by one. The problem has been on the defensive end ever since that ten game winning streak they had a couple of weeks go by where they kind of lost their defensive prowess.

Their playing really good defense up until that point then they lost a couple of games for whatever reason their defensive mindset has been lazy they just haven’t been playing hard on defense and they’ve been giving up a ton of ponts and frankly if you watched their game it’s not that their giving up a lot of points the opposition is scoring every single time their not just able to miss.

This is because the Warriors aren’t getting up in their faces and Bogut is playing pretty good defense in the middle around the perimiter their giving up too much space I don’t know why all of a sudden the Warriors are laxed on defense but it’s just whats been happening. Until the Warriors correct it their going to have trouble winning these games.

If they can score with anybody and against some of the lesser teams they would probably be able to outscore them because even bad defensive teams their the lousy teams who won’t be able to score enough to keep up with Golden State. Against the decent teams their going to lose and right now the Warriors are treading water. They could come back and their a good enough team.

The Warriors are having trouble right now, part of the problem might be their just a little worn out, one of the problems they’ve had injuries on the bench with their starting five. Iguodala missed a month’s worth of games and that didn’t help. Their starting five is healthy and their playing great when their in. The problem is they don’t have a deep bench because of all the injuries and that’s really hurt them.

The Warriors gear up for Portland on Sunday and Washington on Tuesday

David Zizmor does commentary on the NBA for Sportstalk Radio

Last second shot downs Warriors, lose 121-120 to Wolves

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By Gabe Schapiro

The Golden State Warriors (26-18) lost a hectic back-and-forth contest to the Minnesota Timberwolves, 121-120, Friday night, at Oracle Arena. The game featured a ton of offense, and seemed to come down to which side would blink first. The Warriors grabbed a late lead, before a Kevin Martin 20-foot jumper with eight seconds left ultimately put the Timberwolves ahead for good. Three Minnesota players finished with 20+ points in the win.

The fast pace was set early on, as both squads combined for 72 points in the first quarter alone, deadlocked at a 36-36 tie. The foes continued to go blow-for-blow, with neither establishing a significant lead. The Timberwolves opened up the game with a 6-0 run, but that would be the biggest advantage either would enjoy until the third quarter.

Heading into the locker rooms at half time, they remained tied, 63 all.

Late in the third quarter, Golden State finally made a bit of a run. Minnesota failed to score for the final 2:53, sending the Warriors on a 10-0 tear, and a seven-point lead, heading into the fourth. It appeared as though the dubs could fight them off, but the rollercoaster ride wasn’t over.

In the fourth the momentum slowly swayed back in the Wolves favor. With 5:54 remaining in the contest, a Martin three-pointer had erased Golden State’s lead, and had taken back a one-point lead of their own. They continued to trade punches down the stretch. With 27 seconds left a pair of Andre Iguodala free-throws gave the Warriors their last lead of the game, 120-119. With eight ticks left, Martin played the game-changer again, sinking a jumper. Harrison Barnes had one last shot at the buzzer, after a double-teamed Stephen Curry passed the rock his way, but his attempt clanged off the rim.

In all five Warriors finished in double figures. Curry led all scorers with 33 points, including six three-pointers, to go along with 15 assists. David Lee pitched in 23 points and seven rebounds. Andrew Bogut set a Warriors season-high with seven blocked shots, to highlight his line of eight points and 11 boards. Klay Thompson had 18, Iguodala finished with 16.

Kevin Love led the way for Minnesota, filling up the stat sheet with 26 points, 14 rebounds, and eight assists. Martin did plenty of damage as well, chipping in another 26 points. Center Nikola Pekovic scored 22, and hauled in 14 rebounds. Ricky Rubio led the team with 12 assists.

Golden State will look to get back to their winning ways this Sunday, when they take on the tough Portland Trailblazers, back at Oracle. The game begins at 6:00pm.

Warriors comeback bid is too little too late, fall to Pacers 102-94

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By Gabe Schapiro

The Golden State Warriors (26-17) couldn’t overcome a big early deficit, losing to the Indiana Pacers (33-7), 102-94, Monday night, at Oracle Arena. Falling behind quickly against the league’s best team is rarely going to be a recipe for success. The Warriors have made a habit out of big comebacks at home, but there would be no thrilling storybook ending on this night.

Both squads came out of the gates on fire, combining to make the games first nine shots. From there, however, the Pacers started to pull away. Golden State trailed by 14 after the first quarter, and would eventually trail by as many as 20. Indiana holds the league best record, and at times it certainly looked like the Warriors were overwhelmed going up against it.

In the second half, it initially looked like more of the same. The Pacers opened up the third with a 7-0 run. As we’ve seen them do countless times this season, Golden State refused to go down quietly. They finally appeared to wake up, and mounted a run of their own. They kept on slowly chipping away at the lead. Flash-forward to two minutes into the fourth quarter, and a Harrison Barnes three-pointer brought the dubs to within two. However, that would be as close as they would get to a lead.

The Warriors kept themselves within striking distance until the final seconds, but the mountain proved to be too high to climb. They misfired on a couple of key possessions, and Indiana put the game away with some late free throws.

Stephen Curry wasn’t at his best, but still scored a game-high 24 points. He finished one assist shy of completing the double-double. He was nine-of-20 from the field, and just three-of-11 from beyond the arc.

Mr.double-double himself, David Lee, notched another one. He finished with 20 points and 12 boards.

Andrew Bogut missed a couple of crucial minutes late in the game after he appeared to tweak something, but was re-inserted into the game. He contributed 10 points, 13 rebounds, and two blocks.

For the Pacers, Paul George led the way with 23 points. Roy Hibbert was his usual force in the paint, adding 14 points, 14 boards, and two blocked shots. All five Indiana starters finished in double figures, the first time an opponent has accomplished that feat against Golden State this season.

Curry, Lee carry Warriors past Pelicans

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By Joe Hawkes

NEW ORLEANS — Stephen Curry had 28 points and eight assists, while David Lee added 22 points and eight rebounds helping the Golden State Warriors rebound from their loss in Oklahoma City Friday night, with a 97-87 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans Saturday night at New Orleans Arena.

Curry shot 10-for-22 from the field, but 2-for-9 from 3-point range. Andrew Bogut scored 10 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks in 34 minutes, and Jordan Crawford added 10 points off the bench for Golden State (26-16), who picked up their seventh straight victory over New Orleans.

Klay Thompson had a tough night from the field, scoring eight points on 3-for-14 shooting, 2-for-7 shooting from 3-point range.

Anthony Davis led all scorers with 31 points and pulled down 17 rebounds, his seventh straight game with at least 20-plus points.

Tyreke Evans finished with 14 points, after missing the previous three games with a left ankle sprain for the Pelicans (15-24), who have lost seven straight games. Al-Farouq Aminu scored 12 points, but New Orleans finished shooting 38.6 percent (32 of 83), including 2-for-11 from 3-point range. The Warriors shot 44 percent (37 of 84), hitting 6 of 22 from deep.

Golden State needed this victory in the worse way, as they host the Eastern Conference-leading Indiana Pacers Monday at Oracle Arena and didn’t want to face a tough Pacers team on a three-game losing streak.

 

Durant’s Career Night Overshadows Curry in Warriors 127-121 Loss

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By Matthew Harrington

In a battle of two of the top stars of the NBA, Stephen Curry’s Warriors dropped a 127-121 shootout to Kevin Durant’s Oklahoma City Thunder (30-10) Friday night from Chesapeake Energy Arena. Curry collected his fifth-career 30 point, 10 assist game for the Warriors (25-16), but Durant’s career night spoiled Curry’s performance.

Most Valuable Player candidate Durant accounted for over a third of the Thunder’s baskets, torching the Warriors for a career-best 54 points on 19 of 28 shooting and 11 free throws. Curry led the Warriors with 37 points on 11 of 18 shooting, including six three-pointers, and added 11 assists to complete the double-double. Back court mate Klay Thompson nailed six treys to add 26 points of his own, while Thunder forward Serge Ibaka produced 21 points over 35 minutes of play. Thunder center Kendrick Perkins led all players in rebounds with 12, while David Lee reeled in nine for the Warriors. In total, the Thunder out-boarded the Warriors 41-33.

The two sides played it neck-to-neck to open the first nine minutes of play with Golden State leading with a slim 25-23 lead. The Thunder then went on a 14-7 run to close out the first leading 39-32. The Dubs took their first lead of the second quarter after Curry knocked down a shot from the charity stripe on a technical foul to give the Warriors a 56-55 lead with 3:48 left in the half. The Thunder closed out the half on a 16-9 run to hold a 71-65 lead at the midway point.

The home team expanded their lead 101-91 after the first 12 minutes of the second half before breaking the game open for a game-high 14 points lead, 123-109, with 2:45 left. Golden State outpaced their hosts 12-4 down the stretch for a respectable seven-point defeat to the third-place Thunder.

The Warriors hit the hardwood again tomorrow night, traveling to New Orleans for a Saturday night tip-off against the New Orleans Pelicans in Golden State’s sixth road game of the month.

Robinson, Nuggets slow down Warriors

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By Joe Hawkes

OAKLAND — Nate Robinson scored 24 points off the bench, with 14 coming in the crucial final quarter, and the Denver Nuggets defeated the Golden State Warriors,  123-116 Wednesday night at Oracle Arena.

Wilson Chandler and Ty Lawson scored 22 points each, and Randy Foye added 21 points on 8-for-12 shooting, including 4-for-7 from behind the arc. J.J. Hickson scored 13 points and grabbed a career-high 24 rebounds. Lawson dished out 11 assists.

Denver out-rebounded Golden State 46-24.

Denver (20-18) has won six of their last seven games.

David Lee finished with 28 points and 11 rebounds and Stephen Curry finished with 24 points and seven assists in Golden State’s first game after a four day layoff. Golden State (25-15) hasn’t played since defeating the Boston Celtics last Friday night at home.

Klay Thompson had 21 points on 9-for-19 shooting from the field. Andrew Bogut had 10 points and 10 rebounds. Harrison Barnes scored 15 points off the bench for Golden State, who was 11-1 in their last 12 games.

Speaking of the bench, Golden State acquired swingman shooting guard Jordan Crawford and MarShon Brooks from the Boston Celtics  as part of a three-team trade Wednesday, according to a report by Yahoo! Sports.

Golden State sent backup point guard Toney Douglas to the Miami Heat, and the Heat sent veteran center Joel Anthony to Boston.

Crawford is averaging 13.7 points per game in 39 games with the Boston Celtics this season and should give Golden State a guy who can create his own shot, not named Curry.

Brooks, a 6’5″ point guard, is a former lottery pick of the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets in 2011 out of Providence.

Golden State is in Oklahoma City Friday to take on the Thunder.

Warriors new arena at Piers 30-32: Favorable polls show 75% want new downtown arena

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by Ken Gimblin

SAN FRANCISCO–A recent poll sampling showed that out of 400 potential San Francisco voters 75 percent of them would be in favor of a new downtown arena at Peirs 30-32. The Golden State Warriors are gearing up to start their campaign for a new arena and get it on the ballot. They need 9,702 registered San Francisco voter signatures by February 3rd to get the measure on the June ballot.

The Warriors new arena campaign manager Jim Stearns feels this is acheivable and with a little more than two weeks left to make deadline Stearns said that the campaign finance goal of up to $100,000 and if the opposition turns up the heat he can get more that where that came from, “we’re going to need between $75,000 to $100,000 to get the signatures and if there is deep pocketed opposition we’ll have more.” said Stearns.

If Stearns and the Warriors campaign were to get the 9702 signatures they will put a ballot proposal that could be in front of the San Francisco voters by as early as June. The opposition which consists of former San Francisco mayor Art Agnos and the Sierra Club are taking steps to a new Warriors arena, but they could consider also stopping a high rise development proposed at AT&T Park by the San Francisco Giants and the Warriors would have luxury condos across the Embarcadero near Piers 30-32 that would include a brand new hotel building.

Not to mention that Pier 70 in the Dog Patch neighborhood just off Third Street is proposing high rise development there that would include housing and retail. Agnos said that blocking the bay views and developing and changing the waterfront landscape should be stopped in protecting what environment and what views the waterfront has left, “it’s a reaction to what appears to be the unchecked granting of exemptions of City Hall for high rise luxury developments along the city owned waterfront, if these projects are good as they say, then they should have no problem.” said Agnos.

Agnos’ point stemming from the 8 Washington condo ballot measure last November in the form of the San Francisco propositions B and C went down to defeat in the proposal for development on the waterfront not too far away from piers 30-32. However Warriors spokesman Nathan Ballard is confident in not only the recent poll results but if the Warriors pursued the signatures to get the meausre on the next ballot the Warriors would have no problem getting them, “we are confident when the voters see the entire (arena) proposal, they will support it.” said Ballard.

The Giants who stand to be the only show in town after the 49ers leave for the South Bay want to develop part of their parking lot property to high rises, condos, shopping retail and other activity along the waterfront but with the Warriors new arena coming on the scene the Giants might be forced to take a side because of all the opposition to the over development of the area. The plot thickens stay tuned.

Ken Gimblin is covering the arena developments for the Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings for Sportstalk radio

Curry’s Heroics Hand Warriors First Win At Home In 2014

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By Matthew Harrington

For the first time in 2014, the Golden State Warriors (25-14) took the Oracle Arena court in front of blue-and-gold clad fans and the Dubs did not disappoint in their first look of the new year Friday night. In a thrilling finish, Stephen Curry nailed a jumper with 2.1 seconds left to seal a 99-97 win over the visiting Boston Celtics (13-24) in the Warriors’ first home game since a win over the Phoenix Suns December 27.

Andre Iguodala broke out for 22 points with 7 assists and three steals, including a pivotal steal in the waning seconds of the game to build a Warriors lead with 19 seconds left. The hero of the night Curry dropped 19 on the struggling Celtics, losers of 10 of their last 11, while Klay Thompson (17), David Lee (16) and Marreese Speighs (13) also broke double-digits in scoring. For the visitors, forward Jeff Green had a game-high 24 points, Kris Humphries had one of two double-doubles of the game with game-best 14 boards and 16 points. Celtics forward Jared Sullinger joined Humphries with 11 rebounds and 21 points.

The Warriors got out front with a 24-21 first quarter but trailed at the half 49-47 courtesy of a Celtics 28-23 second frame. The Dubs drop 25 points on Boston in the third to 18 Celtics tallies. The Celtics entered the final 12 minutes trailing 74-67 but managed to outscore the home team 30-25 to force a 97-97 tie with just 11 seconds on the clock. Curry, currently on the bench, checked in the game for Draymond Green after Jeff Green hit the game-tying shot to force a Warriors time-out. Curry would use a Lee screen to create space and knock down the game-winner with aplomb.

The Warriors, fresh off a 6-1 road trip, receive a welcome respite before facing the Denver Nuggets at home Wednesday night. They then hit the road once again, taking on the Oklahoma City Thunder Friday night before a meeting with the New Orleans Pelicans Saturday.