Category: NBA

The Kings send the Mavs into the All-Star break with a 114-109 loss in Dallas

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00 vs Dal

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Two NBA Draft Lottery teams met on the court in Dallas on Tuesday night. The Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks are both looking ahead to next season right now because neither team will be a playoff contender.

The Kings were playing the second of three games on the road before the All-Star Break. Sacramento lost their first road game in Minneapolis on Sunday night. The game in Dallas was the first contest of a “Texas Two-Step” that finishes with a game versus the Rockets in Houston on Wednesday night.

The Kings shocked the Mavericks by handing them a 114-109 loss on their home court to sweep the season series in Dallas. That is the first time that has happened since 2003.

Sacramento jumped out to a 29-16 lead in the first quarter and led the Mavs 65-44 at the half.

Dallas finally woke up in the third quarter behind the play of Harrison Barnes and closed the gap to 17 points. The Kings held an 88-71 lead after three quarters.

Dallas dropped in 38 points in the fourth quarter behind J.J. Barea’s 12 points and Dirk Nowitzki’s 10 point effort. The Kings recorded just 26 points in the final period. The Mavericks outscored the Kings 65-49 in the second half.

Sacramento ran out of gas in the fourth period but they were able to hang on for the win. It was their quick start out of the gate that allowed the Kings to win the game. The Mavericks outscored the Kings in the third and fourth quarters but it was not enough to overcome Sacramento’s strong early start.

This was the Kings 10th road win of the season.

Star Performers 

5 in DAL

Kings

  • Once again – it was one of the “old guys” who starred for the Kings as Zach Randolph scored a game-high 22 points. Z-Bo hit 10-of-15 shots from the field and went 2-for-3 from 3-point range. He also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out three assists.
  • Kings rookie (Euro veteran) Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 19 points hitting 8-of-17 from the floor with three of those baskets being 3-pointers. Bogie also hauled in five rebounds and dished four assists in almost 34-minutes of playing time.
  • Rookie point guard De’Aaron Fox scored 11 points and distributed seven assists while playing just over 31-minutes in the game. Fox also recorded four rebounds and had one steal in the contest.
  • Special recognition goes to the Sacramento starting five who all scored in double-digits versus Dallas.

Mavericks

  • J.J. Barea was the man for Dallas in the game as he posted a double-double. Barea scored 19 points and handed out 13 assists in the game. Five of his baskets were 3-pointers.
  • Harrison Barnes had a slow start but you are not going to keep a talent like Barnes silent. He posted 18 points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal in the game.
  • Rookie point guard Dennis Smith Jr. put up 17 points while handing out three assists and recording three rebounds.
  • Dwight Powell scored 18 points coming off the bench.

Prime Numbers

Sacramento (18-38)

  • The Kings shot 54-percent (47-for-87) for the game. They hit 12-of-29 (41.4-percent) shots from 3-point range.
  • Sacramento went 8-for-12 (66.7-percent) from the free throw line.
  • The Kings handed out 30-assists while committing only nine turnovers which resulted in 17 points for the opponents.
  • There was only one lead change in the game and the Kings largest lead in contest was 26 points.

Dallas (18-40)

  • The Mavericks hit 38-of-83 (45.8-percent) shots from the floor. The went 15-for-40 (37.5-percent) from long-range.
  • Dallas tried to get healthy from the free throw line by hitting 18-of-23 chances from the charity stripe.
  • The Mavericks recorded 29 assists while committing only nine turnovers which became seven Sacramento points.
  • Dallas was outscored in the paint 56-38 by the Kings

Up Next

Sacramento

The Kings will complete their “Texas two-step” on Wednesday night when they play the Rockets in Houston. Then, it’s All-Star Break time for the men in purple and black (baby blue and red depending on uniform choices).

Dallas

The Mavericks are on their All-Star Break as of now. They will return to action on February 23rd in LA against the Lakers.

Golden State Warriors Podcast with David Zizmor: Players take on coaching roles calling own plays and crush Suns

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Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

On the Warriors podcast with Dave:

What a difference a week makes after losing three out four games the Warriors have righted the ship and have won three straight games. The latest game had Warriors players, assistant coaches, and yes on occasion head coach Steve Kerr taking the clipboard and designing or calling plays. It was a technique that worked doing it for the first time as Golden State trounced the Phoenix Suns on Monday night 129-83 at Oracle Arena.

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

 

Warriors blow out Suns 129-83 for third straight win

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — The Phoenix Suns were the owners of one of the worst records in the NBA this season, but gave the Warriors a little bit of a tussle during the first 12 minutes of the game. They trailed 25-24 after one quarter of play, and it was as close as they would come close all evening. The Warriors pounded them the next three quarters and trounced the Suns 129-83 at Oracle Arena on Monday night.

The Warriors were without the services of Draymond Green Monday. Green sprained his index finger in the game Saturday night against the Spurs, and the Warriors felt that they could handle the Suns without him. Were they right? Yeah. Omri Casspi started in Green’s place and had his best night as a Warrior with a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds.

The Warriors overwhelmed the Suns by 16 in the second quarter, 11 in the third, and 18 in the fourth quarter. During timeouts, Warriors’ coach Steve Kerr turned over his chalkboard to the players and they did a great job as the dominant Warriors swamped the hapless Suns.

Game Notes and Stats: The Suns were without the services of Devin Booker for the fourth straight game due to a hip pointer. The Suns cannot afford to lose Booker, who is a rising star in the NBA.

The Warriors shot 58.4% from the floor and held the Suns to just 34.7%.

The Suns were just 3-for-23 from 3-point range while the Warriors made 11 threes.

The Warriors recorded 36 assists and turned the ball over  11 times. On defense, the Warriors made eight steals and recorded 16 blocks.

Steph Curry led the Warriors with 22 points, Kevin Durant had 17 points, six assists, and seven rebounds and he blocked two shots. Nick Young and Klay Thompson tallied 16. Patrick McCaw, who had played a couple of games in the G-League to help rebuild his confidence, scored nine.

The Suns were led by Elfrid Payton’s 29 points. Payton was playing his second game as a Sun since being acquired at the trade deadline from the Orlando Magic. The only other Sun in double figures was T.J.Warren with 14.

Up Next: The Warriors face the Portland Trail Blazers Wednesday night in Portland. This will be the last game before the annual NBA All-Star game, which will be held in Los Angeles this weekend.

Kings play tough in Minnesota but come up just short losing 111-106

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Kings vs Twolves final

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Style points are usually reserved for events in the Olympics. Well, the Winter Olympics are in full swing and the Kings are in full “player development mode”, so we have to judge them on more than just wins and losses.

For their efforts in Minnesota on Sunday night, the young Kings get a 10 for effort, a 10 for hustle and eight for style. Sacramento lost the game to the T-Wolves 111-106, but they did what no one really expected them to do in this first game of a three-game road trip. The Kings made it a very competitive game.

The Kings did two major things right on Sunday night:

  1. They came out of the gate an played hard from the opening jump ball. De’Aaron Fox led the way scoring 14 points in first period as the Kings outscored the Timberwolves 29-23 in the first quarter. Sacramento also played some tough defense as they gave up only 23 points.
  2. The second thing the Kings did well on Sunday night is they avoided the dreaded third quarter letdown. Sacramento has established a habit of playing very ineffective basketball in the third stanza and then having to try to come back in dramatic fashion in the fourth quarter to make up for bad third quarters. The Kings won the third quarter on Sunday night 26-19

The Timberwolves superior firepower took its toll in the fourth quarter as they outscored the Kings 36-26 to win the game 111-106. The game was competitive right up until the final seven-seconds of the contest.

The victory was the Timberwolves 13th consecutive win on their homecourt. That is truly an incredible run.

Star Performances

Kings

Kings vs Twolves 5

  • Rookie De’Aaron Fox played an outstanding game in his almost 35-minutes on the floor. Beyond his 14 points in the first quarter, Fox finished the game with a team-high 23 points. He shot 8-for-16 from the floor and went 6-for-8 from the free throw line. Fox added three steals and two assists to his stats for the game.
  • Buddy Hield had another productive game coming off the bench. Hield played just under 19-minutes but manged to post 16 points in that time on the floor. Hield shot 6-for-13 including going 2-for-5 from 3-point land. Buddy also recorded four rebounds, two steals, one assist and one blocked shot.
  • Rookie (well NBA rookie) Bogdan Bogdanovic put 13 points in the book in 30-plus minutes on the floor. He shot 5-for-12 from the field and hit 2-of-5 from behind the 3-point arc. Bogie also dished out eight assists in the game.

T-Wolves

Kings vs Twolves extra

  • To no one’s surprise, the big KAT was the man for Minnesota on Sunday night. Karl-Anthony Towns scored a game-high 29 points shooting 10-for-17 from the floor. Towns went a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line. He grabbed eight rebounds, dished out six assists and blocked three shots in the game.
  • Veteran Jimmy Butler added 18 points hitting 5-of-9 shots from the floor. Butler went to the free throw line nine times and converted seven of those opportunities. Butler also added three assists.
  • Andrew Wiggins was another key part of the T-Wolves win on Sunday. He scored 16 points, grabbed eight rebounds and distributed three assists. Wiggins hit 7-of-13 of his shots in the game.

Prime Numbers

Sacramento (17-38)

  • The Kings shot 47.7-percent (42-for-88) for the game and hit 10-of-25 (40-percent) from 3-point range.
  • Sacramento hit 12-of-17 from the charity stripe. The team needs to go to the free throw line at least 20 times per game, but hitting 70.6-percent of their opportunities is acceptable.
  • The Kings pulled down 43 rebounds – 15 of those rebounds were offensive grabs. Those 15 offensive rebounds turned into 22 points for SAC.
  • Sacramento committed 19 turnovers that became 22 Minnesota points. The Kings totaled only 17 assists which gave them a negative assists to turnover ratio.

Minnesota (35-24)

  • The T-Wolves shot 50-percent (37-for-74) from the floor for the game on Sunday night. They hit 9-of-24 chances from long-range.
  • Minnesota went to the free throw line 32 times. They sank 28 of those free throw shots (87.5-percent).
  • The Timberwolves dished out 29 assists while committing 17 turnovers which is close to the 2-to-1 desired ratio goal.
  • The T-Wolves biggest lead in the game was five points while the Kings largest lead was 10 points. There were 10 lead changes and the game was tied 15 times.

Up Next

Kings

Sacramento will play the second game of their three-game road trip on Tuesday night in Dallas versus the Mavericks.

Timberwolves

Minnesota will stay at home and host the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night.

 

 

Thompson’s 25 points leads Warriors to a 122-105 beat down over Spurs

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Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors and the San Antonio Spurs played a very competitive first half in Saturday night’s matchup at Oracle Arena. The Warriors led by three at the half, 58-55; but they once again owned the third quarter and went on to defeat the Spurs 122-105.

All five of the Warrior starters were in double figures. Klay Thompson, who scored 10 in the third quarter, led the team with 25 points. Draymond Green had a double-double with 17 points and 11 assists. He needed two more rebounds for a triple-double. By the way, he wasn’t called for a technical foul Saturday night. Zaza Pachulia, who celebrated his 34th birthday, scored 12 points. Steph Curry added 17 points. Kevin Durant was held to a season-low 10 points. However, Durant has been a force on defense and assisted on six buckets tonight.

The Spurs–who are always a dangerous team–kept pace with the Warriors for the first 24 minutes of the game. The Warriors pulled away in the third quarter as the Spurs are missing their leader, Kawhi Leonard, who’s out with a quadriceps injury that has caused him to miss most of the season. LaMarcus Aldridge and Kyle Anderson led the Spurs with 20 each. Manu Ginobili, the ageless wonder, scored 13 coming off the bench. Marc Gasol tallied 7 for the purs.

Game Notes: The Warriors shot 56.5% from the floor and held the Spurs to 45.7%.

The Spurs were 5-for-27 from behind the three-point arc, while the Warriors made 12 3-pointers.

The Warriors recorded 35 assists and turned the ball over 16 times.

The win marked the 250th for head coach Steve Kerr. He became the fastest to recorded 250 wins in NBA history.

Steph Curry had this to say about Kerr: “It’s been an amazing 3 1/2 years and hopefully more to come.”

“It’s a lot about him setting the identity and the culture around our team and just being a great people guy. There’s probably a better term for that. He just knows how to relate to each, and every one of us players and his coaching staff and you’re building that ultimate trust throughout the organization.”

Up Next: The Warriors welcome the Phoenix Suns for the first time this season on Monday night in Oakland at 7:30 pm PT.

Lillard puts up 50 points to lead Trail Blazers past the Kings 118-100

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IMG_2893

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Sacramento – NBA teams can be divided into tiers. Different reporters and analysts will use different systems and different numbers of tiers to breakdown the league. This reporter is a simple kind of guy, so I go with a 3-tier system:

  1. Tier One is for those teams that have a realistic chance to fight their way into the NBA Finals. In the Eastern Conference, that would include Toronto, Boston, Cleveland (if the new roster comes together) and Washington if everyone stays healthy. Western Conference tier one teams are the Warriors, Rockets and Spurs in my opinion.
  2. Tier Two is reserved for organizations that make the playoffs and some will make to the second-round, but they are still at least one star player away from jumping into tier one. In the East, that would be teams like the Bucks, Pacers, Heat, Sixers and maybe the Pistons. Western Conference teams that can claim tier two status are Minnesota, Portland, OKC, Clippers and Denver.
  3. Tier Three means welcome to Draft Lottery in June. Eastern Conference teams that occupy that status are Charlotte, New York, Chicago, Brooklyn, Orlando and Atlanta. Out West, tier three members are the Kings, Pelicans, Jazz, Lakers, Grizzlies, Suns and Mavericks.

On Friday night, the tier two Portland Trail Blazers – currently tied for fifth-place in the West – came to Sacramento to face the tier three Kings who are currently in the 14th slot in the conference. Sacramento is contending for the worst record in “the Association” and chance to have the number one selection in the 2018 NBA Draft.

The final outcome of the game was predictable given the talent and experience difference that exist between the two teams. Then, add a “lights out” 50 point game by Damian Lillard and the young Kings were doomed.

The contest was an entertaining “see-saw” battle until just under two minutes remained in the first half. The Blazers went on a scoring burst that allowed them to open up a 10 point – 62 to 52 – halftime lead and they would never trail in the game again. Lillard scored six points in those final two minutes.

Sacramento fought hard in the third quarter and eventually cut the Portland lead to just one point – 75 to 74 – with 4:25 remaining in the period. The Trail Blazers regained their motivation and went on a 17-0 run to end the quarter and for all practical purposes the was over. Lillard scored 15 of those 17 points in the run to finish the quarter with 22 points scored in the third.

Lillard did not play in the fourth quarter. The Kings did cut the Portland lead to 13 points midway through the period but the game never really became competitive again. The final was Portland 118 – Sacramento 100.

Coach Dave Joerger’s take on the game

Reporter’s note: True fans of the game – listen closely to his opening statement

Award winning performanceLillard 50A

Portland’s Damian Lillard gets his own top billing for his performance in this game. The veteran guard put up 50 points in just 29-plus minutes of playing time and he accomplished it in just three-quarters of the game. He became the third NBA player to score 50 or more in just three quarters this season. The other two players – James Harden and Lillard’s teammate CJ McCollum.

Lillard shot 16-for-23 from field and hit 8-of-13 from behind the 3-point line. He also converted 10 of 10 free throw opportunities. If scoring 50 points was not enough, Lillard also dished out six assists and made three steals in the game.

Top Performers

Kings

  • The Starting Five: all five of the Sacramento starters finished scoring in double-figures. Beyond the starting five, the Kings used nine players in the game and seven of them scored in double-digits.
  • Willie Cauley-Stein was the Kings top scorer with 19 points. He also recorded six rebounds, three assists, two blocked shots and one steal in the contest.
  • The “old man” – Zach Randolph – put 17 points in the book playing just over 26 minutes in the game. Z-Bo also hauled in nine rebounds while going 2-for-2 from 3-point land.
  • De’Aaron Fox was the Kings only true point guard in the game with George Hill shipped off to Cleveland and Frank Mason III still out due to injury. Fox played almost 34-minutes scoring 13 points and distributing nine assists.

Trail Blazers

  • Maurice Harkless was the number two scorer for the Blazers with 15 points. Harkless shot 6-for-9 from the floor went 2-for-3 from behind the 3-point arc.
  • Shabazz Napier recorded 13 points coming off the bench. Napier shot a perfect 5-for-5 overall with three of those baskets coming from downtown.
  • CJ McCollum – one of the other players to score 50 points in three-quarters this season – was credited with 11 points shooting 5-for-13 from the floor.

Key Stats

Portland (31-25)

  • The Blazers shot 48.9-percent (43-for-88) overall in the game and hit 15-of-35 (42.9-percent) from 3-point range.
  • The Trail Blazers love the charity stripe. The converted 17-of-18 opportunities from the free throw line on Friday night.
  • Portland made 10 steals in the game. The Kings had a good night and they had five thefts.

Sacramento (17-37)

  • The Kings posted a 42.2-percent (38-for-90) field goal percentage versus Portland but hit only 9-of-23 attempts from long-range.
  • SAC went to the free throw line 21 times in the game and were successful 15 times (71.4-percent).
  • The Kings scored 20 second-chance points while Portland scored just two points when given an additional opportunity.

Up Next

Sacramento

The Kings will close the unofficial “first half” of the season off on the road. They will play their next game on Sunday in Minnesota versus the T-Wolves. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:00 PM PST.

Portland

The Trail Blazers will head back home and host the Utah Jazz on Sunday.

 

Kings Press Row Podcast: Trade Deadline Edition

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press row podcast

Hosts Charlie O and Jordan “Chape” Chapin

  • February 8th was the NBA trade deadline and it was a very active day for the Sacramento Kings

  • Point Guard George Hill did become a Cleveland Cavalier as it had been rumored for weeks but it happened in a three team team deal that surprised many observers

  • Hill goes to Cleveland while Iman Shumpert, Joe Johnson, a 2020 second-round draft pick and cash come to Sacramento

  • In a big surprise move – Georgios Papagiannis is wavied while Malachi Richardson is sent to Toronto for Bruno Caboclo

  • Look for Johnson to be bought out while there could still be additional roster moves to come

  • Charlie O and Chape also take a look at the Kings schedule up to the All-Star break

  • This is a fun 30-minute listen for Kings fans that will bring you up to date on all the latest happenings with your favorite team

After a slow start, Warriors regain their mojo and rout the Dallas Mavericks 121-103

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Photo credit: nba.com

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors did not get off to a good start Thursday evening at Oracle Arena against the Dallas Mavericks as they were outscored 33-23 in the first quarter. They were not playing defense nor were they scoring on offense, and the Mavericks raced out to an early 10-point lead.

The Warriors could not gain ground as they trailed by nine, 44-35, at one point. Then, veteran center David West sparked a 10-2 run to cut the deficit to one, 46-45. The two teams traded leads the rest of the way, and the first half was tied at 60.

The Mavericks took nine more shots in the half, but were held to just 46% from the floor. The Warriors shot 57.5% from the floor but made only four three-pointers in 13 attempts.

Draymond Green and Klay Thompson each hit a three-pointer to start the third quarter, but the Mavericks went on a 10-0 run to take a 70-66 lead. The Warriors continued to commit a lot of turnovers, and at one point in the game, they had committed 11, which allowed Dallas to score 17 points.

About halfway through the quarter, the Warriors apparently decided to play quality basketball as their defense improved and their offense clicked. Steph Curry and Kevin Durant led the Warrior attack, and they were able to build an eight-point lead, 93-86, at the end of the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the Warriors’ bench led by Green, David West, Shaun Livingston and Andre Iguodala, shut down the Mavericks’ offense as they broke the game open. Curry and Durant sat out during the final moments of the game. Thompson made a couple of key buckets, but was taken out with less than six minutes to play.

The Warriors defeated the Mavericks by a score of 121-103.

Game notes and Stats: With the win, the Warriors improved to 42-13 and the Mavericks’ record dropped to 17-38.

Former Warrior, Harrison Barnes, did not play for Dallas as he is recovering from an ankle injury.

The Warriors’ Big Four were all in double figures.

Green had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Durant led the team with 24. Curry had 20 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds. Thompson finished the night with 18, David West had 10, and the Warrior bench was productive with 39 points.

Mavericks veteran power forward Dirk Nowitzki is in his 20th season with Dallas and tallied 16 points. Former Stanford star, Dwight Powell, scored 18 points. Dennis Smith, Jr was impressive for the Mavericks with 22 points. Wesly Matthews added 17 points.

The Warriors stopped committing turnovers halfway through the third quarter and finished the night with 16. They are 31-4 when they commit 16 or fewer turnovers in a game.

The Warriors finished the night shooting 14-for-29 from the 3-point range. They also recorded 37 assists.

After the game, Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr had quite a few things to say: “It took us a while to get going but I “liked the way we dug out.”

“Dallas controlled the first half but (I) didn’t feel we were in danger.”

“Liked the way Draymond fought. He was “just competing, but nothing was going down for him.”

” I think our talent took over in the third quarter. If we take care of the ball, we’re going to be in good shape.”

Up Next: The Warriors will be tested on Saturday as they welcome the San Antonio Spurs to Oracle Arena at 5:30 pm PT.

Thunder dominate Warriors at Oracle 125-105; Golden State drops third game in last four

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Photo credit: @NBA

By Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland — There have been many people expressing doubts about this years’ edition of the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors have not been able to get things goings. They have fallen behind too many times in the first half and have not handled the ball well or played defense as well as they have in the past three seasons.

The Thunder came into the game having lost four straight.

Warriors’ coach Steve Kerr wanted the team to get off to a fast start Tuesday night against the Thunder, but that did not happen.

The Thunder came out firing on all cylinders. They were led by Russell Westbrook, who looked to be unstoppable. The Thunder raced out to an early lead and never looked back as they swamped the Warriors 125-105.

The Thunder outscored them 42-30 in the first quarter, and they never let the Warriors climb back into the game. They moved the ball and defended the Warriors. They wouldn’t let Steph Curry or Klay Thompson get into any sort of rhythm. Kevin Durant was the only Warrior to get anything going against his former team.

Westbrook and Paul George made shot after shot and the Thunder’s big man, Steve Adams, had a huge night both on offense and defense.

No matter what Steve Kerr did, the Thunder had an answer. The Thunder led 70-57 at the half. The Warriors could do nothing in the third quarter as Paul George led the Thunder attack. The Warriors fell behind by 22 at the end of three quarters, and it is very rare for a team to win when they trail by that many so late in the game.

The Thunder kept the momentum going and they cruised to an easy 125-105 win over The Dubs.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors have now lost three out of the last four games they have played, and two of the losses were blowouts.

The Warriors are now tied in the loss column with 13 with the Houston Rockets, and the Rockets own the tiebreaker. If the teams end in a tie, Houston would have home court advantage.

The Warriors committed 25 turnovers Tuesday night.

The Warriors committed 25 turnovers in the Sacramento game, but were lucky to get a win. Many people are wondering when the Warriors are going to turn on the switch and start playing the way they have in the past three years. They are limping to the All-Star break, and hopefully, they can regroup and get back on track in time for the playoffs.

Durant led the scoring with 33. Curry had 21, but Thompson was held to 12. Draymond Green knocked down five. Green had seven assists and eight boards, but had to leave the game when has was called for his second technical foul of the night.

The refs called five technical fouls on the team in the game.

David West led the bench with nine, and Shaun Livingston had six.

The Warriors’ bench has not been as productive this year as it has been in previous years, and that may be a factor in the team’s recent lackluster performance.

George led the Thunder with 38. Westbrook had 34. Jerami Grant added 16, and Adams had 14.

The Thunder’s Carmelo Anthony suffered a sprained ankle early in the game and did not return to action. The win was OKC’s first in Oakland since 2013.

Up Next: The Warriors return to action Thursday night against the Dallas Mavericks. Game time is at 7:30 pm PT at Oracle Arena.

Golden State Warriors Podcast with David Zizmor: After losing two straight teams going after champs and it’s taxing every night

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Photo credit: @957thegame

By David Zizmor

OAKLAND — Golden State Warriors hosting the Oklahoma Thunder tonight at Oracle Arena after coming off a couple road loses to Utah and Denver. The Warriors have nothing to fear after losing two in such close proximity. They’ve won titles and their carrying the league they’re favored to go all the way again this year.

For them to repeat the title, it’s not an accident for example they’ve had a lot fewer wins than they did last year. It’s really really stressful. It’s really, really straining, teams come at you every night because you have a chance at best and they go 100%. For the Warriors to keep up that effort and to fend it off every single night, it’s taxing and it’s really difficult.

Dave has much more on the Warriors podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com