Tag: Golden State Warriors

David Lee Erases Pepsi Center Nightmares, Burns Nuggets for 28 Points in 89-81 Warriors Win

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By Matthew Harrington

The standings mean little in December, but by grinding out an 89-81 victory over the Nuggets in Denver Monday night the Warriors gained the peace of mind that were the season to end today, they’d be in playing for the O’Brien Trophy. David Lee exploded for 28 points at the Pepsi Center, site of last season’s devastating season-ending injury, to push the Dubs past the Nuggets (14-13) for sole possession of eighth-place in the Western Conference in a rematch of last season’s opening round of the playoffs.

Lee did the heavy lifting for the Warriors (16-13), registering his ninth-straight double-double on a game-high 28 points and 10 rebounds on a night where most of Golden State’s buckets uncharacteristically came from in the paint. In total, just under half (44) of the Dubs 89 points came in the key. The Warriors managed to nail nearly half (7 of 16) of their shots from beyond the arc despite guards Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combining for only three treys on seven attempts. The pair still managed a healthy 14 and 13 points respectively.

Nuggets center Timofey Mozgov dropped 14 points on the Warriors to accompany his game-high 11 boards. The Nuggets bested the Warriors on the glass, pulling in 47 rebounds to Golden State’s 42.

Ty Lawson, ex-Warrior Nate Robinson and Andre Miller all broke double-digit points marks for the home team.
The Warriors held a decisive 30-22 lead after the first quarter but had to settle for a 47-43 lead after only scoring 17 points in the second. The Nuggets again limited the Warriors to 17 points in the third quarter to end the frame leading the visitors 66-64. The Dubs took control in the fourth, outscoring the Nuggets 25-15 for the 89-81 win.

Golden State next takes the court at Oracle Arena for a Christmas Day showdown with the fourth-place Los Angeles Clippers for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off. The Warriors will look to avenge a 126-115 loss October 31st that saw Clippers point guard Chris Paul torch Golden State for 42 points.

Warriors Romp Lame Lakers, Crush Short-handed Los Angeles 102-83:

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OAKLAND, CA - DECEMBER 21: Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors shoots a layup against Robert Sacre #50 of the Los Angeles Lakers on December 21, 2013 at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2013 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA – DECEMBER 21: Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors shoots a layup against Robert Sacre #50 of the Los Angeles Lakers on December 21, 2013 at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2013 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

By Matthew Harrington

In man-handling the Los Angeles Lakers 102-83 at Oracle Arena Saturday night, the Golden State Warriors reversed their fortunes against teams without their usual star power. On Thursday the Spurs, who were short Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli and Tony Parker, slipped past Golden State 104-102. With a chance to rectify Thursday’s loss against a gutted foe, the Warriors (15-13) punished the punchless Lakers (13-14) who were missing injured stars Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash and new addition to the infirmed Pau Gasol (out Saturday with a upper respiratory infection).

Laker forward Nick Young had a game-high 20 points coming off the bench, while David Lee led Golden State with 19 and 10 rebounds to complete the double-double. Andrew Bogut joined Lee registering double-digits in points (12) and rebounds (20).
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson had five field goals apiece for the home side, good for 18 and 17 points respectively. Laker center Chris Kaman’s 17 rebounds in the contest were second only to Bogut’s total.

Andre Iguodala again struggled, collecting only three points on one shot made in six attempts in 24 minutes of action in his third game back from injury. Iguodala stood as the lone Warrior starter to not crack double figures in scoring.

The Warriors held a slim one-point lead after the first quarter before adding a slight four-point gap at the half leading 46-42. The Dubs did most of the damage in the third, outscoring the Lakers 26-15 in the pivotal frame. Thompson had eight points in the third, including a pair of threes to stake the hosts to a 72-57 lead. The Warriors wrapped up the blowout by outscoring their Rivals from the south 30-26, sealing the victory.

With the win, the Warriors managed to hold the Lakers from gaining ground in the standings. Golden State stands one place out of playoff position with the Lakers a game and a half behind them. With the Warriors heading to the Mile-high City to face the eighth-place Nuggets Monday night, a Dubs victory would move them over Denver into the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The tip-off is at 6:00 p.m.

Turnovers doom Warriors, fall to Spurs 104-102

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By Gabe Schapiro

The Golden State Warriors (14-13) fell just short against the savvy San Antonio Spurs (21-5), 104-102, Thursday night, at Oracle Arena. San Antonio was without their big-three of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobli, but still made it work. Golden State got some strong performances, but as a unit played poorly, and ultimately couldn’t overcome their own mistakes. On the night they turned it over a whopping 24 points, which the Spurs converted for 31 points. A familiar face, former Warrior Marco Belinelli, led San Antonio with 28 points off the bench.

The night didn’t start off so poorly. After the first quarter the Warriors held a 23-18 lead. They weren’t playing great, but they were getting it done. From there, however,  the miscues started to snowball.

San Antonio came back with a great second quarter, at one point going on a 19-4 run to steal back the lead. They had grabbed the momentum and rode it through to the end of the game. Heading into halftime they had comeback to take a two-point lead.

The Spurs extended their lead to eight-points heading into the final frame. The Warriors started scratching their way back into the game, and it looked like they were setting up for another classic late-game comeback. With 28 seconds remaining Stephen Curry sunk a huge three-pointer to tie the game up at 102-102. San Antonio ended the comeback hopes with a sloppy but successful last possession, which ended with a Tiago Splitter rebound and put-back to take the two-point lead. The 104-102 score would stick, as a Curry 32-foot heave with less than two seconds left was no where close to hitting.

Curry would finish with his 12th consecutive 20+ point effort, contributing a double-double with 30 points and 15 assists. On a more negative note he also did have five turnovers.

David Lee was great on the offensive end, posting a game-high 32 points and 13 rebounds.

Andrew Bogut was very strong down low. He scored eight points, hauled in 18 rebounds, and blocked three shots.

For the Spurs Kawhi Leonard finished with a double-double, 20 points and 11 rebounds. Patty Mills also had a strong game, with 21 points, five rebounds, and three steals.

Iguodala returns, Warriors cruise to 104-93 win over Pelicans

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Photo Credit: Rocky Widner/NBAE/Getty

By Gabe Schapiro

The Golden State Warriors (14-12) made easy work of the New Orleans Pelicans (11-12), cruising to a 104-93 victory, Tuesday night at Oracle Arena. The final margin of victory doesn’t do justice to a game that Golden State controlled from the tip-off. Andre Igoudala returned to the lineup after missing 12 games with an injury, and Stephen Curry was his usual electric self.

In a pleasant departure from the last several games, the Warriors started the game guns blazing. They hit seven of their first 10 shots, and in general played with a sense of urgency we haven’t been seeing until the second half of games. They held a seven-point first quarter lead, and extended that into an 18-point lead at half time.

They never gave New Orleans even a glimmer of hope. Golden State kept their foot on the gas pedal, opening up a whopping 23-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. From there the Warriors emptied their bench, but the final 11-point win was as close as the Pelicans ever got.

Golden State never trailed in this one, and led for 47 of 48 minutes. They had an uncharacteristically poor game from the three-point line, hitting just five-of-20 from beyond the arc, but that was just about the only negative on a night full of positives.

From start to finish Curry was phenomenal. He finished the game with a double-double, posting a game-high 28 points and 12 assists. For good measure he also had four rebounds and three steals. This marks his 11th consecutive game with 20+ points, the longest active streak in the NBA, and a personal career high.

David Lee had possibly his best game of the season. He was extremely active on both ends of the floor, and produced his almost customary double-double. He finished with 21 points and 17 rebounds.

Bogut finished just two points shy of the teams third double-double on the night. He had eight points and 10 boards.

Iguodala had a quiet night, as he was slowly eased back into game action. He played just 17 minutes, scoring two points and dishing out two assists. As always he was active on the defensive end, and seemed to be moving around well and without pain.

Five New Orleans players finished with double-digit points in the loss. Ryan Anderson led the team with 21 points, and had six rebounds.

Golden State is back in action this Thursday against the always tough San Antonio Spurs. The game begins at 7:30pm, back at Oracle Arena.

Warriors Comeback Bid Falls Just Shy as Harden, Houston Best Dubs 116-112

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By Matthew Harrington

The Golden State Warriors comeback bid fell just short Friday night at Oracle Arena, as the Dubs fell to the Houston Rockets 116-112. The Rockets’ James Harden had a game-high 26 points while David Lee led Golden State with 23 points and 10 rebounds.

Houston (16-8) held a slim 30-29 lead after the first 12 minutes before rocketing off in the second quarter to a 58-51 halftime advantage. The visitors would add another two points to their lead after three-fourths of play for a 82-73 edge. The Warriors (13-11) outscored Houston 39-34 in the final frame but ran out of time to complete the comeback.

Andrew Bogut and Harrison Barnes also notched double-doubles for Golden State as Barnes had 20 points and game-high 12 rebounds while Bogut had 11 boards to go with 10 points on the night. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson were a combined 2 of 12 from beyond the arc. Houston forward Chandler Parsons added 23 points on 9 of 14 shooting and Dwight Howard reeled in 11 rebounds. He was also an astonishing seven-for-seven from the charity stripe.

The Warriors have now dropped 18 of their last 22 games against Houston dating back to January 29, 2008. They will look to bounce back Sunday in Phoenix as they take on the Suns.

Curry’s late game heroics lift Warriors over Mavericks, 95-93

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By Gabe Schapiro

On Wednesday night at Oracle Arena the Golden State Warriors (13-10) made another late comeback at home, this time toppling the Dallas Mavericks (13-10), 95-93. A little over a week ago the Warriors overcame a 27-point deficit to beat the Toronto Raptors. Tonight didn’t quite match that historic effort, coming back from being down “only” 18, but it was another one that anyone in attendance won’t be forgetting anytime soon.

As has become an unfortunate habit of late, Golden State had a dreadful start. They began the game shooting an abysmal 4-for-21 from the field, and had some butter fingers, turning the ball over often. After the first quarter they were already facing a seven-point deficit, kept that low only because Dallas was only slightly less horrible.

In the second quarter the Warriors shooting improved ever so slightly, but by halftime they had already racked up 10 turnovers, and were still just scoring at a 39.5% clip. Andrew Bogut was their biggest saving grace. He was a beast down low, blocking two big shots of the “woah” variety, and hauling in 12 rebounds. At one point in the second quarter the Mavericks held their biggest lead of the night with 18, but towards the end Golden State started chipping away.

Coming out of the locker room the Warriors defense woke up. They played with a much higher sense of urgency, and as a result the buckets started hitting as well. They still didn’t look great, but it was far from the dreadful performance witnessed in the first. Heading into the final 12 minutes they had cut the Dallas lead down to a much more manageable six points.

It should be noted that up until this point Stephen Curry was, for the most part, having one of his worst games of the year. He wasn’t making much and he was turning the ball over often. In the fourth quarter, that all changed.

That sweet stroke of Curry’s can only stay cold for so long, and when it mattered most he caught fire. With five minutes remaining a Curry jumper finally brought the Warriors back to a tie game. From their both sides traded blows and traded their share of the lead.

But on this night Curry just simply wouldn’t be denied. With 46 seconds left the game again stood at a stalemate, 93-93. The Mavericks missed their chance to win it, and with 1.5 seconds left, of course the ball went to Curry. And Curry would not miss his chance.

A Curry pump-fake got his defender, Shawn Marion, to leave his feet, giving him all the opening he needed to nail a 19-foot jumper. That gave the Warriors their second consecutive huge comeback win at home.

Curry finished with a game-high 33 points, to go along with 10 assists. 17 of those points came in the fourth. David Lee also posted a double-double, 15 points and 11 boards. Bogut finished with six points, and a season-high 18 rebounds. Draymond Green played a big 28 minutes off the bench, filling the stat sheet with nine points, five rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and a steal.

In the losing effort Dirk Nowitzki had 21 points and seven rebounds. Monta Ellis, in front of his former home, chipped in 21 points and five assists.

As exciting as these games are, the Warriors need to work on having better starts. Miracle comebacks can’t always be counted on. They will look to do so this Friday against the tough Houston Rockets.

Walker’s season-high trumps Curry’s

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Photo Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

By Pearl Allison Lo

Despite Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry’s season-high 43 points, the Charlotte Bobcats’ Kemba Walker’s season-high tying 31 points, was the one that counted in a 115-111 last minute victory Monday.

Curry also had 6 rebounds, 9 assists and 2 blocks while Walker had 5 rebounds and 5 assists as the teams met for the first time this season.

The Warriors did not really factor in the first half as they put up 37 three pointers over the course of the game.

With 21 seconds left in the game, Walker, went 6 of 8 from the free throw line, missing two right before Curry made it 109-111 with 11 seconds left and another three pointer. However, Curry could not make two more three pointers, including one from 40 feet out, as Walker went perfect his last four times from the line to seal the game.

Charlotte was never behind the whole game and built up a nine point lead during the 1st quarter. Within the first four minutes, Golden State had already attempted three three pointers and the Bobcats’ Al Jefferson was active on both ends, grabbing five rebounds and going 1 of 4 from the floor. Off a steal with 7:47 left to go, Charlotte’s  Josh McRoberts assisted Walker on a layup and then scored a three pointer less than 30 seconds later, when Walker assisted him off a defensive rebound. The Warriors went 0 for 8 from the three point line, while the Bobcats only attempted one, which they missed.

 In the 2nd quarter, Charlotte led by as many as 14 points and both teams went scoreless for over two minutes.

Golden State turned up the heat in the third, scoring 36 points, on 7 of 14 three pointers. The Warriors’ Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson had three apiece. With 2:44 left in the quarter, Golden State cut the lead down from 13 to 6, attempting four three pointers in a row, making the first two, and one with less than a minute to go. The Bobcats had their biggest lead of 15 points during the quarter.

Thompson made it 80-83 with a three pointer to lead off the 4th quarter. Curry’s second free throw with 8:52 left and fourth consecutive of the quarter, tied the game at 88 apiece. However, four fouls by the Warriors, including two steals by Ben Gordon, and three three pointers from Charlotte, gave the Bobcats back a double digit lead. A three by Curry made it 102-107 with 2:28 left to go as Golden State made another comeback. The Warriors also had an over 30 second sequence in which they eventually scored and could have gotten more.

Game notes: Golden State had two technical fouls during the game. David Lee had a double double with a season-high 16 rebounds and 14 points and Josh McRoberts had one with 10 rebounds and 11 points. The Warriors next play Wednesday against the Dallas Mavericks.

Kings Arena: Bid rules to be loosened for arena contractors, non union firms to get a shot

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by Ken Gimblin

SACRAMENTO–Non Union contractors who protested that union only contractors get to develop the Sacramento Kings new basketball arena downtown when the contractors were originally announced will have a shot during a possilbe new bid process. ICON Venue Group was given the contract to manage the project, Turner Construction group was selected to do the pre construction work, and AECOM was chosen to do the architect work design on the arena, during the bid process AECOM and Turner were selected by the city.

According to Sacramento officials the bid process would be suspended loosening up the competetive bid procedures and it will now allow small businesses to get involved in the arena build. The Kings will be in charge of decdiding who wins in the bid process. Non-union contractors had taken up sides with anti downtown arena groups in their attempt to put a subsidy proposal on the Sacramento June 2014 ballot that would allow voters to answer the question if public subsidies should be allowed to build new entertainment or sports facilities in Sacramento.

The non union groups joined the campaign after it was learned that only union groups would be used as contract developers for the new arena. The non union groups said that the bid process was not fair and equal and that non union contractors should have an opportunity to work on the new arena as well. After it was learned they would not be included in the construction process a non union group leader took the microphone at a Kings ceromony at Westfield Mall and told the group and Kings organizers standing there that the non-union group would protest the new arena.

The Sacramento city council will be asked to vote on the bid proposal rules to allow the smaller groups and non union groups to have a shot at working on the arena. If the non-union groups are allowed to work on the new arena they will most likely drop out of the anti arena campaign to put the subsisdy question on the ballot.

However it was reported the damage might have been done and that the subsidy question could be placed on the June ballot as it’s been disclosed that STOP Sacramento Taxpayers Opposed to Pork and Voters for a Fair Arena Deal two groups who are trying to gather signatures on the petition to get the measure in the ballot are closing in on the 22,000 signatures required by mid December.

The NBA has stated that they expect the arena to be up and running by October 2016 in time for the pre season if not the NBA has the option to move the club.

Ken Gimblin is covering the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors arena builds for Sportstalk Radio

Warriors overcome 27-point deficit, stun Raptors 112-103

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By Gabe Schapiro

On Tuesday night at Oracle Arena the Golden State Warriors (11-8) made a huge late comeback to steal one from the Toronto Raptors (6-11), 112-103. They trailed by as many as 27 points, before storming back with a 42-point fourth quarter. On a historic night the Warriors tied for the seventh greatest comeback in NBA history.

For Golden State it was a tale of two teams. At times they arguably looked as bad as they have all season. In the fourth quarter the light switch went on, and they became simply unstoppable.

The Warriors came out of the gates flat. They looked rusty and just didn’t execute anything particularly well. Through 12 minutes of play Jermaine O’Neal was the teams leading scorer with five points in just three minutes. They quickly dug themselves into a 17-point deficit.

In the second quarter it looked like they had begun to open their eyes. Slowly but surely they were correcting their mistakes, and started hitting some shots. Harrison Barnes was big in keeping them within shouting distance, scoring 14 points in the quarter. The Warriors had stopped bleeding-out, but at half time still found themselves down 17, 65-48.

Coming out of the locker room things got worse before they got better. The Raptors extended their lead to as high as 27 points, and it looked like they were hammering the final nails in the Warriors coffin. In the waning minutes of the third quarter, however, the spark was lit. Golden State ended the frame with a 9-0 run, but still had an 18-point sized mountain to climb. It looked like it was an honorable late push that would be too little too late.

The fourth and final quarter looked like an entirely different ballgame. The Warriors seemingly forgot how to miss, and Toronto seemingly forgot how to score. Golden State’s ace in the hole, their historical three-point shooting, had been failing them all night. In the fourth they found it.

They got contributions from everyone who stepped on the floor, but were led primarily by the splash brothers. The dynamic duo of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson started hitting shot after shot, and slowing took chunks out of the Raptors lead. With three minutes remaining, a Curry three completed the comeback, and gave Golden State their first lead since early in the first quarter. They took their 101-99 lead and kept piling on.

Toronto failed to score in the final 1:30 of the game, making the final score look almost like your average nine-point win. It was anything but. All told, the Warriors outscored the Raptors 42-15 in the fourth to complete the epic victory.

Curry finished with a double-double. He scored a game-high 27 points, to go along with 10 assists, and five steals. Thompson pitched in 22, on six-of-12 beyond the arc, and seven assists.

O’Neal was huge off of the bench for Golden State, making numerous big plays to keep them alive. He finished with 11 points and eight boards in 23 minutes. He was also a very telling, game-high, +30.

In the losing effort DeMar DeRozan led the Raports with 26 points. Amir Johnson had a double-double off the bench, putting up 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Golden State now hits the road, beginning with a matchup with the Houston Rockets this Friday.

Kings Lose Heartbreaker to Warriors 115-113

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By Charlie O. Mallonee

No matter who won the game, the opening paragraph was going to be the same. For one team it would be a well-deserved, hard fought victory and for the other team it would be a heartbreaking loss.

It was a well-deserved, hard fought 115-113 victory for the Golden State Warriors and a heartbreaking loss for the Sacramento Kings. The game literally came down to the final second on Sunday in Sacramento.

The fact that the game came down to last moment was a testament to the Sacramento Kings bench who did everything they were asked to do and more. With 2:08 left to play in the third quarter, the Kings trailed Golden State 88-72. Kings Head Coach Michael Malone said his team could have lost by 30 or fought back in attempt to win the game. The Kings fought back and Malone seemed very proud of his players.

The fourth quarter began with the Kings down by 10 points (GSW 90-SAC 80). Malone went with Patterson, Salmons, Thomas, Thornton and Hayes to start the period. That group closed the gap to six points. Green hit a 3-Pointer for the Warriors to make it a nine point lead as time was called with 8:13 to go in the game.

Coming out of the timeout, Cousins entered the game for Hayes. Cousins had an immediate impact with an assist and driving dunk that cut the Warrior lead to six.

Following an Isaiah Thomas steal and a Marcus Thornton 25 foot jump shot, the Warrior lead was down to one.

The Kings took the lead on a Thomas 3-Pointer off an assist from Cousins 104-102.

The game continued to see-saw back and forth. With 47.8 seconds to play, the game was tied at 111-111. Draymond Green put the Warriors back on top with a put-back of a Curry missed jumper.

After a 20 second timeout, Cousins hit a five foot jump hook to re-tie the game at 113-113. Salmons fouled Curry who hit both of his free throws to put the Warriors back in front 115-113.

Isaiah Thomas missed a lay-up with 1.8 seconds left to play. Bogut grabbed the rebound and the game was over. Golden State had defeated the Kings 115-113.

After the game Head Coach Michael Malone said, “Our guys have a ‘no quit’ attitude. I challenge them a lot. I never want them to be a team that just rolls over. What I like about our guys is that it could’ve been a 16 point deficit that turned into 30 but it turned into a two point lead and giving ourselves a chance. We were only one defensive rebound away from winning that game. The challenge that we have as a team is to stay together and find ways to close things out. Yes, we play the toughest schedule in the NBA but the reality is that we have another team coming in Tuesday night that’s not going to feel sorry for us. We have to do a better job at taking care of the ball and defending at a much higher level.”

The Kings came into the needing to shoot better on offense and to do a better job of defending the other team especially from beyond the 3-Point line. They accomplished one of those two goals on Sunday.

The Kings took advantage of a Warriors team that does not play great defense. Sacramento shot 52.6% (40/76) from the field and shot an impressive 47.4% (9/19) for 3-Pointers. As a team, they shot 85.7% (24/28) from the Free Throw Line. On offense, the Kings did a great job.

Their defense however let them down. The Kings allowed Golden State to shoot 51.2% (42/82) overall and an incredible 60.0% (15/25) from 3-Point land. Stephen Curry scored 38 points with 15 of those points coming from beyond the arc. Klay Thompson scored 28 points and 24 of his points came off of eight 3-Point goals.

DeMarcus Cousins led all Sacramento scorers with 24 points. Marcus Thornton scored 21 coming off the bench including five 3-Point goals. Patrick Patterson shot 100.0% (8/8) scoring 18 points in his off the bench role. Isaiah Thomas scored 19 points. The Kings bench scored 65 points on Sunday night against the Warriors.

POST GAME NOTES:

The Kings fall to 4-11 overall and 3-7 at home. It was the fourth consecutive loss for the Kings.

DeMarcus Cousins 24 point game was his ninth 20 point plus game of the season.

The Warriors are now 10-6 overall and 5-6 on the road.

Golden State has won both games with the Kings this season.

The Warriors and Kings will play again on Wednesday 2/19/14 in Sacramento.