Category: Golden State Warriors

It was a heck of a basketball game on Saturday night: the Warriors squeaked by the Kings 127-123

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

gsw 1-6 final

By Charlie O. Mallonee

Sacramento — The sellout crowd of 17583 fans at the Golden 1 Center on Saturday was treated to a real example of an NBA game in this new era as they saw the Golden State Warriors hold off the upstart Sacramento Kings 127-123. Not only was it an exciting contest, but it was also an NBA record-setting game.

The game featured 18 lead changes and was tied 11 times. The Warriors largest lead was 16 and that came in the first period. The Kings biggest lead of the game was nine points.

The constant end-to-end action had the crowd in a literal frenzy from the opening tipoff to the final buzzer.

The teams “made it rain” to set an NBA record

gsw 1-6 curry
Curry scored a game-high 42 points Photo: @warriors

The teams combined to hit 41 3-point field goals in the game which set a new record for the NBA. The Warriors put in 21-of-47 (44.7%) their attempts from behind the 3-point line. The Kings converted 20-of-36 (55.6%) their shots from long distance in the game.

123 of the 250 total points scored in the game came off 3-point field goals. That is a true representation of where today’s NBA is headed now and in the foreseeable future.

Steph Curry led the 3-point scoring barrage sinking 10-of-20 attempts. The Kings’ Buddy Hield (yes, the guy from Oklahoma who would never be able to hit the 3-pointer in the Association according to scouts) converted 8-of-13 attempts from long range. The big surprise may have been Sacramento’s Justin Jackson who went 5-for-7 from behind the arc.

The fans were in seventh heaven.

The teams played evenly except in one area

gsw 1-6 pic 2

The battle in the paint was dramatic on Saturday night. The Warriors scored 40 points down low while the Kings put up 38 points in the paint.

2nd Chance Points – which can determine the outcome of a game – was a dead-even tie. Golden State scored 14 2nd Chance Points and the Kings 14 of their own. GSW grabbed 12 offensive rebounds, while SAC pulled down 14 rebounds on offense.

The “runaway” Kings dominated the fastbreak points category in this game. Sacramento scored 32 points via the fast break while the Warriors recorded only 15 points via the break. There is no doubt that the Kings love to run.

Top Performers

Kings (19-20)

  • Buddy Hield was the Kings’ leading scorer with 32 points. He also added four assists and five rebounds.

  • Justin Jackson came off the bench to put 28 points. Jackson shot 10-for-14 overall for the game. He also grabbed five defensive rebounds.

  • Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 17 points, dished out seven assists and added six rebounds. He also added three steals.
  • Willie Cauley-Stein recorded another double-double putting up 14 points and hauling in 13 rebounds. WCS keeps hitting that double-double goal.

Warriors (26-14)

  • Steph Curry was the game’s high scorer with 42 points. Curry went 14-for-25 from the field (10-for-20 from 3-point land).
  • Kevin Durant scored 29 points and dished out nine assists.
  • Klay Thompson added 20 points in the contest.
  • That was a total of 91 points from the Warriors big three.

Coach Joerger’s Postgame Analysis

Coach Dave Joerger felt like his team played one its better games of the season.

Joerger loved Buddy Hield’s play and he explained why

Joerger had some great things to say about Justin Jackson

Up next

The Kings will return to action on Monday night when they will host the Orlando Magic at the Golden 1 Center.

The Warriors will host the New York Knicks on Tuesday night in Oakland.

Warriors come out on top against Kings 127-123

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors, still smarting from a one-point loss to the Houston Rockets last Thursday night, traveled to Sacramento to face the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center Saturday evening.

The Kings, under coach Dave Joerger, are no longer the sad sack Kings. Joerger has worked wonders with his young team. They entered the game with a record of 19-19, and they had split the two games played against the Warriors so far this season. The Kings play an uptempo game and love to make three-point shots. The Warriors knew that they would have their hands full with the Kings and that what exactly what transpired during the game. The two teams set an NBA record with 41 three-point shots made in a game. The Warriors made 21, and the Kings made 20. The Warriors prevailed 127-123 as they figured out a way to play defense in the fourth quarter.

The Warriors, with the score tied at 22 in the first quarter, went on a 15-0 run to lead 37-22. The Kings woke up, but the Warriors still finished the quarter leading 43-29. The Kings outscored the Warriors 40-27 in the second quarter and trailed by one 70-69 at the end of the first half. Both teams were making three-point shots. The Warriors connected 12 times, and the Kings made 11. Steph Curry knocked down four three-pointers. Klay Thompson and Quinn Cook each had three. The Kings’ Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovich each had three. Klay Thompson had 17, Kevin Durant 13, and Quinn Cook added 10. Bogdanovic finished the first half with 15, Justin Jackson 12, and Nemanja Bjelica 10.

The Kings continued their torrid shooting in the third period. They outscored Golden State 34-26 to end the period with a seven-point advantage 101-96.  The Kings’ Buddy Hield made five threes in the period, and his total for the game was eight, which was a career-high for him. The Warriors continued to commit turnovers while the Kings did not at this point in the game.

The Warriors had their work cut out for them if they wanted to win. They had to play defense, and someone had to step up and lead the offense. The Warriors showed the Kings why they are the reigning NBA champs as they held the prolific Kings offense to just 20 points in the fourth quarter. Curry showed the Kings why he was awarded two NBA MVP awards as he scored 20 of the teams 31 points in the final 12 minutes to lead the Warriors to victory.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors improved to 26-14 while Sacramento dropped to 19-20. Curry led the Warriors with 42 points, and he connected on 10 3-point shots. Durant had 29 point, 5 rebounds, and 9 assists. He made three threes, too. Klay Thompson had 20 and three threes. Quinn Cook had 10. Draymond Green finished with 12 points, 7 boards, and 7 assists.

The Kings’ Buddy Hield finished with 32. He made eight threes, but the Warriors throttled him in the fourth quarter as he failed to make a three in the final stanza. Justin Jackson, coming off the bench for Sacramento, ended the night with 28 points. He knocked down five threes. Bogdanovic had 17, Willie Cauley-Stein 14 points and 13 rebounds. Nemanja Bjelica had 12 for Sacramento.

The two teams set an NBA record for threes made in a game. The Warriors were 21 for 47 while the Kings were 20 for 36. The Warriors’ defense had 5 steals and 8 blocks. The Warriors turned the ball over 13 times. The Kings committed just one turnover in the first half, but the Warrior defense caused them to commit 7 turnovers in the last 24 minutes of play.

Up Next: The Warriors return home to face the New York Knicks Tuesday night at Oracle Arena. Game time is at 7:30 pm.

Warriors lose OT thriller to Rockets 135-134

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The defending champion Golden State Warriors hosted the rampaging Houston Rockets Thursday night at Oracle Arena. The game was a tale of two halves. The Warriors won the first half by 17 points, and the Rockets won the second half by 17 points to send the game into overtime. The Rockets won the game with just one second left on the clock when the reigning NBA MVP, James Harden, connected on a 3-point shot to put the Rockets ahead for good 135-134.

The Warriors won the first half 70-53 as they had four players in double-figures. Klay Thompson was hot with 19 to lead the team. Kevin Durant and Steph Curry each had 13 and Kevon Looney scored 12 much to the delight of the Warrior fans and head coach Steve Kerr. The Rockets were led by Clint Capela with 16 and James Harden’s 15.

As the fans know, 17-point leads are not difficult to overcome in the NBA. The Warriors increased the lead to 20, but the Rockets were not fazed. James Harden led the Rocket comeback with 13 points in the third quarter. The Warriors’ lead at the end of three periods of play swindled down to 6 points 98-92.

In the fourth quarter, the Rockets cut the deficit to one point as they trailed 102-101.  The Warriors’ Jonas Jerebko made two free throws, and he hit a three-pointer to put the Dubs ahead 108-13. The Warriors increased the lead to six 119-113, but the Rockets scored the last six points of regulation to tie the contest at 119.

The Rockets grabbed the early lead in OT 121-119. Curry tied the game at 121. Harden hit another three and Houston led 124-121. Durant made two free throws and a bucket to give the Warriors the lead 125-124. Curry made a 3 and the Warriors lead 128-124 with 2:20 left in overtime. Harden and Austin Rivers each connected on a 3-pointer to go ahead 130-128. Durant and Thompson scored a pair of 2-pointers to put Golden State ahead 132-130. The Rockets tied at 132 and Curry made a bucket to put the Warriors ahead 134-132. Time was running out for Houston. They inbounded the ball to Harden and with one second left on the clock, Harden made a 3-pointer to cement the win. The Warriors inbounded the ball to Durant, but his shot hit the rim, and the game was over.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors were led by Steph Curry’s 35 points, including five 3-point shots. Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant each finished with 26. Kevon Looney finished with 12. Draymond Green had 9 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists.

Houston was led by Harden’s triple-double. He recorded 44 points, 10 boards, and 15 assists. He made 10 3s. It was the ninth game in a row that Harden had scored more than 35 points. The other big force for Houston was Clint Capela. The Warriors did not have an answer for him. Capela knocked down 29 points and pulled down 21 rebounds. Capela was double teamed most of the night, and the Warriors could not contain him. Also, Capela did not commit a foul until late in the fourth quarter. Austin Rivers had 18, and he made four 3s. Gerald Green connected on three 3s and finished with 16 for the night. Danuel House added 17 for the Rockets.

The Warriors shot 52% from the floor and held Houston to 45.5%. The big stat to keep in mind is that the Rockets made 21 3-point shots. The Warriors connected on 14.

The Warriors, with the loss, drop to 25-14 and Houston improved to 22-15.

Up Next: The Warriors travel to Sacramento to face the Kings Saturday night at 7:00 pm PT.

Warriors end the year on a winning note as they rout the Suns 132-109

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors finished 2018 as they routed the young and improving Phoenix Suns 132-109. The Warriors won their 17th in a row over the Suns and eighth straight in Phoenix. The Warriors won all four quarters of the game, but it was midway through the second quarter with the second unit on the floor as they caught fire and put the game away. The Warriors finished the first quarter with a four-point lead 31-27. They ended the first half leading by 17, 69-52.

The Warriors refused to let the Suns back in the game. They won the third quarter 39-32 and also the fourth quarter 24-22.

Steph Curry led the Warriors with 34 points, 4 rebounds and, nine assists. Kevin Durant helped out with 25. Klay Thompson added 15. Draymond Green had 7 points and 7 assists and was plus-20 when he was on the floor. The Warriors’ bench contributed 46 points Monday night and that effort put a big smile on Steve Kerr’s face.

The big rookie, 7-foot 1-inch Deandre Ayton, from the University of Arizona knocked down 25 points. T.J. Warren added 24, Devon Booker 20, and Kelly Oubre, Jr. 15.

The Warriors, as a team, shot 54.8% from the floor and were 14-for-28 from 3-point range. The Warriors’ defense outrebounded the Suns and the defense had 7 steals and 8 blocked shots during the contest.

The Warriors improved to 25-13 while the Suns drop to 9-29. The Warriors return home to play the Houston Rockets at Oracle Arena The Rockets, after a slow start, are now 21-15 and are in first place in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference. Game time will be at 7:30 pm.

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Warriors have lost three of last six, which Dubs team comes out tonight in Phoenix?

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Photo credit: @sn_nba

On the Warriors podcast with David:

#1 Golden State has lost three of their last six games. Do you see any holes in their offense that led to these losses and Kevin Durant alluded to too many shots are being missed on the free throw line?

#2 Do you look at their win over the Portland Trailblazers as something of a relief after losing to the Lakers and the Blazers in Oakland back-to-back?

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

Warriors regain their mojo, defeat the Blazers 115-105

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Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors snapped a two-game losing streak as they beat the Portland Trail Blazers 115-105 at the Moda Center Saturday night. The Warriors, coming off two ugly losses to the Lakers and Blazers, excelled on both ends of the court Saturday night. Klay Thompson, who had mired in a shooting slump, came alive and led the team to the victory with 32 points including four 3-point shots in four tries. The Warriors won the first three quarters, and each team scored 22 points in the fourth quarter.

The Warriors won the first quarter 30-27. Kevon Looney helped out with seven points early in the quarter. Looney hit his first 3-pointer of the season to help the Warriors get rolling. He, along with Draymond Green, was tasked with defending Jusuf Nurkic. The Blazers’ big center torched the Warriors for 27 points Thursday night at Oracle Arena. Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr did not want Nurkic to be a force inside. Looney and Green responded and played well. Nurkic finished with 21, but the Warriors were able to defend him better in this game. The Warriors started the second quarter on a 10-0 run. Curry scored the first seven points, and Jonas Jerebko knocked down a 3 to give the Warriors the lead 40-27. They led by 18, 56-38, but Portland finished the first half on a 12-2 run. The score at the half was 58-50 in favor of Golden State. Andre Iguodala was charged with a technical foul and had to leave the game when he threw the basketball into the stands with force as the buzzer sounded to end the second quarter. The refs had no choice as it is an automatic ejection.

The Warriors were able to increase the lead to 10 at the end of the third quarter. The Warriors behind Curry, Thompson and Durant increased the lead to 14. The Blazers refused to wilt and were able to cut the deficit to five 83-78. Quinn Cook was in for Curry, and he made two big 3-point shots to propel the Warriors to a 10-0 run. Nurkic was a force for Portland in the third quarter as he kept using his big body to barrel into the rim. The Warriors led 93-83 at the end of three.

Neither team scored in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter. Both teams played excellent defense, and the Warriors started to play sloppy and make mistakes as they did Thursday night in Oakland, Thompson’s shooting helped propel the Warriors to a 105-89 advantage. Portland went on a 9-0 run to make it 105-98. It was gut-check time for the Warriors. The Warriors scored the next four points, but Portland made a bucket to trail 109-100 with 2:07 to play. Curry was fouled attempting a 3-point shot. The best free throw shooter in the NBA missed two shots. However, on the ensuing play. The Blazers were charged with two technical fouls. Curry increased the lead to 112-100 with 1:49 left. Kerr pulled his regulars, and the Warriors coasted to the win 115-105.

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, Golden State is now 24-13 for the season. Portland falls to 20-16.

Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 32 points, and he made four treys. Steph Curry had 22, and he connected twice on three-point shots. Kevin Durant had 25. Kevon Looney had 12, Jonas Jerebko 8, and Quinn Cook had six. Draymond Green scored three points, but he was a force on the floor. He had 9 boards and 6 assists. However, when Green was on the court, the Warriors were a plus-28. Jerebko was a plus-18 as he had another stellar performance. The Warriors shot 50% from the floor and made 12 3s in 25 attempts. The Warriors defense held the Blazers to 42.9% from the floor and the Blazers were 9-for 31 from 3-point range.

The Blazers were led by Damian Lillard’s 40 points. Nurkic had 21, and CJ McCollum finished with 14.

Up Next: The Warriors meet the Phoenix Suns Monday night in Phoenix. Game time is at 5 pm.

Warriors lose to the Trail Blazers 110-109 in overtime

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Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

By: Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors played well enough on defense to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers Thursday night at Oracle Arena. The Warrior offense, however, did not take advantage of the many opportunities they had to put the game away, and they fell to the Trail Blazers 110-109.

The Warriors defense held the Blazers to 36% from the floor, but they lost. The Warriors, when they make 11 or more 3s in a game usually win. Until late in the fourth quarter, they were shooting 8-for-34 from the 3-point range. The Warriors literally gave the game to the Blazers as they missed eight free throws in 14 attempts. Klay Thompson, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant all missed key free throws.

Both teams played a competitive first period. The Warriors finished the quarter with the lead 28-27. The Warriors were ahead 38-35 when Portland went on a 15-5 run to lead 50-43. Andre Iguodala connected on a 3 to bring the Warriors a bit closer. The Blazers scored the last two points of the half to finished with a six-point advantage, 52-46. They outscored the Warriors 25-18 in the quarter.

The Warriors cut the deficit to two at the end of the third period. They had ample opportunities to get ahead as Portland’s offense was non-existent at times. The Warriors couldn’t make 3s or free throws, and Portland was able to finish leading 75-71.

The Blazers’ Seth Curry made three 3-pointers to start the fourth quarter. The Warriors trailed by nine 83-74, and things looked dire. The Warriors tried to come back, but Portland was able to increase the lead to 10 96-86. The Warriors then went on a 16-6 run to tie the game. Curry made two 3-point shots, and Kevin Durant tied it with a 3.

In overtime, the Warriors took an early 106-102 lead. Portland turned the ball over three times, but the Warriors failed to capitalize. Portland went ahead 107-106 with 1:05 left to play. Draymond Green made a 3 from the corner to put the Warriors ahead for the last time 109-107. The Warriors had the ball with time running down. The Warriors inbounded the ball to Curry, who was double-teamed by the Blazers. Curry’s attempt to pass the ball went awry, and the ball went over to Portland, who made the Warriors pay as Oakland native Damian Lillard drained a 3 with 5.2 seconds left. The Warriors gave the ball to Kevin Durant for the last shot, but his shot bounced off the rim, and the Warriors were toast 110-109.

Game Notes and Stats: The Blazers had five players in double figures. They were led by Jusuf Nurkic. He was a force on offense and a monster on the boards. He scored 27 points and had 12 rebounds. CJ McCollum finished with 24, Lillard 21, Maurice Harkless 11, and Seth Curry 11.

The Warriors were led by Steph Curry’s 29. Steph was 6-for-15 from 3-point land. Durant had a triple-double with 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. Draymond Green finished the night with 15 points, 11 rebounds for a double-double.

The Warriors drop to 23-23 while Portland improves to 30-15.

Up Next: The two teams play again in Portland Saturday night at 7:00 pm PST.

Lakers outplay the Warriors on both ends of the court for 127-101 blowout

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The Los Angeles Laker, a team on the rise with the addition of LeBron James, Rajon Rondo, and Ivaca Zubac, thoroughly outplayed the defending NBA champions, the Golden Stae Warriors, Christmas night at Oracle Arena. The Lakers head coach, Luke Walton who was an assistant under Steve Kerr in 2015 and 2016, had his young and upcoming team outscore, outrebound, and out defense the Warriors. The Warriors, who had a record of 15-3 at Oracle this season lost by 26 points 127-101. All the Warrior losses at Oracle this year have been by more than twenty points. The Warriors need help. General Manager, Bob Myers, has work to do to get the team some players that can come off the bench to, hopefully, ignite the offense. One such player, who is a restricted free agent, is Patrick McCaw. It might be time for the team and the player mend the rift.

The two teams played a close game until late in the first quarter. The Laker went on a 12-2 run to finish the first period leading 32-25.  The Lakers, in the second quarter, continued to pressure Kevin Durant, Steph Curry. and Klay Thompson. They double-teamed the Big Three at every chance and gave opportunities for Draymond Green, Kevon Looney, Jonas Jerebko, and Andre Iguodala to pick up the slack. Iguodala responded by knocking down 16 in the first half. The Lakers held KD, Klay, and Steph to a total of 18 for all three. LeBron James and company raced out to a 65-50 halftime lead.  James had a double-double with 17 points and 10 boards in the first 24 minutes of action. The Lakers controlled the boards pulling down 27 while the Warriors total was 17. The Lakers Ivaca Zubac, filling in for former Warrior JaVale McGee, who was sidelined with a bout of pneumonia, proved to be too much to handle as he cleared the boards and added 8 points. The Lakers shot 58% from the floor, and they held the Warriors to 39%. The

The Warriors, who have been so good in the third quarter, failed to slow down the Laker onslaught. The Lakers increased the lead to 16 71-55. The Warrior then started a comeback. With the score 76-62, Steph Curry hit his first three-pointer of the night to make it 76-65. Steph hit another three, and the crowd at Oracle came alive. The Warriors closed the gap to two trailing 78-76. It was around this time the LeBron James suffered what appeared to be a groin injury, and he left the game. That was as close as the Warriors would come as the Lakers finished the quarter leading 91-82.

The Lakers refused to let the Warriors back in the game. The veteran guard, Rajon Rondo, took over the game for the Lakers and they increased the lead to fifteen 100-85 with nine minutes left in the game. The Warriors scored just three points in the first three minutes, and their doom was sealed. Warriors coach Steve Kerr raided the white flag and sent in the scrubs to finish the game.

Game notes and stats. The Warriors are now 23-12 for the year, but many people are worried that the team does not have the depth that they have had in the past. The three big men, Pachulia, McGee, and West, are gone. Kevon Looney’s play has improved, but he can’t do it alone. The Warriors are waiting for Demarcus Cousins to return from an Achilles heel injury suffered last January. Cousins has been working out with the Santa Cruz G-League and practicing in Oakland with the Warriors. The Warriors don’t want to rush him back too soon, but, hopefully, he will be ready soon. It will take a while for him to get back into game shape.

The numbers show the dominance of the Lakers. They had seven players in double figure. Zubac had a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Rondo knocked down 15, and he recorded 10 assists. LeBron finished with 17 points and 13 boards. Kyle Kuzma had 19, Brandon Ingram 14, Josh Hart 12, and Lance Stephenson 11. The Lakers improved to 20-14.

Andre Iguodala had a season-high 23 points to lead the club in scoring. KD finished with 21, Steph had 15, and Klay, who is mired in a shooting slump, had a season-low 5 points.

The Lakers shot 55% from the floor. They made 13 three is 33 attempts. They outrebounded the Warriors 49-37. The Warriors shot 39% from the floor and made nine three in 36 attempts.

The Warriors face another tough opponent when they play the Portland Trailblazers at Oracle Arens Thursday night at 7:30 pm.

 

Warriors outlast the Clippers in a heart-pounding thriller 129-127

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors had their hands full as the Los Angeles Clippers made 13-of-16 3-point shots in the first half and 18-for-23 in the game. The 13 3s in the first half were a franchise (and NBA) record for the Clippers. The Clippers were raining down 3s on the Warriors, and the team had to find a way to play defense. The Warriors were facing a club that loves to run and were able to find men open to attempt the 3-point bombs.

The Clippers this year bear no resemblance to the Clipper teams of the past five years. All-Stars Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan are playing elsewhere. The Clipper offense now features Danilo Gallinari, Tobias Harris, Montrezl Harrell, and Lou Williams. Williams’ eyes light up when he plays the Warriors. The last time he played at Oracle Arena, he torched the Warriors for 51 points. The last time the Warriors played the Clippers in LA, they lost 121-116 in overtime. The Warriors wanted to even the score Sunday night. The Warriors did just that as they won a thriller 129-127.

The first half was a fast-paced affair. As mentioned earlier, the Clippers were raining down threes. The connected at a record pace as they made an NBA 13-in-16 attempts. The Warriors attempted 16 3s, but connected on five. What kept the Warriors in the first half was their ability to go to the free throw line. The Warriors did not miss a free throw, and they outscored the Clips 24-10 from the charity stripe. The game was tied at 48 when the Clips went on a 9-2 run to take a 7-point lead. The Clips increased the lead to 11 71-60. The Warriors went on a 7-0 run to finish the first half trailing 71-67.

The scoring leaders for LA were Gallinari with 14. He was 2-for-2 from three-point range. Tobias Harris knocked down 19, and he was 5-for-5 in 3-point attempts. Lou Williams, coming off the bench tallied 11, and he made one 3-pointer. The Clippers shot 52.2% from the floor and an astounding 81.2% from 3-point land.

Steph Curry led the Warriors with 22. Kevin Durant had 14, Draymond Green had 11 and Klay Thompson added 7.

In the third quarter, as they have done so many times, the Warriors got their offense going, and their defense shut down the Clipper offense as they outscored them 36-23 to finish the third quarter leading 103-94.

The Clippers started the fourth quarter on an 8-0 to cut the deficit to 1. The fans were squirming in their seats as the Clippers appeared to have found the key to success.  The Warriors were able to match the Clippers until LA made a bucket to grab the lead 117-116. Durant hit a shot to put the Warriors ahead 118-117. Curry made a 3 and was fouled. He made the free throw to complete a 4-point play. Durant followed with a 3, and the Warriors led 125-117 with time running down. However, the Clippers would not capitulate. They came back to tie the game at 127. The clock was running out, and the Warriors had the ball for the last shot. The Warriors brought the ball down for the final shot. Curry drove down the lane and mad the layup with just 0.5 seconds left in the game. The Clipper called a timeout so that they could take the ball in the forecourt. They needed someone to make a catch and shoot. They tried, but their attempt failed, and the Warriors finished with the win 129-127.

Game Notes and Stats: Steph Curry led the team with 40 points. Kevin Durant had another double-double with 35 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists. Draymond Green finished with 14. Klay Thompson, mired in a mini-slump, added 14. Kevon Looney tallied 10 coming off the bench. Jonas Jerebko started in place of Looney and scored 7 points.

The Clippers were led by Tobias Harris’ 32 points and 9 boards. He made six 3s in seven attempts. Danilo Gallinari put in 25 and had 11 rebounds. He hit five 3s in five attempts. Lou Williams had 25, Avery Bradley had 12, Montrezl Harrel had 13, and Patrick Beverley added 10.

The Warriors shot 45.2% from the floor and made 14 threes in 40 attempts. The Warriors, on defense, made 9 steals and blocked 8 shots. They committed 7 turnovers compared to the Clippers’ 15. The Clippers shot 53.7% from the floor and made 18 3s in 23 attempts good for an amazing 78.3%

The Warriors improved to 23-11, and the Clippers fell to 19-14.

Up Next: The Warriors meet the Lakers on Christmas Day at 5:00 pm. It will be the first meeting of the season for the Warriors and the rebuilt Lakers.

The Lakers’ all-star forward, LeBron James, has had this date circled on the calendar ever since he signed with the after the end of last season.

Durant, Jerebko lead the Warriors to a 120-116 win over the Mavericks

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Photo credit:@warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, humbled by the Utah Jazz Wednesday night in Salt Lake City as they made a season-low 18 assists, found their mojo Saturday night as Kevin Durant, Jonas Jerebko, and Steph Curry all played well as they defeated the Dallas Mavericks 120-116 at Oracle Arena. The Warriors trailed 61-58 at the end of the first half, but they put their game into gear in the third quarter behind a sterling effort from Jerebko. The Warriors finished the third quarter on a 17-6 run to lead 94-87.

The Warriors went on a 10-2 run to start the fourth quarter. They led 111-93 after Jerebko scored his 23rd point of the night and it looked as if the game was over. However, this is the NBA, and the Mavs refused to quit. With the score 113-102, the Mavs started to cut into the deficit as they went on a 13-2 run. The Warriors led by one point, 117-116, when Kevin Durant hit a 3-pointer with 14.2 seconds left in the game. Warriors’ coach Steve Kerr was yelling to his team to get the ball to Durant. Durant responded with the big bucket, and the Warriors escaped with the win.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors improve to 22-11 for the season, and Dallas falls to 15-16. Dallas has been unbeatable at home this season but has only two road wins. The Warriors were led by Wesley Matthews 25 points. Matthews made 7 3-point shots to keep his team in the game. 19-year-old phenom Luka Doncic tallied 19 points, and he made three treys in six attempts. Former LA Clipper DeAndre Jordan kicked in with 12 points, but he was a monster off the boards as he pulled down 23 rebounds. J.J.Barea, Jalen Brunson, and Dorian Finney-Smith finished in double figures.

The Warriors had five players in double figures. Kevin Durant finished with a double-double. He scored 29 points to go along with 12 rebounds and 8 assists. Durant connected on three 3-pointers in 5 attempts. Draymond Green also had a double-double with 14 points, 10 boards, and 5 assists. Curry had 22, Thompson had 14, and Jonas Jerebko had a career-high 23 points and six rebounds. He made two 2-pointers and was all over the court making plays in the third and fourth quarters. He gave the Warriors a huge lift coming off the bench.

Up Next: The Warriors meet the LA Clippers Sunday afternoon at Oracle Arena at 5:30 pm.