Warriors seal No. 1 seed with 131-104 rout of Clippers in Oracle finale

Photo credit: @warriors

By: Ana Kieu

Sunday night marked the 1,936th and final regular season home game for the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. The Warriors, who played their first game in the building on October 24, 1967 versus the Cincinnati Royals, own a record of 1,165-770 (.602) all-time in regular season games at Oracle.

Sunday night also marked the Warriors’ game versus the Los Angeles Clippers, who lost to the Los Angeles Lakers 122-117 Friday evening.

The Warriors’ starting five featured Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and DeMarcus Cousins. Moreover, the Warriors were unable to celebrate 47 seasons at Oracle without bringing back the “We Believe” throwback jerseys.

The Warriors got on the board first, thanks to Durant’s two-point bucket at the 11:16 mark of the first quarter. The Warriors continued to play what they called beautiful basketball, which was a good thing as they led 32-28 at the end of the first quarter.

Both teams played a wire-to-wire second quarter, but the Warriors came out on top 30-27. The Warriors took a 62-55 lead to the locker room at the end of the first half.

Cousins wowed the crowd in the third quarter as he handed a pass to Green, who threw down a two-point jumper from just inside the arc at the 11-minute mark. Green also turned defense into offense, which definitely gave the Warriors the advantage. The Warriors outshot the Clippers 42-18 and it wasn’t even close as they had a 104-73 lead at the end of three quarters.

The Warriors still poured in the points in the fourth quarter. Despite the fact the Lakers outscored the Warriors 31-27 in the fourth quarter, it was too little, too late. The Warriors won 131-104.

Curry led the Warriors with 27 points, six rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block. Durant had 16 points, seven assists, three rebounds, one steal, and one block. Kevon Looney had 14 points, six rebounds, and two assists. Cousins had 12 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Thompson had 12 points and one steal. Green had 10 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists, five steals, and three blocks. Quinn Cook had 10 points and three assists. Shaun Livingston had eight points. Damion Lee had seven points, three rebounds, and three assists. Jonas Jerebko had five points, two rebounds, and two steals. Andrew Bogut had two points and three rebounds. Jordan Bell added two points.

After that, the Warriors thanked Oracle and announced they were locked in the No. 1 seed in the NBA’s Western Conference. The Denver Nuggets are two games back of the Warriors, so they’ll be the No. 2 seed.

The Warriors head to the Smoothie King Center to take on the New Orleans Pelicans Tuesday at 5:00 pm PT.

Warriors hold off Cavs for 120-114 win

Photo credit: @warriors

By: Ana Kieu

The Golden State Warriors led wire-to-wire with the Los Angeles Lakers Thursday night and returned to Oracle Arena for a Friday night showdown versus the Cleveland Cavaliers, who lost to the Sacramento Kings 117-104 Thursday.

The Warriors, my friends, held off the Cavs for their second wire-to-wire win 120-114 at Oracle Friday night.

The Warriors’ starting five featured Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Andrew Bogut. The game went underway, and former Warrior Nick Young received his NBA championship ring. The Warriors started off the game with a couple of three-pointers for an early lead. The Warriors led 36-26 at the end of the first quarter.

The Warriors stayed in transition mode in the second quarter. The Warriors outshot the Cavs 32-23 to take a 68-49 lead into the locker room at the end of the first half.

Curry hit a three with 9:12 left in the third quarter for his 16,269th point. With his 40 points Friday, Curry passed Paul Arizin (16,266 points) for third on the Warriors’ all-time scoring list. Just Wilt Chamberlain (17,783) and Rick Barry (16,447) are ahead of Curry.

Aside from Curry’s feat, Green also achieved a feat of his own. Green had a new season-high with 20 points. That’s eight-of-13 from the field goal line. The Warriors led 99-84 at the end of the third quarter.

Curry hit his ninth three of the game at the two-minute mark of the fourth quarter. The Warriors held off the Cavs’ late 30-point push for the win by a final score of 120-114.

Curry led the Warriors with 40 points, six rebounds, seven assists, and one block. Green had 20 points, eight rebounds, five assists, one steal, and one block. Durant had 15 points, five rebounds, eight assists, one steal, and one block. Thompson had 11 points, four rebounds, three assists, and one block. Quinn Cook had 14 points, one rebound, and two assists. Bogut had six points, seven rebounds, and one block. Jonas Jerebko had six points and one rebound. Jordan Bell had four points, two rebounds, two assists, and one block. Kevon Looney added four points and one rebound.

The Warriors remain at Oracle to host the Los Angeles Clippers Sunday at 5:30 pm PT. You can watch the game on NSBA and FSPT.

Warriors avoid letdown game with 108-90 win over Lakers

Photo credit: @warriors

By: Ana Kieu

The Golden State Warriors may not be perfect this season, but they’re still sitting comfortably at the top of the Western Conference. So who knew that Warriors star Steph Curry has been playing with blurry vision all this time?
Curry recently learned that he had astigmatism, which blurred his vision, and added contacts to his daily routine.

“I had gotten so used to squinting for so long,” Curry told Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. “It was just normal.”

“It’s like the whole world has opened up,” Curry continued.

Anyways, let’s get to the Warriors’ game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center Thursday night.
The recap’s below.

The Warriors’ starters featured Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and DeMarcus Cousins.

Tipoff went underway, but it was the Warriors who got the party started with Thompson’s three-pointer at the 11:45 mark. Just a few minutes later, Green added the bucket and Cousins contributed the bucket. It wasn’t even close as Golden State led 39-12 at the end of the first quarter. After all, LA was missing their top five players and shot only 21.1% at the 3:46 mark.

The Lakers picked up the pace and outscored the Warriors 30-12 in the second quarter, but Golden State maintained a 60-42 lead at the end of the first half. Alex Caruso’s monster put-back was LA’s Budweiser Moment of the Week. Female stand-up comedian Sarah Silverman was sitting courtside and wasn’t happy with LA’s first-half performance.

Anyhow, there was more good news for the Warriors in the third quarter. Warriors PR tweeted that Cousins has back-to-back 20-point, 10-rebound games for four such games this season.

The Warriors outscored the Lakers 34-24 at the end of the third quarter. LA, however, kept the faith and tweeted that the final frame was coming up. Still, the deficit was a little too steep for LA to tie the game to force overtime.

Meanwhile, the Lakers continued their remembrance of the late rapper Nipsey Hussle with signed No. 1 Hussle jerseys. Hussle was fatally shot in the parking lot of his clothing store Marathon Clothing in South LA on March 31st. Hussle’s alleged shooter was Eric Holder, who pleaded not guilty. Holder’s defense attorney is Chris Darden, a former prosecutor for disgraced NFL player OJ Simpson.

The Warriors remained focused on the game. Quinn Cook made a two-point bucket to help Golden State to a 101-73 lead with 7:15 left in the fourth quarter.

Sure, the Lakers outscored the Warriors 24-14 at the end of the fourth quarter, but Golden State had the game in the bag. GS won 108-90.

The Warriors’ record increased to 54-24, while the Lakers’ record decreased to 35-44.

DeMarcus Cousins led the Warriors with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and two steals. Quinn Cook had 18 points and one steal. Kevin Durant had 15 points, eight assists, and six rebounds. Draymond Green had 12 points, six assists, four rebounds, two blocks, and one steal. Klay Thompson had 11 points, four rebounds, three assists, and one block. Steph Curry had 10 rebounds, seven points, seven assists, and one steal. Damion Lee had eight points, three rebounds, and two steals. Kevon Looney had six points, three rebounds, and one steal. Alfonzo McKinnie had five points and four rebounds. Jonas Jerebko had three points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block. Jordan Bell added two points, two rebounds, and one block.

The Warriors return home to host the Cleveland Cavaliers Friday night at 7:30 pm PT.

Warriors’ defense downs the Nuggets 116-102

Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors took a giant step as they defeated the Denver Nuggets 116-102 Tuesday night at Oracle Arena. The Warriors have a two-game lead and own the tiebreaker in the race in the race for the best record in the Western Conference. The Warriors are now 53-24 and Denver 51-26 with five games left to play. The Warriors face four teams with a losing record and Denver has to play a couple of playoff teams.

The Warriors outscored the Nuggets 30-24 in the first quarter and 29-19 in the second quarter to lead by 16 at the half 59-43. Kevin Durant led the team in offense, and DeMarcus Cousins put the clamps on Denver’s big center Nikola Jokic.

In the third quarter, the Warriors increased the lead to 22. Kevin Durant was ejected from the game with 8:21 left to play when he argued with a referee for not calling a foul. The referee called two technical fouls on Durant, who was sent to the locker room. Durant has been charged with 15 technicals this year, and one more will get him a one-game suspension. Warriors’ head coach kept his starters in the game at the start of the fourth quarter. The Nuggets were down by almost 30 when they made a run at the Warriors. It was too little, too late as Golden State held on for the 116-102 win.

Game Notes and Stats: DeMarcus Cousins had a double-double with 28 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists. It was Cousins’ best game as a Warrior, and if he continues to play well, he will be a tremendous asset for the Warriors in the playoffs. Kevin Durant finished the night with 21. Steph Curry had 17, and that total included five threes. Klay Thompson had 13. Kevon Looney added 10 and Jonas Jerebko, Alfonzo McKinnie all put points on the board.

Jamal Murray led Denver with 17. Paul Millsap 11, Jokic 10, Jarred Vanderbilt 10, and Monte Morris 10.

Up Next: The Warriors play the Los Angeles Lakers Thursday night at Staples Center in LA. Game time will be at 7:30 pm. LeBron James will not be in the Laker lineup as he is done for the year.

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: How much did the Minnesota loss fire up Golden State?

Photo credit: @warriors

On the Warriors podcast with David:

#1 The Warriors just were livid, fired up, couldn’t get over in that loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in which the Warriors felt the officiating decided the game. Instead of complaining, however, the Warriors sought retribution and got some huge wins since including the 137-90 win over the Charlotte Hornets.

#2 Playoff are coming and the team is pushing toward the end here. How much of a motivator was that Minnesota game for the Warriors?

David does the Warriors podcast each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

The Warriors punish the Hornets 137-90

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, in a dogfight with the Denver Nuggets for the best record in the Western Conference, and still seething from the officiating in the game against the Timberwolves, sent the Hornets down to their worst loss of the season 137-90. When the W’s played the Hornets in Charlotte earlier this year, the contest was close until the fourth quarter when the W’s shut down Kemba Walker and were able to pull away for the win.

The Warriors made sure that they would be in control as they led from start to finish. The W’s ended the first half leading 71-49. It was the fifteenth time this season that they put 70 or more points on the board in the first 24 minutes of the game. They continued to throttle the Hornet offense in the second half as they made sure that the Hornets would not be able to make a comeback.

The Warriors outscored the Hornets 34-23 in the third period and 32-18 in the fourth. The Warriors were able to rest their regulars, and the bench players were able to get significant minutes as the end of the regular season is nearing. The Warriors win 137-90.

Game Notes- DeMarcus Cousins was ejected from the game with 6:09 to play in the second quarter. The referees charged Cousins with a flagrant 2 foul when he hit Willy Herangomez’ head with a closed fist. Cousins scored 8 points and had 3 blocked shots.

Steph Curry connected on five threes in eight tries. For Steph, it was the eighth consecutive game that he made at least five threes. He now has made 335 3s which is second only to the 402 that he made during the 2015-2015 season.

Draymond Green has 15 technical fouls to his credit so far this year. If he gets one more, he will receive an automatic one-game suspension. He reached fifteen last year but made it to the end of the regular season without getting one. Hopefully, he will not get another in the six games left.

Hernangomez led Charlotte with 22 points. None of the Hornets’ starters were in double figures. The W’s held Kemba Walker, Miles Bridges, and Dwayne Bacon to nine points each. The other Hornet in double figures was Frank Kaminsky with 10.

With the win and Denver’s loss to the Washington Wizards, the W’s have a one-game lead in the race for the Western Conference crown. The Warriors clinched the Pacific Division for the fifth year in a row. Should they beat Denver on Tuesday night, the Warriors will have a two-game edge with five to play, and the win probably would guarantee them home-court advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs.

The Warriors had six players in double-figures. Steph led the team with 25. Klay Thompson had 24 and Klay made 6 threes. Quinn Cook, coming off the bench and getting playing time, knocked down 21. Cook connected on 5 threes. Jerebko had, Durant 11, and Draymond Green 10.

The Warriors shot 60.25 from the floor. They made 21 threes in 33 attempts. They outrebounded Charlotte 50-28. They recorded 41 assists on 53 made baskets. On defense, they had 8 steals and 10 blocked shots.

The game against the Nuggets on Tuesday is going to be a very important game for both teams. With a win, the W’s will have a two-game lead. If they lose, the teams will be tied for the best record. If the teams finish tied for the best record, various tiebreakers will be used to determine which squad gets to be the number one seed.

Game time Tuesday night is at 7:30.  The A’s and Boston Red Sox are also playing and the parking lots will fill up early.

Warriors drop a thriller in OT to the Timberwolves 131-130

Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, had they beaten the Minnesota Timberwolves, would have had a two-game edge of the Denver Nuggets in the race for the best record in the Western Conference. The Timberwolves upset the Warriors’ applecart at the Target Center in the Target Center Friday with a 131-130 overtime win.

The Nuggets beat the Oklahoma City Thunder to move into a first-place tie with the Warriors. The Warriors and the Nuggets meet Tuesday night at Oracle. The Warriors have the season edge 2-1, and a win would clinch the crown.

The Warriors led 68-54 at the half, and it looked good for them. The Warriors usually own the third quarter, but the T-Wolves turned the tables on Golden State and outscored them 32-18 in the period to tie the game heading into the fourth quarter. Each team scored 29 in the fourth, and the game went to overtime tied at 115.

The T-Wolves grabbed a nine-point lead with one minute and 41 seconds left in the overtime period when Curry went on a tear and hit three threes, and the Warriors went on an 11-2 run to tie the game at 130 with 0.5 seconds left on the clock.

All the Warriors had to do was make sure that no one fouled a T-Wolves player on the inbounds pass, and the game would go to a second overtime, but that did not happen as Kevin Durant fouled Karl-Anthony Towns, who made the first free throw. He missed the second and time, and the Warriors’ luck ran out. The Timberwolves won 131-130.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors are now tied with Denver with an identical record of 51-24. The Warrior play the Charlotte Hornets at Oracle Arena on Sunday, and then face the Nuggets on Tuesday.

Steph Curry led the Warriors with 37 points. Kevin Durant had a double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds. DeMarcus Cousins had 16 points before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Klay Thompson had 20 points. Andre Iguodala had 14 points coming off the bench. The rest of the Warriors’ bench contributed just 11 points.

The Timberwolves had eight players in double-figures. The T-Wolves’ bench had three players: Anthony Tolliver with 14 points, Gorgui Dieng 14 points, and Jerryd Bayless with 17 points. In Fact, the T-Wolves’ bench outscored the Warriors’ bench 49-25.

Up Next: The Warriors have seven games, four at home and three on the road. The only team with a winning record is Denver. They play the Charlotte Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Clippers at home. Then, they face the Lakers, New Orleans Pelicans, and Memphis Grizzlies on the road.

Warriors take down the Grizzlies 118-103

Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors traveled to Memphis to face the Memphis Grizzlies Wednesday night. The Grizzlies, coached by J.B. Bickerstaff, had a record of 30-44 before the start of the game and were not going to make the playoffs this year. The Grizzlies traded their star center Marc Gasol to the Toronto Raptors for Jonas Valanciunas. Valanciunas, who did not playing much in Toronto, found a new home in Memphis. The Grizzlies have played well and beaten several postseason-bound teams. The Warriors, who were embarrassed at home by the lowly Phoenix Suns, did not want to suffer the same fate at the hands of the Grizzlies. The Warriors entered the game with a record of 50-23 and are in a race to win home court advantage in the Western Conference.

The two teams played a very entertaining first quarter. The Warriors led 30-27 late in the period when Memphis went on a 10-1 run the finish the period 37-31. Former Warrior Justin Holiday connected on a three-pointer as the buzzer sounded.

Memphis increased the lead to 41-31 before the Warriors started clawing their way back. Golden State’s second unit of Quinn Cook, Shaun Livingston, Andre Iguodala, DeMarcus Cousins, and Klay Thompson knocked down threes and the Warriors tied the game at 50. The Warriors continued to play well and finished the first half 66-60.

The Warriors were hot from the floor. They were 26-for-41 from the floor and made 11 three-point shots. Curry and Kevin Durant led the team with 14 each, Quinn Cook made three threes for nine points total. The Grizzlies’ Jonas Valanciunas had 16 and Michael Conley added 11. Conley passed M. Gasol to become the Grizzlies’ leading scorer in franchise history.

The Grizzlies used a 8-2 run in the third quarter to tie the game. Klay Thompson made a three and Steph knocked down two more threes to put the Warriors ahead 77-68. The Grizzlies refused to quit and went on an 11-2 run to trail 85-84. Curry made two free throws and Alfonzo McKinney hit a deuce to finish the quarter leading 89-84.

The Grizzlies continued to fight back and briefly held a 92-91 lead. The Warriors took control of the game behind the play of Durant, Livingston, Cousins, and Draymond Green. The Warriors won 118-103.

Game Notes and Stats: Kevin Durant had the best shooting night of his career. He missed just one shot from the floor. He made 12 buckets in 13 tries. He was 3-for-3 in three-point shots. In addition, he had nine boards and six assists.

Curry had a double-double with 28 points and led the team with 10 rebounds,

Cousins scored 16, while Klay Thompson had 13.

Memphis’ leading scorers were Jonas Valanciunas with 27 points, Michael Conley with 22 points, Bruno Caboclo with points 17, and Chandler Parsons with 13 points.

Up Next: The Warriors meet the Minnesota Timberwolves in Minneapolis Friday at 5:00 pm.

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Could Warriors be back on track after recent win against Detroit?; Why did DeMarcus Cousins sit on Sunday?

Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

On the Warriors podcast with David:

#1 The Warriors got a bounce back 121-114 win against the Detroit Pistons after a tough loss to Dallas.

#2 The Warriors started Stephen Curry, Andrew Bogut, and Shaun Livingston, and sat DeMarcus Cousins and Andre Iguodala on Sunday night.

Listen to the Warriors podcasts each Tuesday with David at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Warriors bounce back to defeat the Pistons 121-114

Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

One night after being embarrassed by the Dallas Mavericks, who handed the Golden State Warriors their worst loss in the Steve Kerr era, the Warriors able to down the Detroit Pistons 121-114 at Oracle Arena Sunday. Steph Curry, Andrew Bogut, and Shaun Livingston returned to action after having last night off. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr sat out DeMarcus Cousins and Andre Iguodala down for tonight’s game.

The teams played a very competitive first quarter. The Warriors won the quarter 29-28. The Warriors looked like the rather old Warriors as they outscored Detroit 34-21 to finish the first half 63-49. The fans knew things were going their way when Draymond Green hit a three-point shot at the buzzer.

The Warriors kept the momentum going in the third quarter, They owned the third quarter so many times this season, and it was no surprise that the scored another 34 points and increased the lead to 97-77 at the end of the period.

Usually, a 20-point lead heading into the final period means that the team with the advantage will win. The Pistons didn’t see things that way, and they rallied to come within a single-digit deficit. Curry displayed his Most Valuable Player on the Warriors’ status when he knocked down a three and blunted the Pistons’ momentum. The Pistons won the fourth quarter 37-24. The Warriors won 121-114.

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, and coupled with the Denver Nuggets loss to the Indiana Pacers, the Warriors are back in first place in the Western Conference. With the win, the Warriors improve to 50-23. It was the sixth year in a row that the team has won 50 games, and that set a new franchise record.

The Pistons’ record fell to 37-36, and they are now in seventh place in the Eastern Conference.

Before the game, the Warriors welcomed back Zaza Pachulia to Oracle Arena. Pachulia won two championships with the Warriors, and the fans gave him very warm reception as he was a fan favorite at Oracle. Klay Thompson presented him his championship ring. The team selected Thompson to do the honors as he is a close friend.

Steph Curry led the Warriors with 26 points. Thompson, who had a tough night against Dallas, bounced back with 24 points. Kevin Durant had a double-double with 14 points and 11 assists. Draymond Green had 14 points and 8 assists. Kevon Looney, coming off the bench, had 11. Shaun Livingston added 8. Quinn Cook finished with 7.

Blake Griffin led the Pistons with 24. Andre Drummond was the only other Piston starter in double figures with 12. Drummond also had 11 rebounds. Four Piston bench players were in double figures. Luke Kennard had 20, Ish Smith, 14, Thon Maker 12, and Langston Galloway 12. Pachulia, in his return to Oracle, had 4.

The Warriors made 46 buckets on 74 tries for a 62.2% shooting percentage. The Pistons were 39-for-84. The Warriors outrebounded the Pistons 37-39 and recorded 31 assists.

Up Next: The Warriors travel to Memphis to face the Grizzlies Wednesday night. Game time will be at 5 pm.