Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: How Thompson was able to set NBA record for consecutive free throws

Photo credit: msn.com– Golden State Warriors’ Klay Thompson shot for a NBA record setting ten consecutive three pointers on Monday night at Staples Center against the Los Angeles Lakers

On the Golden State Warriors podcast with David:

#1 How much of a difference did it make that the LA Lakers were playing without Alonzo Ball and LeBron James both out with injuries as the Warriors rolled over the Lakers on Monday night.

#2 Klay Thompson set an NBA record with ten consecutive three pointers a tough record to achieve.

David does the Warriors podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Warriors roll over the Lakers 130-111 in Los Angeles

Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors had little trouble blowing out the Lakers 131-111 Monday night at the Staples Center. The Lakers, without LeBron James, who is recovering from a groin injury and Lonzo Ball, out 4 to 6 weeks with a grade 3 ankle sprain, were no match for the Warriors.  The Warriors have been playing well and are looking like the Warriors of the past four seasons as they are starting to blow out opponents. They also avenged a loss to the Lakers on Christmas day in Oakland. The Warriors won their eighth in a row and tenth in the last 11 games. The Lakers lost for the fourth time in the last six games.

With the game tied at 18, the Warriors went on a 7-0 run to go up 25-18. The Warriors finished the first quarter leading 29-24. Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 11 points. The Warriors increased the lead to 10 at the end of the first half 65-55. Thompson finished the first 24 minutes of play with 21 points. He was 9-for-11 from the floor, and he made all three of his 3-point shots. Durant had 10, Curry 8, and DeMarcus Cousins 7. Brandon Ingram led the Lakers with 13. Kyle Kuzma had 11, Michael Beasley 8, and Ivaca Zunac 8.

The Warriors broke open the game in the third quarter. They outscored the Lakers 45-25. Thompson connected on 7 three-point shots and set an NBA record by making his first ten 3-point shots in a row. He missed on his 11th try. Thompson left the game near the end of the third quarter, and he did not play in the fourth period. The Warriors finished the third quarter with a 30-point lead 110-80. Durant, Curry, Thompson, and Draymond Green sat out the fourth quarter. Warriors’ coach Steve Kerr left Cousins in the game to get some more playing time, and he finished the night with 8 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists. He saw 21 minutes of action before exiting about halfway through the final quarter. The Lakers’ bench outscored the Warriors 31-20, but it was not enough to overcome a 30-point deficit.

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, the Warriors are now 33-14. The Lakers drop to 25-23. Klay finished with 44 points. He was 17-20 from the floor and made 10 three-point shots in 11 tries. KD had 20, Steph Curry a double-double with 11 points and 12 assists. The Warriors’ bench players also contributed to the win. Jonas Jerebko had 9, Alonzo McKinnie 8, Kevon Looney 8, and Andre Iguodala 6.

Ivaca Zubac led the Lakers with 18. Ingram had 17, Kyle Kuzma 16, Michael Beasley,15. JaVale McGee, who played and won two championship rings with the Warriors, contributed 10 points in a losing effort for the Lakers.

Up Next: The Warriors travel to Washington, DC to face the Wizards Thursday night. Game time will be at 5 pm. The Wizards are 20-26 so far this season.

Warriors win 112-94, despite Cousins fouling out in team debut

Photo credit: AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

By Pearl Allison Lo

LOS ANGELES — Amidst a plethora of fouls, including technicals, DeMarcus “Boogie” Cousins was one of the ones who did not receive a technical, as the Golden State Warriors moved to 1-1 on the Los Angeles Clippers floor this season Friday.

After chemistry issues emerged after the last time they were on this court, the Warriors added a new player into the mix in the form of DeMarcus Cousins, who made his first return to NBA game play since tearing his Achilles tendon almost a year ago, on January 26th. Golden State had just played his former team, the New Orleans Pelicans, at Oracle prior to traveling down.

On how Cousins felt being back, he exclaimed, “felt like a kid on Christmas.”

Regarding team chemistry, “The first three minutes were weird,” noted the Warriors’ Stephen Curry and Cousins mentioned “…this was our first time playing together. Steve (Kerr) just kind of threw us out there into the fire…We haven’t even really practiced together.”   

Cousins received a foul in each quarter, two in the first and fouled out with 8:51 left in the game. He played a total of 15 minutes, scored 14 points including three threes, had six rebounds, three assists, two steals and one turnover. There were a total of 54 personal fouls, 30 for Los Angeles and 24 for Golden State. For technicals, the Warriors’ Draymond Green led with two, other recipients being teammate Kevin Durant, opposing Coach Doc Rivers and the Clippers’ Patrick Beverley. Beverley also fouled out with 5:43 left.

Los Angeles continued on a now five-game losing streak. It was their lowest scoring total since December 13. Meanwhile, Golden State held onto a now seven-game winning streak, their lowest scoring total since December 27.

The Clippers were without guard Lou Williams, who had a sore right hamstring, and forward Danilo Galinari. who only played eight minutes after being hit in the bag.   

The first half was close, with the Warriors’ biggest lead of six points and Los Angeles’ four points.

The first quarter saw five ties and three lead changes.

Cousin’s first bucket was a dunk of authority off a pass from Durant over a minute into the game. “I’m just glad to know I can still dunk, remarked Cousins.” Cousins then scored a rebound off a missed three from Curry, but was called for a loose ball foul instead.

With 1:17 left in the opening quarter, Beverly committed a foul, after which Durant threw the ball at him. The leading scorers after the first were Tobias Harris for the Clippers with 13 and Durant with 10. The first quarter ended with a technical on Rivers with Durant taking and missing the technical free throw.

Golden State held onto the lead with 1:38 left in the first until Los Angeles moved ahead with 5:47 left in the second with the 37-36 score, but the lead only lasted one possession.

Back in the game in the second, Cousins missed a three before receiving his third foul. Green received his first technical with 8:10 left. Cousins got to the free throw line for the first time with 7:45 left and went 1-for-2.

Beverley received his technical with 14.6 seconds left and with the game reaching a 50-50 tie, Green broke the tie with an emphatic dunk as he swung in the air, received his second technical with 3.2 seconds left.

In the third, the Warriors built up their biggest lead yet, 66-53, as they went on a14-2 run with Green, Durant, Curry, Thompson and Cousins all scoring.

Durant received his tech with 6:35 to go and Curry scored 14 points in the third quarter, all made without a three.

Cousins got his fifth foul 30 seconds into the fourth.  Later Cousins hit a three and flashed the three point sign towards the Clippers bench before hitting another three in a row the next time he was in front of them. He then had a steal, assist and rebound later before fouling out completely with 8:51 left.

Durant broke the 100-point mark for Golden State with a three and also helped them reach their biggest lead of the game, at 22 with the 102-80 score with 3:58 left.

Up Next: The Warriors will stay in town to face the Los Angeles Lakers Monday at 7:30 pm.

Warriors come back to win, send Pelicans down 147-140

Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

Wow, what a game! The Golden State Warriors, having played last night in Denver and returned home to the Bay Area in the wee hours of the morning, defeated the New Orleans Pelicans Wednesday night at Oracle Arena by a score of 147-140. It was not easy as the Pelicans played one of their best games of the year. They scored 140 points and had five players in double-digits. They led for most of the game, but the Warriors came to life late in the third quarter and took the lead 110 -109 when Andre Iguodala hit a shot at the buzzer and made a free throw as he was fouled on the play.

The Pelicans, not known for three-point shooting, rained down ten 3-pointers in the first half. They won the first quarter 39-31. With the score 21-14 in favor of Golden State, the Pelicans went on a 17-5 run to lead 31-26. They finished the quarter, leading 39-31. The Pelicans increased the lead to sixteen, 61-45. The Warriors then went on a 17-4 run to close the gap to 65-62. The Pelicans responded and went ahead by eight 70-62. The first half ended with New Orleans in the lead 71-66.

Nikola Mirotic led the Pelicans with 21 points coming off the bench. He made four three and the Warriors had no answer for him. Anthony Davis had a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Jrue Holiday had 11. The Warriors’ Big Three of Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Klay Thompson finished with 15, 12, and 17, respectively. Shaun Livingston, coming off the bench scored 11. The Pelicans made ten 3s, and the Warriors made 11. Steph Curry committed his two fouls early in the first quarter and missed over sat on the bench for most of the period. He committed his third foul early in the second quarter and sat until late in the period.

The Pelicans looked as if they were in command, and were going to win the game as the Warriors could not get the offense going. The Warriors came to life late in the period when they went on a 25-8 run in the last 3 minutes and 43 seconds left in the period. They had not led since early in the first quarter. The Warriors, behind Curry’s 23 points in the quarter and Iguodala’s steal and bucket, as the buzzer sounded to end the third quarter with the Warriors in the lead 110-109. The Warriors outscored the Pelicans 44-38 in the quarter.

The Warriors continued to play well on offense, and their defense was able to stop the Pelican attack. The Pelicans went up by three 118-115, but Iguodala hit a 3 to tie the game. The teams tied again at 120. New Orleans went ahead 124-123. It would be their last lead of the night. Shaun Livingston made a bucket, and that was followed by Kevon Looney’s basket to make it 127-124. Draymond Green made a three to give the Dubs the lead 132-126. Looney and Curry mad buckets to put the Warriors ahead by eight, 134-126, with 2:28 left to play. Mirotoc connected on his sixth 3 of the night, but Green countered with his fourth 3-pointer. The Warriors’ defense made the stops, and the Warriors finished with their sixth win a row by a score of 147-140.

Game Notes and Stats: After the big win in Denver Tuesday night, it looked like the Warriors were not in sync early in the game. The Pelicans finished the night with five players in double figures, and they made 19 three-point shots and scored 140 points and still lost. The Warriors found their mojo late in the third quarter and showed the Pelicans why they are the reigning NBA champions. Steph Curry had another out of this world performance as he finished with 41 points and made nine threes in 17 attempts. Kevin Durant had a double-double with 30 points and 15 rebounds, Durant made five threes Wednesday night. Klay Thompson had 19, and he made four threes. Draymond Green probably had his best game of the year. Green, who had not been scoring much this season, tallied 17 points. He had six rebounds and 14 assists for another double-double. He had to guard the Pelicans’ two big men Anthony Davis and Nikola Mirotic. Mirotic scored 21 in the first half but was held to just eight in the second. Kevon Looney also played well. Looney had seven significant points and pulled down 12 rebounds. Shaun Livingston and Andre Iguodala each had 13 points for Golden State.

Golden State made 24 three-point shots to tie a franchise record. The Pelicans made 19 threes. Each time shot 48% from the floor. The Warriors outrebounded the Pelicans 57-49, and Kevon Looney was a force on the offensive boards as the Warriors outrebounded the Pelicans 10-7 in that department.

The Warriors improve to 31-14 while the Pelicans drop to 21-24.

Up Next: The Warriors embark on a five-game road trip starting Friday night against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center in LA. The game will feature the debut of DeMarcus Cousins as a Warrior. Game time is at 7:30 pm.

Warriors blow out the Nuggets 142-111 in Denver

Photo credit: @warriors

By: Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors won their fifth game in a row as they dominated the Denver Nuggets as they won the game 142-111 at the Pepsi Center Tuesday evening. With the win, the Warriors took over the first seed in the Western Conference by just 1/2 game over the Nuggets. The Warriors set two records in the first quarter of the game as they scored 51 points. It was the first time in NBA history that a team scored that many points. The Warriors also set a franchise record as they made 10 3-point shots in the quarter. The Warriors wanted to make a statement Tuesday night, and they did just that as they dominated the Nuggets from start to finish.

The Warriors came out firing to start the game. Klay Thompson, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant rained down threes on the Nuggets. The Nuggets didn’t play poorly as they scored 38 points, but they finished the quarter trailing 51-38. The Warriors increased the lead to 19 at the end of the first half. They lead 79-60. The Nuggets made a 17-9 run to close the gap to 72-60, but the Warriors scored the last seven points to finish with the 19-point advantage. Kevin Durant led the Warriors with 20. Thompson had 18, and Curry ended with 14. All three connected four times on 3-pointers. Jamal Murray led the Nuggets with 21. Nicola Jokic had 9, and Paul Millsap added 8 for Denver.

The Warrior onslaught continued in the third quarter. They outscored the Nuggets 33-23 to increase the lead to 29. Curry, near the end of the quarter, scored 11 points. He made three treys and one bucket to give the Warriors the lead 112-83. Curry and Durant sat out the fourth quarter. Thompson came out of the game with &:26 left to play. The Warriors bench finished the game as the Warriors won 142-111.

Game Notes and Stats; The Warriors won their fifth game in a row and improved to 30-14. The Nuggets dropped to 29-14. The 51 points in the first quarter were the fifth time in the 73rd year of the team’s existence that they scored more than 50 points in a quarter. Klay Thompson had four dunks in the game for the first time in his career, and Kevon Looney had a career-high 12 rebounds.

Draymond Green’s line was 4 points, six boards, and 13 assists. He was plus 41 when he was in the game. Kevin Durant finished with 27 points, four rebounds, and six assists. He connected on five 3-point shots. Thompson had 31 and he, too, made five threes. Curry finished with 31, and he made eight threes. He was plus-25 when he was on the floor. Quinn Cook, Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, and Jonas Jerebko all made significant contributions coming off the bench.

Scoring leaders for Denver were Malik Beasley with 22, Jamal Murray 21 (none in the second half), Jokic with 17, Will Barton 11, and Mason Plumlee 9.

Up Next: The Warriors return home to face the New Orleans Pelicans Wednesday night at Oracle Arena. Game time is at 7:30 pm. The Warriors then play The Los Angeles Clippers Friday night in Los Angeles. DeMarcus Cousins will be making his debut as a Golden State Warrior. It will be his first basketball game since he suffered an Achilles tendon injury last January.

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Cousins back ready to face the Nuggets on Friday; Kerr to take a look at him and his Achilles

Photo credit: @NBAonTNT

On the Golden State Warriors podcast with David:

#1 The Warriors at the halfway mark are first in the Pacific Division game, facing the Denver Nuggets and the Nuggets beat the Warriors earlier in the season. DeMarcus Cousins is back on Friday night.

#2 How has the bench been performing and an assessment on Jonas Jerebko? With Kevon Looney going back to the second unit with Klay Thompson, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Kevin Durant, what’s that going to be like to work Jerebko in the second rotation?

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

Curry leads the Warriors to a 119-114 win over the Mavericks in Dallas

by Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors played another close game with the Dallas Mavericks Sunday evening in Dallas. It was the third game of the season between the two teams, and it was a thriller. The teams had split the two previous meetings, and this was the final meeting of the regular season. The Mavericks are an improved team with the addition of former LA Clipper DeAndre Jordan and the nineteen-year-old sensation Luca Doncic. The Warriors lost to the Mavericks in Dallas earlier in the season when they did not have Steph Curry and Draymond Green available. The Warriors gained a measure of revenge as they defeated the Mavericks 119-114 in a game that was determined in the final seconds of play.

The Warriors got off to a good start in the first quarter and grabbed an early 16-10 lead. Curry and Kevin Durant scored all the Warrior points up to that point in the game. The Warriors had opportunities to score but could not cash in. The Mavs were able to go on a 12-0 run to go ahead 22-16. The Mavs finished the quarter leading 29-25.

The Warriors won the second quarter37-25 to finish the first half with a 62-54 advantage. Steph Curry was on fire as he tallied 24 points and connected on five threes in 8 attempts. Durant added 17. Klay Thompson was held to 4 points. Luca Doncic led the Mavs with 12. Jordan had 6, Wesley Matthews 8, former Stanford star Dwight Powell had 8, and Jalen Brunson finished the half with 8.

Dallas controlled the boards in the first quarter, but things changed when Steve Kerr inserted Jonas Jerebko and Alonzo McKinnie into the game in the second quarter. Both players help the Dubs get rebounds at both ends of the court, and they were a big help in getting the Warriors back into the lead.

The Warriors offense got some help from Klay Thompson. Alonzo McKinnie, Andre Iguodala, and Steph Curry. They held Dallas to 40% from the floor, but Dallas spent a lot more time at the free throw line. They were 10 for 11 from the charity stripe while the Dubs had but two free throws in the period. The Warriors finished the period leading 92-88

As the fans of the NBA know, most games are decided in the fourth quarter. The game between these two teams was no exception. The Warriors were clinging to a scant four-point advantage as they started the fourth and final stanza. Dallas kept creeping closer. However, Curry and Thompson connected on three-point shots to keep the Warriors ahead. Dallas tied the game at 103. They went up by five 110-105 with 4:25 left to play. It was still anyone’s game. Steph hit a three, and the Warriors now trailed 110-108. Former Warrior Harrison Barnes was fouled by Draymond Green while attempting a three-point shot. Green was also charged with a flagrant foul. Barnes made all three free throws and Dallas retained possession. The Warriors caught a break when Andre Iguodala managed to steal the ball. Durant followed with a bucket to make it 113-110. Klay followed with a basket. The score was 113-112 with 2:21 left. Dallas made a free throw to go up 114-112. They would not score again. Curry tied it a 114. He then hit a three to put the Warriors in the lead 117-114 with 42.2 seconds left to play. Dallas had the ball and needed a three to tie the game in regulation. Harrison Barnes, with 5.6 seconds left on the clock, fumbled the ball and lost it out of bounds. The Mavs fouled Steph, and he made both free throws to ice the win for Golden State. Final score 119-114.

Game notes and stas\ts. The Warriors, with the win, improved to 29-14. The Mavericks, who were 16-4 at home before the game, drop to 20-23 overall and 16-5 at home.

Curry had a tremendous performance with 48 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. Curry made 11 threes in 19 attempts. He had 13 points in the fourth quarter. Durant had 28, 7 board, and 5 assists. He was a force on both ends of the court. Klay Thompson finished with 16. Klay had 9 points in the fourth quarter that helped the Dubs to the win. McKinnie finished with 10.

The Macs were led by Luca Doncic. He knocked down 26 points and had 6 rebounds and 5 assists. He also made 5 threes. Harrison Barnes had 22, Jordan 13 points and 14 boards, and Brunson had 12.

The Warriors shot 46% from the floor and held the Mavs to 41.8% The Warriors made nineteen three and the Mavs connected 16 times. The Mavs had 17 more free throws than the Warriors They had 29 compared to 12 for Golden State. The Maves outrebounded the Dubs 51-49, but the Warriors had 9 steals and 8 blocked shots.

The Warriors are 8-1 on the road since December 3rd. They travel to Denver to face the Nuggets Tuesday night. Game time is at 6pm.

 

Warriors roll over the Bulls 146-109

Photo credit: @warriors

By: Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, for the second game in a row, routed their opponent, the Chicago Bulls Friday night at Oracle Arena, The Warriors got off to a fast start behind three 3-point shots by Klay Thompson to take an early 9-0 lead. The Warriors never looked back as they overwhelmed the Bulls by a score of 146-109.

The Warriors outscored the Bulls 43-17 in the first quarter. The Warriors moved the ball well all night. They found the open man and knocked down 3s. They played defense as the limited the Bulls to 17 points in the first 12 minutes of action. They even had a bit of luck when Jonas Jerebko sank a 3-pointer from behind the half-court line as time expired in the quarter. The Bulls played better in the second quarter, but still trailed by 21 at the end of the first half 76-55. Thompson led the Dubs with 24. Klay made six 3s in 8 attempts. Kevin Durant and Steph Curry each had 13. Zach Lavine led the Bulls with 24, and he made three 3s.

The Warriors did not let up in the third quarter. The Warriors’ big three of Durant, Thompson, and Curry continued to punish the Bulls. The Warriors put the game out of reach as they outscored the Bulls 40-21 in the third quarter. Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr removed all the starters with about two minutes left in the period. The Warriors led by 40 points, 116-76

Warriors’ bench players Jordan Bell, Marcus Derrickson, Jonas Jerebko, and Quinn Cook played the entire fourth quarter. The second unit played well as they were able to put up points on the board and the Warriors won by a final score of 146-109.

Game Notes and Stats: Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 30 points. He made seven 3-pointers. Curry had 28 with five 3s, and Kevin Durant had 22. It was the ninth time this season that the Big Three had more than 20-plus points in a game. Quinn Cook had 15, Jordan Bell had 13, Marcus Derrickson had 10, and Jerebko had 8.

The Bulls were led by Zach LaVine’s 29 points. Bobby Portis had 16 points, Antonio Blakeney had 12 points and Ryan Arcidiacono had 10 points. The Bulls’ Lauri Markkanen, who is seven-foot tall, finished the night with 8 points.

The Warriors improved to 28-14, while Chicago dropped to 10-32.

The Warriors announced that DeMarcus Cousins, who is recovering from an Achilles heel rupture suffered last January, will return to action against the Los Angeles Clippers on January 18th in Los Angeles.

Up Next: The Warriors hit the road to play the Dallas Mavericks in Dallas on Sunday. Game time is at 4:00 pm.

Warriors throttle the Knicks 122-95

Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors faced the lowly New York Knicks at Oracle Arena Tuesday night and routed them 122-95. The Knicks, who are coached by Dave Fizdale, were competitive for the first 18 to 20 minutes of the first half. The Knicks, who are in rebuild mode, entered the game as one of the worst shooting clubs in the NBA. They trailed the Warriors 31-25 at the end of the first quarter. They grabbed a 49-48 lead, but they could not stop the Warriors as the Warriors went on a 13-0 run to finish the first half, leading 61-49. Klay Thompson led the Warrior attack with 17 points, Steph Curry had 14, and Kevin Durant added 11. The Knicks were led by Tim Hardaway, Jr’s 11 points. Hardaway was hurt with 1:07 left to play in the half, and he was not able to return.

The Warriors blew out the Knicks in the third quarter. They outscored them 33-18 to finish the quarter with a 94-68 lead. Thompson was on fire as he was the player with the hot hand. Thompson stayed hot, and when he connected on a three to make the score 111-83. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr took him out. Thompson finished with 43. Kerr also removed all the starters, and the bench players coasted to a 122-95 victory.

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, the Warriors are now 27-14. Steph Curry missed 11 games to a injury, and Draymond Green also missed 14 due to a toe injury.

Green scored just two points, but he did have a double-double with 11 boards and 10 assists. Curry also had a double-double. He knocked down 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 14 assists. Kevin Durant finished with 24 points, 6 boards, and 6 assists. The Warriors’ bench contributed 41 points.

The Knicks’ 19-year old rookie tallied 12 points. The Knicks’ leading scorer was Mario Hezonja with 19. Their big center, Enod Kanter, had a double-double with 12 points, and 16 rebounds.

The Warrior defense held the Knicks to 39.6% shooting from the floor. The Warriors outrebounded them 49-39, and the Warriors had 9 steals and 10 blocked shots.

Up Next: The Warriors meet the lowly Chicago Bulls Friday night at Oracle Arena. Game time is at 7:30 pm.

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Warriors are finding the Kings are going to give them fits

Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

On the Golden State Warriors podcast with David:

#1 After the Warriors’ struggle with the Houston Rockets last week ,they got a big win over the Sacramento Kings 127-123 on Saturday night in Sacramento.

#2 It was a historic game of all sorts–a new NBA record setting game with 18 lead changes and 11 ties. The Warriors’ biggest lead was 16 points and the Kings was nine.

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