Warriors-Suns game in Phoenix postponed due to Covid-19 issues on Friday

Talking Stick Arena in Phoenix will remain empty for Fri Jan 15, 2021’s game between the Golden State Warriors and the Phoenix Suns due to Covid 19 issues (The Business Journal file photo)

Covid-19 effects reach the NBA´s West Coast as Warriors postpone Friday´s game

By Pearl Allison Lo

January 13, 2020

Welcome to the real world outside the bubble. So far, the San Jose Sharks and the San Francisco 49ers have played in Arizona, but that will not include former Phoenix Sun Kelly Oubre Jr. and Golden State, at least not yet. The Warriors are now the first California team in the NBA to have coronavirus concerns affect their schedule.

After protocols to protect the league´s players and teams were enhanced Tuesday, Wednesday saw the Warriors-Suns game on Friday, as one of two games added to the rescheduled slate. Instead of starting their three-game road trip with back-to-back games, Golden State will have three days in between Thursday’s match versus the Denver Nuggets and Monday´s contest back in California against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The coronavirus almost came even closer for the Warriors, when forward Eric Paschall, initially tested positive, missing Tuesday’s game. With another test though, it was deemed that the first result was a ´false positive´.

Friday will be the second postponed game for Phoenix, as they were scheduled to play the Atlanta Hawks Wednesday, before it was called off. In a bit of a domino effect, the Washington Wizards and Suns played each other Monday, with players testing positive on the Wizards’ side. Both teams are two of the three teams with multiple games sidelined amidst contact tracing, due to lack of the eight minimum personnel needed on each side to conduct a contest.

One NBA game was postponed in December and the count is currently at eight in the new year´s first month. These have been recent matches, spanning from the 10th to the 15th. According to the latest testing results, the positivity rate is at 3%. Of the 497 players tested for COVID-19 since Jan. 6, 16 new players have returned confirmed positive tests.

“This virus is nothing to play with whether it’s a false positive or an actual positive,” Golden State guard Damion Lee said. “I’m glad we took the right or proper protocols and handled everything the way we were supposed to.

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Warriors prepare for trip to Denver after loss to Pacers

The Indiana Pacers Myles who lead the Pacers with 22 points over the Golden State Warriors on Tue Jan 12, 2021 at Chase Center in San Francisco (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with David:

#1 David down the stretch both the Indiana Pacers (6-4) and the Golden State Warriors (6-4)played a tight game but in the end the Pacers pulled away in the fourth quarter the Warriors had only 20 points and fell short losing to the Pacers by nine points on Tuesday night 104-95.

#2 Dave, five Pacers in double figures and Myles Turner lead with 22 points for Indiana and the second half it looked as if the Pacers had a good game plan.

#3 The Warriors still have a winning record they have won six of their last nine games and face the Denver Nuggets (5-6) on Thursday night at Ball Arena in Denver. The Nuggets have played .500 ball since Dec 25th winning five of their last ten games. How do you see this match up Thursday night.

David Zizmor does the Warrior podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor Tue Jan 12, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

 

Pacers’ defense shuts down Warriors attack in second half for win 104-95

The Golden State Warriors Kelly Oubre Jr takes a shot against the Indiana Pacers defense in the first half at Chase Center in San Francisco on Tue Jan 12, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors faced the Indiana Pacers Tuesday night at the Chase Center. The Pacers, still smarting from a close loss to the Sacramento Kings Monday night, found a way to beat the Warriors 104-95.

The Pacers’ Victor Oladipo was not available to play. The Warriors’ Eric Paschall had to miss the game due to NBA protocol regarding the coronavirus. It is not known if Paschall has the virus or was in contact with someone that did.

The first half featured the teams playing outstanding defense. The Pacers wanted to stop Stephen Curry from beating them. The Warriors without Paschall, had to find a way to keep Domantas Sabonis and Malcolm Brogdon to do the same to the Pacers.

Both strategies worked. The Pacers held Curry to just five points in the first half. The Warriors defense allowed Sabonis six and Brogdon seven. The Warriors finished the first 24 minutes of action leading 55-50.

Kelly Oubre, Jr. led the Warriors with 15. Oubre made three threes and had four boards. Oubre’s defense was stellar. Andrew Wiggins had 12 points, and he made two threes. The Pacers’ Myles Turner had 13. 

The second half belonged to the Pacers. They outscored the Warriors 23-18 in the third quarter to cut the deficit to two 77-73. Curry made three threes and recorded 11 of the Warriors 18 points. 

The Warriors and Pacers continued to play tough defense. Each team had to work hard to get points on the board. The Warriors led 90-88 when the Pacers went on a 13-0 run to lead 101-90 with about a minute left to play. The Pacers outscored the Warriors 31-20 in the fourth quarter to win 104-95.

Game Notes and Stats: With the loss, the Warriors are 6-5 for the year. The Pacers improved to 7-4. 

Andrew Wiggins continued to play well on both ends of the court. Andrew finished with 22 points, seven rebounds, three assists, four threes, and five blocked shots. Curry knocked down 20. He made three threes and had four boards and three assists. Oubre, who had 15 in the first half, tallied two in the second to finish with 17. He made three threes to go along with five rebounds and two assists. 

The Warriors made three turnovers in the first half. They made 12 in the second. The Pacers scored 24 points as a result of the turnovers to help them win.

The Warriors play the next three games on the road. They face the Denver Nuggets Thursday night at The Ball Center in Denver for a 7 pm tip. They play the Suns in Phoenix Friday night and the Lakers in Los Angeles Monday night.

Warriors hold off Raptors in win 106-105; Bench rises as Curry has off night scoring

The Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins (22) led the Warriors in scoring takes a shot against the Toronto Raptors guard Norman Powell (right) on Sun Jan 10, 2021 at Chase Center in San Francisco (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

 On a night when Stephen Curry had the worst shooting night of his illustrious career, the Warriors found a way to withstand Toronto’s furious fourth-quarter comeback to win 106-105.

In every game in which Curry scored 30 or more points, Golden State finished with a win. Curry put just 13 points on the board. The Warriors won the game with great defense and six players scoring in double figures. The bench helped out with 46 points. As the fans around the NBA know, there is more to Curry’s game than scoring. He was credited with six assists, and he pulled down nine rebounds.

The Warriors led for the first three quarters. They won the first quarter 31-24. They led 10-1 to start the game. Andrew Wiggins, James Wiseman, and Kelly Oubre, Jr. paced the Warrior offense.

The Warriors second unit of Eric Paschall, Brad Wanaker, and Damian Lee helped the Warriors finish the first half leading 61-49. Curry has three points in the first half. Wiggins 11, Wiseman 10, Paschall 8, and Lee 8. Pascal Siakam had 16 for the Raptors. Fred VanVleet 10, and Chris Boucher 10.

The Warriors continued to dominate play in the third quarter. They increased the lead to fifteen 87-72 and appeared to be cruising to a victory. However, in the NBA, teams have to not take things easy in the fourth and final period of play.

Eric Paschall made a bucket to put the Warriors up by seventeen. It was at this point in the game that things went south for the Warriors. Toronto went on a 21 to five-run to make it a one-point game 94-93.

Kelly Oubre connected on a three to give the Warriors some breathing room 97-93. Toronto scored the next five points to go ahead by one 98-97. They hit a three to lead by four 101-97. Curry knocked down a three to make it 101-100. Toronto answered with a bucket to lead 103-100 with 1:45 left.

Baskets by Curry and Kent Bazemore put the Warriors ahead 104-103. Toronto scored to lead 105-104 with 7.6 seconds left. Damian Lee was fouled attempting a three-pointer. Toronto coach Nick Nurse challenged the call. After the review, the referees determined that Lee was fouled before the shot.

He would not get three free throws. Since the Raptors were over the foul limit, Lee was awarded two free throws. He made both to give the Warriors the advantage 106-105 with 4.3 seconds left to play. Toronto got the ball into Pascal Siakam’s hands. His shot at the buzzer failed to go down. The Warriors held on to win 106-105.

Game Notes and stats: With the win, the Warriors improved their season record to 6-4. The Raptors fell to 2-7. 

Draymond Green had his best game of the season. He just missed a triple-double. He kicked in with ten points, nine rebounds, and ten assists. Wiggins had 17, Wiseman 10, Oubre 12, Curry 11, and Eric Paschall 15. For Paschall, it was his eighth game in a row with ten or more points. Damian Lee had 13, Bazemore nine, Wanamaker 7. 

The Warriors bench outscored the Raptors bench 46-25.

Pascal Siakam led the Raptors with 25. Fred VanVleet had 21, Chris Boucher 15, and he was a force on defense with six blocked shots. Kyle Lowrey had 17, 16 of which came in the fourth period. 

The Warriors finish the seven-game home stand against the Indiana Pacers Tuesday night at the Chase Center. The game will start at 7 pm.

Curry leads Warriors in thrilling comeback victory over Clippers 115-105

Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins (22) celebrates with guard Stephen Curry (30) after Wiggins made a 3-point shot against the Los Angeles Clippers during the second half of an NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Friday, Jan. 8, 2021.Tony Avelar/AP News photo

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors faced the Los Angeles Clippers for the second time in three days Friday night. The Clippers won the first game and were hoping to beat the Warriors again.

The Clippers are loaded with talent. Many people around the NBA think they will be a contender for the NBA title. They dominated the first quarter of play Friday night. They won the second quarter to finish the first half with a 14 point advantage.

They increased the lead to 20, 83-63 with three minutes left in the third quarter. Behind Golden State’s Stephen Curry and Eric Paschall, the Warriors went on a 52-20 run to earn a comeback victory 115-1105.

In the first half, the Clippers excelled on both ends of the court. Paul George made four threes in four tries. He finished the first half with 17. Kawhi Leonard knocked down 11, and he connected on two threes in two attempts.

The Clipper defense continued to throttle the Warrior offense. Stephen Curry was the only Warrior in double figures with 14 points. The Clips won the first quarter 30-22, and the second 35-31 to lead by 14 , 65-51 at the end of the first half.

The Clippers made two three-pointers to start the third quarter to lead by 20, 71-51. Steph made a couple of shots to cut the deficit to 15. The Clippers regained the 20 point lead 83-63.

It was at this point, LA must have thought the game would be in the win column. Curry had other thoughts. Curry, who was held to 13 points Wednesday night, went on a tear. He tallied 19 points as the Warriors went on an 18-2 run to finish the quarter trailing 87-81.

The Warriors started the final stanza with a 6-0 run to tie the game at 87. LA scored a bucket to go ahead 89-87. Eric Paschall scored a deuce to tie it at 89. Paschall then connected on a three pointer to put Golden State ahead for the first time since early in the first period. The teams tied again at 97.

Brad Wanamaker knocked down a three, and the Warriors led 100-97. They would not relinquish the lead. Andrew Wiggins, Curry, Draymond Green, and Wanamaker all made buckets to propel the Warriors to the win. The Warriors finished the game on a 52-20 run in the last 15 minutes of play to stun the Clippers 115-105.

Game Notes and stats: With the win, the Warriors improve to 5-4 for the year. The Clippers dropped to 6-4.

 Curry had another fantastic performance Friday night. He had a double-double with 38 points, 11 assists, and two rebounds. Curry was 13 for 24 from the floor, and he made nine threes in 14 tries.

Andrew Wiggins had 16 points and six boards. Andrew made two threes. Eric Paschall, who led the charge in the fourth quarter, had 12 points and six boards. No other Warrior was in double figures. However, Damian Lee, Mychal Mulder, Brad Wanamaker, Kelly Oubre, Jr., and Kent Bazemore came through with big plays to help win the game.

The Warriors meet the Toronto Raptors Sunday night at the Chase Center. The game will start at 5:30 pm.

Clippers defense shuts down Curry and Warriors for 108-101 win

The Los Angeles Clippers Patrick Beverly (21) defends Golden State Warrior Stephen Curry (30) on Wed Jan 6, 2021 at Chase Center in San Francisco in their first of two meetings this week. (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors faced another team with aspirations to win the NBA championship this season. They had to face the Los Angeles Clippers coached by Tyron Lue. The Clips, still smarting from being eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs last year, wanted to show everyone that they are a title contender.

Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are the team leaders. Their game plan was not to let Stephen Curry get easy shots and shut him down from three-point range. Their game plan worked as Curry could not his game going at all.

The Clippers defense held Curry to 13 points. He made one three in six tries, and he was two-for-four from the free-throw line. It was tough to think that Curry could miss two free throws in a game, but it happened. The game was close until halfway through the fourth quarter when the Clippers pulled away to win 108-101.

Neither team put on an offensive show in the first quarter. The Warriors defense held the Clippers to 21 points. On most nights, the Warriors would be ecstatic with such a performance. However, on Wednesday night, the Warriors offense floundered as they put a measly 15 points on the board to trail 21-15 after the first 12 minutes of play. 

The Warriors offense woke up in the second quarter. They outscored the Clippers 36-31 to close within one point 52-51 at the half. Eric Paschall, relishing his role coming off the bench, helped the Warriors get close. 

In the third quarter, The Warriors came back to take the lead 61-60 for the first time in the game. The lead didn’t last long as Los Angeles finished the quarter with a six-point advantage 83-77. The Warriors fought back to tie the game at 93.

Draymond Green committed a flagrant foul to send Kawhi Leonard to the charity stripe for two free throws and possession of the ball. Leonard made both free throws and was fouled again. He made both free throws to put LA ahead 97-93. The Clippers then made three threes to make put them ahead 106-97. They held on to win 108-101.

Game Notes and Stats: With the loss, the Warriors are 4-4 for the year. The Clippers are 6-3. 

Andrew Wiggins and Eric Paschall led the Warriors with 19 points each. Wiggins was 8-for-12 from the floor, and he connected on two threes. Paschall’s 19 points were a season-high, and he has scored in double figures for the sixth straight game. James Wiseman had ten points and four rebounds. Steph finished with 13. No other Warrior was in double figures.

The teams meet Friday night again at the Chase Center. The game will start at 7 pm.

Sacramento Kings game recap: Kings can’t get even in range of Warriors in 137-106 loss

The Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry (30) totaled 30 points against the Sacramento Kings on Mon Jan 4, 2021 at Chase Center in San Francisco (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

The Sacramento Kings have faltered a bit of late. After starting the season 2-0, the Kings have lost three of the last four and had a record of 3-3 entering play on Monday night.

The Kings opponent on Monday was the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors, were coming off a win the day before against the Portland Trailblazers. In that game, star Point Guard Stephen Curry put on a show with a career high 62 points. The Kings were fortunate to be catching him on a different night. However, that does not mean he isn’t an intimidating threat and with that said the Kings drop their fourth game of the season at Golden State 137-106 on Monday night.

The Kings last game was against the Houston Rockets. The Kings lost two consecutive games to them as they look to find some consistency. Harrison Barnes has started the season off at career clips and was looking to be a factor in getting the Kings back on track.

In the first half of the game, the Warriors went up big in the first quarter. They outscored the Kings 37-20 as Curry put up 11 points. De’Aaron Fox had eight points to start the game. In the second quarter, the lead for the Warriors only continued to grow. The Warriors outscored the Kings 31-28 in the second quarter and entered halftime with a 20 point 68-48 lead.

In the second half, it didn’t get any better for the Kings. They were outscored in the third 32-27, and 37-31 in the fourth. The Warriors would continue to ride the wave to a 31 point drubbing of the Kings.  Curry led the way for the Warriors with 30 points. The Kings Harrison Barnes was the bright for the Kings scoring 18 points. The Kings as a group only shot 37.5% from the field. That is no way to attempt to win. The Kings will look to pick up the offensive pace and tighten up the defense in their next game.

Up next: The Kings will take on the Chicago Bills on Wednesday at 7 PM PST in Sacramento.

 

 

NBA podcast with Barbara Mason: Warriors looking to improve offense; Curry lights out as they face Kings tonight

Golden State Warriors Damion Lee (right) pours it on Stephen Curry (30) during their game against the Portland Trailblazers at Chase Center in San Francisco on Sun Jan 3, 2021 (AP News photo)

On the NBA podcast with Barbara:

#1 The Golden State Warriors who lost to Brooklyn and Milwaukee put some doubts in the minds of those who follow the team that they aren’t exactly the playoff bound team they were in years past. Then they got wins in Chicago and Detroit and lost a tough game to Portland on Saturday night.

#2 How tough is it for the Warriors to have to play three out of four games Saturday, Sunday and Monday it can take a lot out of a team.

#3 The Warriors Draymond Green says rookie center James Wiseman is going to be a formidable star in the league. Wiseman certainly has contributed a lot since joining Golden State.

#4 The Sacramento Kings are coming off a couple tough loses to the Houston Rockets. They lost to the Rockets on Thursday 122-119 on New Years eve and lost to them again on Saturday night 102-94. On Saturday the Rockets had four scorers in double figures and John Wall lead with 28 points.

#5 The Kings had five scorers in double figures on Saturday night but fell short of catching the Rockets. The Kings De’Aaron Fox led with 23 points, Harrison Barnes 19, and Buddy Hield with 17 points.

Join Barbara each Monday for Headline Sports at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NBA podcast with Barbara Mason Mon Jan 4, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

Curry’s 62 point effort leads Warriors to victory over Blazers 137-122

The Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry (30) is amped up after scoring one his buckets that later totaled 62 points in the Warriors win over the Portland Trailblazers on Sun Jan 3, 2021 at Chase Center in San Francisco (USA Today photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, who were blown out by the Portland Trail Blazers on New Year’s day, bounced back to win 137-122. Stephen Curry had one of his best games ever in his fantastic career. Curry knocked down a career-high 62 points in 36 minutes of action Sunday night. The two-time NBA MVP recorded his seventh-career 50-point plus game. 

The Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr had to think he saw the Warriors that won three NBA championships in five years. With Draymond Green back in the lineup, the Warriors excelled on defense.

Draymond also helped set up the offense as he was credited with eight assists. They moved the ball well, and that allowed Curry to make six threes in 12 tries. On defense, the Warriors outrebounded the Blazers 60-51.

They had four steals and seven blocks. The Warriors rookie sensation, James Wiseman, had his first career double-double. He kicked in with 12 points and eleven rebounds. The Blazers knocked 20 threes in Friday’s win over the Warriors. The Warriors’ defense held them to 14 Sunday night.

The Warriors, who were blown out in the first quarter Friday, wanted to get off to a good start Sunday night. The Blazers took an early 9-2 lead. Behind buckets by Curry, Kelly Oubre, Jr, and Andrew Wiggins, the Warriors rallied to tie the game.

Wiseman made a deuce, and Curry connected on a three to increase the lead to 17-12. The Blazers tied the game twice, 38, and 40 early in the second quarter. Eric Paschall made a bucket to put Golden Stae ahead 42-40.

Portland never regained the lead after that play. Curry, Wiggins, and Wiseman paced the Warrior attack from that point. The Warriors finished the first half with a 12 point lead 66-54. Curry scored 31 points to propel the Warriors into the lead.

The Warriors were able to keep the Blazers at bay in the third quarter. The Blazers’ all-star backcourt duo of Damian Lillard and C.J.McCollum started to connect on three-point shots. Steph Responded with threes of his own. The Warriors increased the lead to fourteen 97-83 at the end of the period. Curry had 45 at this point in the game. 

The Blazers did not wilt. Lillard and McCollum had the talent to bring the Blazers back from a 14-point deficit. Curry had other thoughts as he recorded 17 points in the final stanza. The Blazers closed the gap to seven 113-106. Curry, Wiggins, and Oubre all made baskets to prevent the Blazers from getting any closer. The Warriors were able to cruise to victory by a final of 137-122.

Game Notes and stats: Curry was the man Sunday night. As mentioned earlier, Curry finished with a career-high 62 points. He took 31 shots and made 18. He was six for 12 from behind the three-point arc.

The one sour note was that he missed a free throw to end his team-record 80 consecutive free throws. Draymond Green, playing in his second game of the season, looked like the Draymond of old.

He did not score very much, he recorded only one point, but he had three rebounds and eight assists. Andrew Wiggins had 21 points, seven boards, and two assists. Kelly Oubre had, perhaps, his best game as a Warrior. Oubre had 17 points and five rebounds. He was a force on both ends of the floor to help the Warriors to the win. Eric Paschall had ten points and three rebounds. Wiseman 12 points and 11 boards.

Damian Lillard paced the Blazers with 32 points. He made six threes. C.J.McCollum finished with 28 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. The Warriors’ defense held Josef Nurkic in check. Nurkic had seven points and six rebounds. The Blazers’ backup center, Enes Kanter, played very well. He had a double-double with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Carmelo Anthony had 10.

With the win, the Warriors are 3-3 for the year. The Blazers drop to 3-3. The Warriors meet the Sacramento Kings at the Chase Center Monday night. The game will start at 7 pm.

Blazers rout Warriors 123-98 on Golden State home floor

The Portland Trailblazers guard Damian Lillard (0) drives on the Golden State Warriors center James Wiseman (33). Lillard tied former Trailblazer Clyde Drexler for scoring 15,000 points career for the franchise. Lillard also scored 34 points to lead Portland in offense on Fri Jan 1, 2021 at Chase Center in San Francisco (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors, winners of two straight, returning home to face the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday, New Year’s Day, at the Chase Center behind one of the best backcourt duos in the NBA, the Blazers blew out the Warriors 123-98. 

Draymond Green was in the lineup Friday night. Green missed the first four games with a strained foot. His presence on the floor didn’t’ help much as Portland raced out to a 36-19 lead after the first 12 minutes of play.

The Blazers’ C.J.McCollum knocked down 16 points to get Portland off to a good start. He made four threes while his mates added five more in the quarter. The Warriors regrouped and played better in the second period.

TheWarriors outscored the Blazers 36-31 to finish the first half trailing 67-55. McCollum led the Blazers with 18. Damian Lillard had 13. Carmelo Anthony, coming off the bench, added 13 for Portland. Stephen Curry paced the Warriors within 12. Andrew Wiggins had ten, and Eric Paschall chipped in with nine.

The Warriors closed the gap to nine 76-67 early in the third quarter. The Blazers shifted into high gear and went on a 22-7 run to put the game away. They finished the third quarter with a 98-80 advantage.

The Blazers were in cruise control at the point in the game. The Warriors first unit was on the floor for most of the final stanza. The offense could not get anything going. The Blazers won by a final score of 123-98.

Game Notes and stats: The Warriors’ star rookie, James Wiseman, twisted his ankle with 3:21 left in the game. He was helped off the court, and the training staff taped and iced his ankle. The severity of the injury is not known at this time.

The Blazers’ trio of McCollum, Lillard, and Anthony put 80 points on the board. McCollum had 28, Lillard 36, and Anthony had 18. 

Steph led the Warriors with 26. Andrew Wiggins 15, Kelly Oubre 10, Eric Paschall 13.

The W’s shot 39.2% from the floor, the Blazers 43.5%. The Blazers made 20 threes. The Warriors made seven threes in 33 tries. 

The same two teams meet again Monday night at the Chase Center. The game will start at 5:30 pm.