Category: Golden State Warriors

Klay Thompson drops 52 to lead the Warriors to a 149-124 blowout of the Bulls

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Photo credit: @NBCSWarriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

Klay Thompson, who was mired in a shooting slump at the start of the season, had quite a performance as the Golden State Warriors routed the Chicago Bulls 149-124 at the United Center on Monday night.

Thompson scored 22 points in the first quarter and 36 total ion the first half as he tied an NBA record, making 10 3-point shots. The Warriors scored 92 points in the first half as Thompson, Thompson’s Splash Brother Steph Curry, Kevin Durant led the onslaught. The 92 points scored in the half was the second-most in NBA history. The Phoenix Suns own the record when they put 107 points on the board in a game in 1990.

The Warriors led 44-28 after the first period, and they outscored the shorthanded Bulls 48-22 in the second period to finish the first half leading 92-50.

Thompson played in the third quarter, and he made four more 3-pointers to set a new NBA record. The old record for 3-pointers in a game was 13, and that was held by Curry. Thompson put 16 more points on the board and was done for the night with five minutes left in the third period. Thompson’s totals for the night was 52 points, 14 3-pointers in just 27 minutes of action. That was quite a performance for Thompson. The Warriors’ head coach, Steve Kerr, inserted his bench players to finish the game and the Big Four watched the game from the bench.

The Bulls made the score a bit more respectable as they won the second half 73-57, but the game was over after the first 24 minutes.

Game Notes: Steph Curry tallied 23. Kevin Durant had 14 points and 8 assists. Alfonzo McKinnie had a double-double for Golden State. He put 19 points on the board and pulled down 10 rebounds. Backup Guard Quinn Cook had 16, and Jonas Jerebko added 10.

Klay Thompson suffered a cut to his forehead that required a couple of stitches. Thompson did not suffer a concussion.

The Bulls were led by Zach LaVine and Antonio Blakely, both of whom tallied 21. 19-year-old Wendell Carter, Jr recorded 18 points in a losing effort. The Bulls were without the services of Lauri Markkanen, Kris Dunn, Bobby Portis, and Denzel Valentine.

The way the Warriors were playing, their presence would probably not made a difference in the outcome.

Up Next: The Warriors are now 7-1 for the year and return home to face the New Orleans Pelicans at Oracle Arena on Wednesday night at 7:30 pm PT.

Warriors hold off late rally to beat the Nets 120-114

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors were able to hold off a late rally by the Brooklyn Nets in the fourth quarter to win 120-114 and improve to 6-1 Sunday evening at Barclays Center. As with previous games, the Warriors owed their win to the talents and high-scoring of Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant.

Golden State led by as many as 19 points in the second quarter and third quarter, but allowed Brooklyn to come within two points with 1:55 remaining in the game when D’Angelo Russell made a driving layup. But the defending champions stepped it up too Stephen Curry, who scored a team-leading 35 points along with seven rebounds and three assists, said the Warriors played well overall.

“We knew we had to come out and get to a great start. The way that they shoot three’s and try to space the floor and play fast, you can’t give them confidence early,” Curry said in postgame interviews. “We knew it was going to be a full 48-minute game.” The Warriors lacked rhythm at the start of the game but gained it faster than they did in their Friday night victory against the New York Knicks. Kerr called a timeout after Caris LeVert made a triple that put the Nets up 14-0. Then Curry and Kevin Durant were fouled at the three-point line and went 3-of-3 and 2-of-3 respectively, to tie the Nets at 26.

Durant said the Warriors had some good spurts.

“Obviously we wanted to play a great game, but we know that we are still learning and getting better,” Durant told reporters.

Golden State had a 63-49 lead at the half and a 93-77 lead at the end of the third. Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson said his team made it a point to fight harder after falling behind in the first half.

“I thought that the guys really made a second push,” Atkinson said. “I thought it was a good effort in the second half.”

Curry hit a new NBA record in the first half—at least five triples for the seventh straight game. He broke George McCloud’s record of at least five three-pointers in six consecutive games from the 1995-96 season, according to Warriors PR.

Russell said players can’t guard Curry by the rules.

“Whatever the game plan is or whatever you’re deciding to do at the point of a screen or anything, all bets are off,” Russell said. “He’s one of those players in the league that is unguardable at times.”

Durant had 34 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, Klay Thompson had 18 points, and Warrior reserve Alfonzo McKinnie had 9 points. The Warriors face the Chicago Bulls (2-4) at 5 p.m. Monday to end their three-game road trip.

Durant dominates in the Warriors’ 128-100 rout of the Knicks in NYC

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Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors put on a show at Madison Square Garden on Friday night, trailing at times but rallying in the fourth to obliterate the New York Knicks 128-100.

When asked what happened in the final quarter, Knicks head coach David Fizdale replied: “Kevin Durant.”

“I saw our young guys, I just saw that look of, ‘We’ve done enough tonight. We played them hard enough.’ We played three and a half really good quarters,” Fizdale said his postgame interview. “With a champion, that’s not enough. That’s not even enough if you’re an established team against a champion so you’ve got to keep your focus and maintain your discipline all the way to the end. We just haven’t been able to sustain that.”

Durant scored 25 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter. He also contributed throughout the game. He made a dunk on a Warriors fast break early in the first to tie the game at 10 points. The Warriors regained a lead, but Trey Burke made a running layup tie the game again at the end of the quarter at 25.

The teams were tied at the half, too, at 53.

New York played a solid game until the Warriors decided to dominate late in the third. Golden State trailed 10 points with less than two minutes left in the quarter, and whittled the Knicks’ lead to 3 points.

“I think that group that we had in the end of the third kind of changed the mindset,” Draymond Green told reporters after the game. “They were battling, and they got us a little momentum going into the fourth and we picked it up from there.”

Durant was on fire in the fourth, making layups, jump shots, a fadeaway shot and a free throw.

“We’ve seen KD do it like he did tonight,” Stephen Curry said postgame. “To do it in the garden is a different buzz as well. Low-key we become fans on the court watching greatness.”

Durant, whose future could be with the Knicks in light of his free agency, had 9 rebounds and 5 assists. Curry scored 29 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr had a hard time remembering exactly when the team had consecutive games with such “spectacular” performances from the two stars. Curry scored 51 points on Wednesday night at Oracle Arena.

“They generally both play well every night so it’s hard to assess that kind of stuff. In back-to-back games they have both been phenomenal,” Kerr said. “Obviously, we are tough to beat when they both play like that.”

The Warriors (5-1) continue their three-game road trip on Sunday against the Brooklyn Nets (2-3) at Barclays Center. Tip-off is at 2 p.m.

Steph Being Steph: Curry turns into a bucket factory in 144-122 blowout of the Wizards

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By Morris Phillips

Stephen Curry making trick shots in warmups. Steph piling up buckets during the game. Demoralized opponents trudging back down the floor, heads bowed. Teammates and fans roaring their approval and/or shaking their heads in disbelief.

That stuff’s nothing new. But, based on various observers at Oracle on Wednesday, it never gets old.

“He’s a special player, special scorer, special shooter and he’s taking 35-foot shots.” Wizards coach Scott Brooks. “It’s hard to double-team a guy that far out and he makes them. He’s make them like they are layups.”

The Warriors leaped to a 80-71 lead in a defense-optional first half prompted by Washington being without injured centers Dwight Howard and Ian Mahimi, and opting to go small, run and shoot.

With Curry cooking from the start, the Wizards approach played right into Golden State’s hands.

Curry scored 23 of his 51 points in the first quarter without a 3-point miss. He would go on to make 11 from distance in the game, the tenth time he’s made at least 10 threes in a game.

The 23-point opening quarter? That’s the 20th time Curry accomplished that feat in his career.

“Some of the shooting was just mind-boggling,” coach Steve Kerr said. “Nobody’s ever done what he’s doing, pulling up from I don’t know, 32s.”

The teams combined for 151 points in the first with the Wizards gaining traction with Curry on the bench to start the second quarter. Led by Bradley Beal (23 points) and Kelly Oubre Jr. (17 points) Washington matched buckets for stretches. But the fast pace and rapid scoring simply meant this for the Wizards: they would suffer the oddity of placing six players in double figures only to lose by 22.

Another curious juxtaposition of the numbers saw Kevin Durant (30 points, eight rebounds, seven assists) and Klay Thompson combine for 49 points on 21 of 35 shooting, but be rendered footnotes. How’s that? Durant and Thompson managed just one, crowd-pleasing, made three each.

The Warriors improved to 4-1 while the Wizards fell to 1-3. Curry has scored at least 30 in four of the five contests, and doing so on Monday and Wednesday in only the first three quarters, as he sat through both fourth quarters with the outcome no longer in doubt. Curry, averaging 34.6 ppg, trails only Detroit’s Blake Griffin (36.4) for the NBA scoring lead.

“It’s just one of those nights you just have so much fun playing the game,” Curry said.

51 POINTS AT THE COLISEUM ARENA, I’VE SEEN THIS BEFORE: The 1975 World Champion Warriors were honored before the game, including the team’s singular star, Rick Barry.

On October, 29, 1977, at the old Coliseum Arena, Barry outdid the star-studded 76ers, scoring 51 points in a game that required everything Barry had.

The Warriors slipped past Philadelphia 113-110 as Barry hit 22 field goals–mostly mid-range jumpers–and 7 of 8 from the line. With no three-pointer and the game so close, Barry’s feat was a measure of his skill, stamina and fearlessness in tight spots. Guarded by Dr. J, Doug Collins and primarily George Mcginnis, Barry heard the crowd roar louder and louder as he approached the mid-century mark.

The Warriors head to Madison Square Garden to take on the Knicks on Friday at 4:30 pm PT.

Splash-back: Warriors take on familiar, dominating look in 123-103 rout of the Suns

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By Morris Phillips

You know, the Warriors are a pretty good 3-point shooting team.

Seems obvious, but after three regular season games, the Warriors had missed 50 of 74 attempts from distance and ranked 24th in the NBA in 3-point field goal percentage. Even worse–and much to the consternation of coach Steve Kerr–all the fouling and turnovers (the Warriors ranked 28th out of 30 in both categories) were very un-Warrior like as well.

Then the not-up and still-coming Phoenix Suns walked into Oracle Arena on Monday, and the back-to-back champs got back to business.

In a 123-103 rout of the Suns, Golden State shot 51 percent from the field, 38 percent from three, and led by as many as 28 points, numbers that also caught Kerr’s discerning eye.

“That looked like our team, just the purpose of each possession, driving and kicking and trying to get guys better shots,” Kerr said.

The Warriors won by double-digits for the first time this season while Curry took flight, scoring 15 of his 29 points in the third quarter. Five other Warriors finished in doyble digits scoring led by Kevin Durant with 22. In all, 13 Golden State players saw action, including the NBA debut of first round pick Jacob Evans.

“We’ve got a lot of weapons out there, so they’ve got to play defense,” Jonas Jerebko said. “And it’s tough to play defense when the ball is moving.”

After playing more than 400 ballgames in the four, previous seasons and on the back-end of the new season’s first back-to-back, the Warriors struck fast and quickly fell into self-preservation mode.

The win was Golden State’s 14th consecutive over the Suns in Oakland, and their 16th overall. Both streaks are the longest in franchise history over one opponent.

Klay Thompson suffered an ankle injury and did not return. After the game, Thompson said he considers the injury to be of little concern, and said he could have returned to finish the game if necessary.

Shaun Livingston was scratched due to a knee sprain.

The Suns were led by Devin Booker with 28 points. TJ Warren contributed 27 in a reserve role, and first overall pick in the 2018 draft, Deandre Ayton had 20.

The Warriors continue their homestand against the Washington Wizards on Wednesday at 7:30 pm PT.

Nuggets block Warriors from overtime with 100-98 win

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Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

By: London Donson

The Golden State Warriors traveled to Colorado for a Sunday edition of NBA Basketball. The odd on favorites to win the title faced off against the Denver Nuggets, both teams boasting 2-0 records entering play. While Steph Curry was on the precipice of history, needing to make just five 3-pointers to pass Paul Pierce for sixth on the all-time list, Denver was trying to get themselves an excellent home win against the defending NBA champs.

While the Warriors were in control early, they faced a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter. They would have their say before the night was over, however as they stormed back with a 21-8 run, tying the game at 97 with just under 90 seconds left in regulation. Heading down the stretch, however, the nuggets would regain their lead, 99-97. As the final seconds on the clocked ticked away the Warriors’ Damian Jones had an opportunity snatched away from him right under the hoop. After receiving the pass from driving Curry, Jones was denied from behind Juan Hernangomez and time would expire.

There is not much to glean from this early season tilt from the Warriors’ perspective. They had an off game, yes, shooting only 24% from deep and had problems with ball security through the night, coughing it up 18 times. That being said, they don’t have any true fundamental issues, and they will be getting all-star center Boogie Cousins later this season. A close game at Mile High can be expected when a team comes off two close wins over two of the tough western foes, the Jazz and Thunder.

For the Nuggets, it’s a great sign as things are headed in the right direction with a young core. If they can prove they can pull off close wins against the toast of the Western Conference consistently their streak of five consecutive years missing the playoffs may be coming to an end.

The Warriors return to Oracle Arena to host the Phoenix Suns on Monday at 7:30 pm PT on NSBA and FSAZ.

Warriors come back to outlast the Jazz 124-123 in a thriller in Utah

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors trailed by as many as 16 points, but came back late in the fourth quarter to defeat the Utah Jazz 124-123 at Vivint Smart Home Arena on Friday night to win a thriller as time expired.

The Jazz had it all going for them in the first half as they put 81 points on the board. The first quarter was close and Utah led by two 34-32 after the first 12 minutes. Utah owned the second quarter as they outscored Golden State 47-37 and led 81-69 at the end of the first half.

When the Warriors score that many points in the first half, they are usually in command and would be cruising to a win. That was not the case Friday as the Jazz, who were behind the hot shooting of Joe Ingles, poured in 81 points. Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr had to be dismayed by the lack of defense and must have conjured up an effective defensive strategy at halftime.

The Jazz increased the lead to 16 before the Warriors decided to shut down Utah’s offense. They held the Jazz to just 22 points in the third period and cut the deficit to six before starting the fourth quarter. Draymond Green, Kevin Durant, and Klay Thompson continued to apply defensive pressure on the Jazz. With just under six minutes to go, the Warriors took a one-point lead. The Jazz went up by five with a little over a minute. The Warriors came back and took the lead 123-122 with less than 30 seconds left in the game. The Jazz made a two-pointer with just six seconds left on the clock.

Kerr took a timeout, and the Warriors inbounded the ball from the half-court line. They got the ball to Durant, but he missed the bucket. However, Jonas Jerebko, who played for the Jazz last year, managed to tip the ball in to give the Warriors the lead with just 3/10ths of a second left on the clock. The Jazz failed to score, and the Warriors walked away with a hard-earned win 124-123.

Game Notes and Stats: Kevin Durant was the scoring star for Golden State Friday night. He knocked down 39 points and had 9 rebounds and seven assists. Also, he had one steal and two blocked shots on defense.

Steph Curry also had a big night. Curry put 31 points on the board along with four boards and eight assists. He made five 3-point shots in nine attempts.

Draymond Green almost had a double-double. He kicked in with 14 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. He, too, had one steal and two blocked shots on defense.

Klay Thompson had 12.

Jonas Jerebko, who scored the winning bucket, played well as he recorded 10 points, six rebounds, and one assist.

Kevon Looney and Damian Jones each had four, and Shaun Livingston added eight.

The Warriors gave up 81 points in the first half, but held the Jazz to just 42 in the second.

Joe Ingles led the Jazz with 27, which was a career-high for the talented Aussie.

Big man Rudy Gobert had a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Ricky Rubio had 13, Donovan Mitchell had 19, Jae Crowder had 17 and Dante Exum added 13.

The Warriors are 2-0 for the season, while Utah drops to 1-1.

Up Next: The Warriors head to Denver to take on the Denver Nuggets on Sunday night at 5:00 pm PT on NSBA and ALT.

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Kings open season hosting Jazz tonight; 49ers’ loss simply was a heartbreaker; Expect Astros-Sox to go the distance

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Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

On the Headline Sports podcast with London:

#1 London will be covering the Sacramento Kings opener at Golden 1 Center as the Kings host the Utah Jazz. London talks about all the excitement surrounding opening night.

#2 The San Francisco 49ers lost a crucial close game to the Green Bay Packers 33-30 in a game that went right down to the wire. Is this game viewed as an improvement game for San Francisco?

#3 It’s a series that has gone back and forth that saw the Red Sox win game one and the Astros in game two and now the Sox in game three. There’s no doubt the two best teams in the American League battling in the ALCS.

#4 With the Golden State Warriors losing four of their five preseason games, any indication that this Warriors team is getting older slowing down and show signs of fatigue or they just didn’t show all their cards in the preseason? Looks like they answered that question with a big win over the OKC Thunder on Tuesday night.

#5 The Oakland Raiders’ loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday in London was one of the low points of this season. With the team at 1-5, is this team getting away from head coach Jon Gruden?

London has Headline Sports each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Warriors start season with win over OKC Thunder 108-100

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photo from goldenstateofmind.com: Forward Paul George (13) the OKC Thunder pushes against the Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry (30) on opening night at Oracle Arena in Oakland on Tuesday night

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — The Golden State Warriors, after unfurling their sixth NBA Championship banner and receiving their rings, started their quest for the third championship in a row and fourth in five seasons with a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-100 at Oracle Arena on Tuesday night. It was not easy as both the Warriors and Thunder were not in mid-season form. Both teams play looked ragged at times, but the Warriors played defense down the stretch to win the game.

The Warriors did get off to a good start in the first quarter as they outscored the Thunder 31-23. Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, and Klay Thompson looked sharp. Things changed a bit in the second period, but the Warriors outscored the Thunder by two to finish the first half with a 10-point lead, 57-47. Curry finished the half with 19 points, and he made five 3-point shots in six attempts. Durant had 15, and Thompson added 10. Draymond Green made just one bucket good for 2 points, but he showed his defensive prowess with nine rebounds and five assists in the first half. Dennis Schroder, a former Atlanta Hawk, led the Thunder with 12 points. Steve Adams had nine, and Paul George kicked in with six.

The Warriors, who owned the third quarter last season, struggled as the Thunder fought their way back into the game. OKC started the period with a 22-9 run and took the lead 67-66. From that point forward, the lead seesawed between the two teams. The Thunder won the period 32-26, but the Warriors still finished with a four-point lead 83-79. The Warriors could not pull away from the Thunder until late in the fourth quarter. The Warriors led by four 95-91 with a little of six minutes left in the game. OKC cut the deficit to two 99-97, but Curry made a layup and got fouled on the play. He made the free throw, and the lead was back to five, 102-97. With time running out, Kevon Looney made a two-point bucket that ignited the crowd. Durant scored to put Golden State up 106-99. However, Durant landed awkwardly on his right shoulder, and the Arena went silent. The big guy rose to his feet and shook off the injury, and the fans let out a huge collective sigh of relief. Durant scored the last bucket of the night, and the Warriors finished the night with their first victory of the season.

Game Notes and Stats: At times, as mentioned above, the play looked sloppy on both sides. The Warriors turned the ball over 20 times, and head coach Steve Kerr was not happy as he wants the team to handle the ball better and keep turnovers to under fifteen. Kerr knows his players are still getting in shape and looked tired, saying: “We didn’t look much like ourselves. It’s not surprising either. We need a couple more weeks.”

Kevin Durant who played well as he knocked down 27 points and had 8 rebounds and six assists said this about the team’s performance.

“I love who we are, game 1 of 82,” Durant said. “Just keep grinding.”

Steph Curry led the team with 32 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists. Curry  did not make a 3-pointer in the second half and ended the night with 5 for 9 in that department. Klay Thompson finished with 10. Draymond Green did not score in the second half, but he finished the night with an astounding 13 rebounds and 5 assists. Green admitted that he was tired, but he did not play much in the preseason as he was resting a sore knee. The Warriors big men, Kevon Looney and Damian Jones, played well. Looney scored 10 points and had 10 boards. Jones had a career-high 12 points, 3 rebounds and 2 boards.

Paul George caught fire in the second half and finished the night with 27 points for OKC. Steve Adams finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Dennis Schroder added 21 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists. The Thunder’s leader and All-Star guard Russell Westbrook did not play as he was sidelined with a knee injury.

Up Next: The Warriors travel to Salt Lake City to play the Utah Jazz Friday night. Game time will be at 7:30 pm PT and will be shown on ESPN.

Lakers down the Warriors 119-105 to finish the preseason

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Photo credit: @Lakers

By Jerry Feitelberg

SAN JOSE — The Los Angeles Lakers, who were without LeBron James, Brandon Ingram, and Kentavius Caldwell-Pope, rallied in the second half to down the Golden State Warriors 119-105 at SAP Center on Friday night.

The Warriors did not play Kevin Durant or Andre Iguodala. Steph Curry played the first period for Golden State and was done for the night. Klay Thompson did not play in the second half. Draymond Green, who had not played since September 29th, saw 14 minutes of action and scored just one point.

Curry played most of the first quarter and tallied 16 points, including four three-point shots. He looked as if he was in mid-season form. Thompson finished the night with 21, and he looked ready to go. The Warriors won the first half by 13 (67-54). Damian Jones had a good first half as he knocked down 15 and appears to be the starting center for the Warriors until DeMarcus Cousins is ready to play.

The second half belonged to the Lakers. Kyle Kuzma was on fire as he and Svi Mykhailuk led the Lakers to a comeback win as they outscored the Warriors 61-38. The Warriors used Draymond Green in the third quarter and Shaun Livingston in the fourth quarter. The rest of the players were trying to show the Warriors’ coaching staff that they belonged in the NBA. The Warriors will have to make decisions soon on which players will start the season in Oakland and who will be assigned to the G-League.

Game Notes: The Warriors still have not agreed to a contract with Patrick McCaw. McCaw would be starting his third season with the Warriors, and he could help this year’s edition. There are question marks regarding Damian Jones, Jordan Bell, Jacob Evans, Jonas Jerebko, and Marcus Derrickson.

The Big Four consisting of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green are set. Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, Kevon Looney, and Quinn Cook will make up the second unit.

Up Next: The Warriors open the season at Oracle Arena on Tuesday night at 7:30 pm PDT versus the Oklahoma City Thunder. Moreover, the Warriors’ championship banner will be unfurled, and the players will receive their championship rings.