Tag: Golden State Warriors

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: After dropping three of last five and Green day to day Warriors aren’t worried

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On the Golden State Warriors podcast with David:

#1 Golden State’s Big Three are out with injuries: Stephen Curry (tweaked right ankle), Klay Thompson (fractured right thumb), Kevin Durant (fractured rib). They take on the Atlanta Hawks on Friday and a lot now rides on Draymond Green.

#2 The Warriors have struggled and lost to the Sacramento Kings on their home floor on Friday, but came right back with a win over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday. Which team will show up on Friday night against the Atlanta Hawks?

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

Injury jinx continues to haunt Warriors as Draymond Green gets hurt and they lose to Spurs 89-75

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By Jerry Feitelberg

There is an old saying: “when it rains, it pours.” That is exactly was is happening to the injury-ravaged Golden State Warriors, who managed to rout the Phoenix Suns 124-109 Saturday night behind Draymond Green’s big night.

The Warriors were hoping to beat the San Antonio Spurs Monday night, but a win was not in the cards for the Warriors as Green had to leave the game in the second quarter when he hit in the groin by Danny Green’s knee as he was steaming toward the basket.

The Warriors fell behind by 16, but were actually able to regain the lead in the third quarter as they held the Spurs to just 12 points. The Warriors ran out of gas in the fourth quarter and were outscored 28-12 and they lost by a final score of 89-75.

The Spurs relied upon up their big man, LaMarcus Aldridge, to win the game. Aldridge finished the night with 33 points and 12 rebounds. He scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to help finish off the Warriors. With the win, the Spurs moved into fifth place in the Western Conference. Patty Mills had 12 and Danny Green added 11.

The Warriors offense was led by guard Quinn Cook. Cook recorded 20 points, but made just two 3-point shots in eight attempts. Nick Young added 10, but he was 0-for-5 in 3-point tries. Kevon Looney helped out with 13 and Andre Iguodala had 10. The highest amount of points scored in a quarter by the Warriors was 22.

Game Notes and Stats: Steph Curry’s ankle will be re-evaluated Tuesday, and hopefully, he will be cleared to play against Atlanta. Klay Thompson’s thumb will be checked out Thursday and he may ready for Friday, too. Kevin Durant, who has fractured rib cartilage will be examined sometime next week. Omri Casspi’s ankle sprain doesn’t appear to be too serious and he may be back in 7 to 10 days. Draymond Green’s injury does not appear to be serious either and since the Warriors are off until Friday, the injured players will get an extra day of rest.

Up Next: The Warriors host the Atlanta Hawks this Friday at 7:30 pm PST.

Warriors remain without Big Three, but manage to get it going as they rout Suns 124-109

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, still smarting from the loss to Sacramento Friday night, downed the Phoenix Suns 124-109 at the Talking Stick Resort Arena on Saturday night.

The Warriors were again without the Big Three of Steph Curry (ankle), Klay Thompson (thumb), and Kevin Durant (fractured rib). However, it didn’t matter as the Warriors regained their form and played championship-caliber basketball.

Granted, it was the lowly Suns, but the Warriors had to find a way to get the 73 points that the Big Three averaged each night. They found a way as they were led by All-Star forward Draymond Green, who had a season-high 25 points and almost had a triple-double as he had eight assists and 11 rebounds to go with his 25 points.

Quinn Cook, who had a career-high game with 25 against Sacramento, set a new season-high with 28. Cook also knocked down five 3-point shots.

Nick Young–aka Swaggy P–tallied 20 points, including 3 three-point shots.

After falling behind 6-0 early in the first period, the Suns led most of the way in the first half. They led the Dubs 34-30 after the first 12 minutes of the game and outscored them by four to finish the first half with an eight-point lead of 60-52.

Again, the third quarter belonged to Golden State. They outscored the Suns 42-25 to finish the third period with a nine-point lead. Cook scored 16 of his 28 points in the third quarter. He made all six of his shots, including three 3-pointers.

The Warriors’ defense held the Suns to 24 in the fourth quarter, and the offense put 30 on the board to give the Warriors the win 124-109.

Game Notes and Stats: Warriors head coach Steve Kerr had to be pleased with the play of Draymond Green and Quinn Cook. Cook has been impressive in the last two games, and that bodes well for him being a Warrior in the future.

However, since Cook is a two-way player (plays with the Santa Cruz and Golden State Warriors), he will not be eligible for the playoffs.

Draymond Green has asserted himself as the team leader in Curry’s absence, and Kerr had this to say about Draymond: “Without our other three All-Stars, he’s taking on a different look and playing a different position, running different plays from those positions … Draymond likes to be challenged intellectually in this game, and I think this stretch right now, he’s energized because he’s doing something different.”

Green had also worked to encourage his teammates more, which was evident in the third quarter, when the Warriors outscored the Suns, 42-25.

“I think it’s important to not get frustrated and continue to encourage them,” Green said. “Guys are already out of their comfort zone.”

The Warriors had six players in double figures. Green 25, Cook 28, Young 20, Shaun Livingston 11, Andre Iguodala 11, David West 10, and Kevon Looney had a career-high 13.

The Suns were led by Josh Johnson who poured in 36, Troy Daniels 18 including three 3-point shots, Elfrid Payton 11 and Marquese Chriss 10. The Suns’ rising star player, Devin Booker, did not play due to sprained right hand.

Warriors’ forward Omri Casspi did not play, and his return to action is uncertain.

Up Next: The Warriors face the Spurs Monday night at 6:30 pm PST.

Warriors were missing the Big Three and ended up falling to Kings 98-93

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors received bad news Friday when it was announced that Kevin Durant suffered a broken rib in the game against the Los Angeles Lakers Wednesday.

Durant joined Steph Curry and Klay Thompson on the sidelines as the Warriors had to face the young Sacramento Kings. The Kings were hoping to beat the Warriors at Oracle for the second time this season, and that was exactly what happened as they went on a 9-3 run late in the fourth quarter to win 98-93 on Friday night.

Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr shuffled his starting lineup once again. Quinn Cook and Nick Young started in the backcourt for the second game in a row. Andre Iguodala started at forward in place of Durant, and Draymond Green returned from a shoulder injury to resume his usual spot at the other forward position. Kerr chose to start Zaza Pachulia at center Friday night.

The two teams played a very up-tempo first quarter. The Warriors got off to a good start, and they finished the period leading 36-29. Cook scored 10 points to lead the Warrior attack.

The Warriors increased the lead to 50-39, but things went south as the went over five minutes without a bucket and at one point committed five turnovers in six possessions. Sacramento went on a 12-0 run to regain the lead.

The Warrior offense woke up late in the period, but they were outscored 28-23 and finished the first half with a 59-57 advantage. Cook led the Warriors with 18, and Andre Iguodala added 10.

Buddy Hield led the Kings with 14 points. The Warriors’ Omri Casspi suffered a right ankle sprain in the period, and he did not return.

The Warriors could not get anything going in the second half. The Kings weren’t much better, but they were able to outscore the Warriors 18-16, and the game was knotted up at 75 after three quarters of play.

The game was nip and tuck the rest of the way. The biggest lead the Warriors had was by three points after Cook sank a trey to lead 90-87. It was at this point when Sacramento went on a 9-3 run to win it.

The Kings led 93-90 until Green nailed a three-pointer to tie the game. It was all Kings after that as they scored the last five points in the game to seal the victory.

Game Notes and Stats: Cook had the best game of his NBA career. He scored 25 points. He made five three-point shots in seven attempts.

Green has a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. He blocked two shots.

Nick Young helped out with 16 and Iguodala finished with 11. Buddy Hield led Sacramento with 22. Hield made five 3-point shots in 10 attempts.

Bogdan Bogdanovic was the only Kings starter in double figures with 11. Usually, the starters on a team led the club in scoring. The Warriors’ starters outscored the Kings’ starters 70-39, but the Sacramento bench blasted the depleted Golden State bench 59-23.

The Warriors made announcement on the Big Three’s injuries. Durant will be re-evaluated in two weeks. Curry will be checked out on Tuesday–and if his ankle is healed–he may return to action sometime next week.

Thompson will see the doctors on Thursday, and they will check out his fractured thumb.

There was no news on the severity of Casspi’s sprain, and it is unknown how long he will be out.

West and Green returned to action after missing some time due to injury.

The Warriors drop to 52-16 while the Kings improve to 23-47.

Up Next: The Warriors play in Phoenix this Saturday and San Antonio next Monday.

Warriors are missing three All-Stars, but have enough firepower to defeat Lakers 117-106

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By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors faced a daunting task Wednesday night at Oracle Arena as they were facing the rapidly improving Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers had won 20 out of the last 29 games played and are on the upswing. The Lakers’ Isaiah Thomas made his first start at guard since being acquired at the trade deadline.

The Warriors were missing Steph Curry (sprained ankle), Draymond Green (shoulder injury), Klay Thompson (fractured right thumb), David West (infected cyst), and Patrick McCaw (broken wrist). Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr had his work cut out for to send out a revamped lineup to deal with the Lakers.

The Warriors responded as they had seven players in double figures and their bench outscored the Laker bench 39-22 as they beat the Lakers 117-106.

The Warriors started Kevin Durant, Zaza Pachulia, Quinn Cook, Nick Young, and Kevon Looney. The Lakers countered with Lonzo Ball, Thomas, Julius Randle, Brook Lopez, and Kentavius Caldwell-Pope. The two teams played a very competitive first half. The Laker Attack was led by Thomas with 15, Randle 13, and Brook Look Lopez added 15. Kevin Durant paced the Warriors with 16. Pachulia had eight, and Shaun Livingston picked up the slack with 11. Quinn Cook and Omri Casspi each had six, and Nick Young did not score at all.

The Warriors won the first quarter 26-23, but were outscored 32-29 in the second as the half ended with an even score of 55-55.

The Warriors came out smoking hot in the third quarter. The Lakers held Durant to just one bucket and three free throws, but Young and Cook led the Warriors on a 12-0 run to lead 70-59.

Pachulia, Looney, Iguodala, and Livingston paced the attack, and the Warriors finished the third period leading 89-82. The Warriors refused to let the Lakers get back in the game. The Lakers cut the deficit to five early in the fourth quarter, but Young, Casspi, Looney, and Durant were unstoppable, and the Warriors were able to win by a final score of 117-106.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors had seven players in double figures. Kevin Durant finished with 26 points. Durant, however, made just one 3-point shot in seven attempts.

Kevon Looney had a career high with 11 points.

Zaza Pachulia had a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Pachulia also had five assists in his first start since the All-Star break.

Quinn Cook finished the night with 13.

Nick Young, aka Swaggy P, scored all 18 of his points in the second half. Young made three 3-pointers.

Omri Casspi tallied 15, and Shaun Livington finished with 13.

The Warriors brought up Damien Jones and Chris Boucher from the G-League’s Santa Cruz Warriors. Boucher made his NBA debut late in the fourth quarter.

The Warrior shot 55% from the floor, but made just six threes in 20 attempts. They outrebounded the Lakers 50-33 as they made good use of all the big men on the team.

Both teams had 25 assists, and the Warriors defense made eight steals and had six blocked shots.

The Warriors committed 22 turnovers in the game, and they were fortunate as they do not have a good record when they commit 16 or more turnovers in a game.

Andre Iguodala and Jordan Bell returned to action Wednesday night.

The Warriors were 0-3 in games played with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson before the win Wednesday.

The Warriors announced that Curry will miss three or four more games, Thompson will be resting his thumb until March 22, David West is expected to return Friday night, and it is not known how long Draymond Green will be out.

The Warriors are now 52-16, while the Lakers drop to 31-37.

Up Next: The Warriors host the Sacramento Kings Friday night at 7:30 pm PT in Oracle Arena.

Golden State Warriors Podcast with David Zizmor: Warriors aim to snap the two-game loss spell against Lakers on Wednesday night

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On the Warriors podcast with David:

1. The Golden State Warriors tip off against Lonzo Ball and the Los Angeles Lakers Wednesday night at Oracle Arena at 7:00 pm PT. The Warriors are coming off two straight loses to the Portland Trail Blazers and the Minnesota Timberwolves both road loses. Dave talks about how injuries have played a role in the recent loses.

2. The Warriors’ head coach Steven Kerr who appeared at a Newark High School has encouraged students at the school that their walkout is a for a good cause that gun violence must see it’s end by gun control and gun bans. Kerr’s father was killed by gun violence when he was a teenager and he really believes that this movement has some substance now for the first time.

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

 

That’s Amaury’s Podcast, News and Commentary: Melvin says Lucroy on track to catch 115-120 games; benches empty between A’s and Giants could lead to a rivalry of sorts; Kerr has freedom of speech to speak out on gun control

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On the Podcast with Amaury:

1. Amaury talks about catcher Jonathan Lucroy and says that this A’s team can really sneak up on teams.

2. Lucroy, one of the many free agents who were available, signed on for this season for $6.5 million, who manager Bob Melvin says will catch 115-120 games.

3. The A’s and Giants starting to show some preseason action. Giants pitcher Sam Dyson threw high and tight at the A’s Khris Davis on Monday. Two hitters later, they were bean, which forced the umpires to warn both benches. Could this be the beginning of a Bay Bridge rivalry?

4. Steve Kerr, the Golden State Warriors head coach, spoke at a Newark High School gym on Monday about gun control and how his father was murdered by gun violence and that he supports the student walk out and protest for gun control. Amaury says Kerr has a right to say what he wants and that he has the freedom of speech.

5. Amaury also talks about his Topps Basketball card from the 1990s when he was the Golden State Warriors’ Spanish play-by-play announcer.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the play-by-play Spanish talent for the Oakland A’s and does News and Commentary for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

 

Timberwolves outlast Warriors en route to 109-103 win

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By Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors were missing Steph Curry, Andre Iguodala, David West, Jordan Bell, and Patrick McCaw, lost their second game in a row to the Minnesota Timberwolves Sunday afternoon at the Target Center.

The Timberwolves were missing their leader, Jimmy Butler, but had enough firepower to take down the Warriors. The Warriors gave it all they had, but they just didn’t have it in the third and fourth quarters.

The T-wolves won the first quarter 34-24. The Warriors were ahead 11-9 when the T-wolves went on an 11-0 run to lead by nine (20-11). Kevin Durant led the Warriors with 11 and no other player had more than four points in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the Warriors turned on the jets and outscored Minnesota 38-21 to take the lead 62-55 at the end of the first half. Durant tallied 19 and he got help from Zaza Pachulia with 10. Klay Thompson had 12 and Draymond Green pitched in with eight. Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins each had 15 for Minnesota.

The Warriors increased the lead to 11 early in the period but Minnesota went on a very impressive 19-6 run to take the lead by four. Buckets by Durant, Pachulia and Shaun Livingston enabled the Warriors to finish the third quarter tied at 84, despite being outscored 29-22 in the period.

The T-wolves, behind the superb play of Towns and Wiggins, were able to take a 101-96 lead. The Warriors kept coming back and closed the gap to trailing 104-103 after Durant made a 3-pointer. The T-wolves scored the last five points of the game and beat the Warriors 109-103.

Game Notes and Stats: With the loss, the Warriors fall to 51-15. They are now a full game behind the Houston Rockets for the best record in the NBA and the deficit may drop to one and a half games should Houston beat the Mavericks later in the day.

Kevin Durant had a double-double with 31 points and 12 rebounds. Klay Thompson added 21. Zaza Pachulia played very well as he also had a double-double. Pachulia scored 16 points and had 11 boards and two blocked shots. Draymond Green finished with eight.

The Minnesota defense held Golden State to just 40.7% from the floor and the Warriors were 10-for-36 from the 3-point range.

The Warriors committed 13 turnovers in the game, but five of them came in the third period and those turnovers cost them dearly.

Karl-Anthony Towns led the T-Wolves with 31 points and 16 rebounds. Taj Gibson and Jeff Teague also had double-doubles. Gibson had 11 points and 13 rebounds while Teague scored 10 and had 10 assists. Andrew Wiggins finished with 23.

Up Next: The Warriors return home to face the Lakers Wednesday night at Oracle Arena.

Blazers’ Lillard and McCollum send Warriors down to a 125-108 defeat

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Portland Trail Blazers’ backcourt duo of Damien Lillard and C.J.McCollum combined for 58 points and beat the Warriors 125-108 at the Moda Center in Portland, Ore., on Friday night.

The Warriors, coming off a tough win over San Antonio Thursday night, were led by Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson and nobody else. The Warriors were without Steph Curry, David West, Andre Iguodala, Jordan Bell, and Patrick McCaw.

The Warriors trailed for all of the first half. The Blazers led by six after the first 12 minutes of play and increased the lead to nine (61-52) when they went on a 9-2 run to end the second quarter. The Warriors took the lead 75-73 midway through the third quarter, but the Blazers finished the period on a 10-0 run to finish with a four-point advantage 87-83 and had momentum on their side heading into the final 12 minutes of action.

The Blazers’ Lillard and McCollum were lights out in the final stanza. The Blazers outscored the Warriors by 13 to blow out the Warriors by 17 points (125-108).

Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson led the Warrior attack with 40 and 25 points each. The only other Warrior in double figures was JaVale McGee with 10. Draymond Green had 7, and Quinn Cook added 8. The Warrior contributed just 18 points.

The Blazers’ bench, on the other hand, had four players in double figures and recorded 45 points in the win.The Blazers had a total of seven players in double figures. McCollum led the club with 30 and Lillard had 28.

Klay recorded his 200th 3-pointer of the season early in the game. Draymond Green picked up his 15th technical foul of the year, and if he gets one more, he will receive an automatic one-game suspension.

The Warriors were outshot 89-78, and Portland made six more buckets than the Warriors. The Warriors shot 48.7% from the floor while Portland shot 49.4%.

The Warriors were outrebounded 46-33, and they recorded just 20 assists.

The Warriors turned the ball over 12 times, but they did not have the firepower to keep pace with the Blazers.

The Blazers won their ninth in a row and snapped the Warriors win streak at seven. The Warriors are now 51-15 and trail the Houston Rockets by half a game in the race for best record in the NBA.

After the game, Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr commented about the team’s performance: “We’ve got a deep team. That’s one of the hallmarks of our group the last few years,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said before the game. “We’ve played without Steph, I think probably 15 times this year, or so, and we’ve gotten to know the formula. We know what to do. It’s a different game, but we’ve got to defend and take care of the ball, play a really solid game against a team that’s on fire.”

Up Next: The Warriors meet the Minnesota Timberwolves Sunday in Minneapolis at 12:30 pm PT.

Durant’s 37-point effort rallies the Warriors to a 110-107 victory over Spurs after Curry injures his ankle again

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The Golden State Warriors won their seventh game in a row, but it was not easy as the San Antonio Spurs played their hearts out but could not prevail. The Warriors needed the win to keep their hopes alive for winning homecourt advantage for the playoffs. The Rockets lead the Dubs by one-half game and own the tiebreaker. The Warriors lost their star, Steph Curry, early in the first quarter when he tweaked his right ankle. He was able to two free throws, but the Warriors sent him to the trainer’s table for treatment and Steph was done for the night. Three other players were not available Thursday night. David West missed his second game in a row with an infected cyst on his arm. Andre Iguodala was out with a sprained left wrist, and Jordan Bell was sidelined when he re-injured his right ankle. Steve Kerr had to use Kevon, Looney, Omri Casspi, Quin Cook, and Nick Young and hope that the Warriors could beat the Spurs. The game was not pretty, but they were able to come back late in the fourth quarter and beat the Spurs 110-107.

Both the Spurs and the Warriors were cold to start the first quarter. The Spurs led 3-0 when Steph Curry was fouled as he attempted a layup with just 2 minutes and 32 seconds played in the game. Steph turned his right ankle when he landed. He tried to walk off the injury, but it was apparent that he would not be able to continue. Steph went to the free throw line and made the two free throws, and that finished his night. The Warriors got the offense going late in the quarter, and they outscored the Spurs 28-21.

The Warriors could not get anything going in the second quarter. They scored just 13 points against Brooklyn Tuesday night, and the Warriors were cold again in the second quarter. The Spurs took advantage. The Dubs built the lead to nine 34-23, but San Antonio went on a 14-2 run to take the lead 37-35. The Spurs outscored the Warriors 29-18 and finished the half with a 4-point lead 50-46. The Spurs LaMarcus Aldridge had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Kevin Durant scored 14, JaVale McGee 7, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green each had 4.

The Warriors played better in the third quarter. They have owned the third quarter, but on Thursday night, that did not happen as they were outscored 37-32 The game was tied at 78 when the Spurs went on a 9-0 run to finish the quarter leading 87-78. In the fourth quarter, the Spurs met every Warrior challenge and led 103-96 with under 3 minutes to play. The Warriors vaunted defense came through, and Kevin Durant scored 14 straight points to tie the game at 105. Draymond Green made a fantastic layup with his left hand to put the Dubs ahead by two 1:30 left. Klay Thompson made two free throws, and they led 109-105.  The Spurs scored and trailed by two 109-107. They fouled KD but he missed one, and the Spurs had a chance to tie if they could make a three-pointer. The Spurs got the ball to LaMarcus Aldridge, and he was fouled attempting a three. He made the first free throw but missed the second. He made the third, and the Spurs trailed 110-107. They got the ball back with 2.3 seconds left and, after a timeout, took the ball out from mid-court. Bryn Forbes missed a three-pointer with 0.01 seconds left, and the Warriors celebrated the win.

Game Notes and Stats. After the game Warrior head coach Steve Kerr announced that Steph Curry will travel with the team to Portland but will not play Friday night.

The Warriors won their 7th in a row and improved to 51-14. The Spurs dropped to 37-28.

LaMarcus Aldridge led the Spurs with 30 points and 17 rebounds. Kyle Anderson had 12, Davis Bertrans 13, DeJounte Murray 14, Tony Parker 11, and Rudy Gay 10. The Warriors were led by Kevin Durant’s 37 points, 4 assists, 11 rebounds, and four blocked shots. Draymond Green had a triple-double with 11 points, 10 assists,12 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots. JaVale McGee added 13, Nick Young had 12, and Shaun Livington had 9 points, 7 assists, and seven boards. Klay Thompson had a tough night. The Warriors needed a big night from Klay the ball was not going down for him. He finished the night with 12 points. He made two 3-point shots in 7 attempts.

The Warriors play the Portland Trail Blazers Friday night in Portland.