Tag: Kevin Durant

Golden State Warriors Tuesday game wrap:The Warriors defeat the Miami Heat. It was not easy.

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By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, playing without Klay Thompson, faced a very determined Miami Heat team Tuesday Night at Oracle Arena. The Warriors downed the Heat 107-95 to improve the season record to 33-6. The Heat’s record dropped to 11-29.

The Warriors gave Klay Thompson the night off as they probably thought the Heat game would not be that difficult. Guess what?  The Heat got close about halfway through the fourth quarter, but the Warriors behind Steph Curry and Kevin Durantt were able to put the Heat away. The Heat is a team with professional basketball players.They have had a lot of injuries and lost Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade, but they are in the NBA, and a lowly team can beat an elite team on any given night. Warrior coach Steve Kerr said that he “gave them a lot of credit and that the team plays hard.” He also said that their center Hassan Whiteside “was a handful.” ” They are better than their record shows, and they don’t have enough firepower to win consistently,”

The Heat led the Dubs by 10 25-15 late in the first quarter. The Warriors woke up and tied the game at 27, but the Heat scored at the end of the period to lead 29-27 after the first 12 minutes of play. The Warriors had a 13-2 run to start the second quarter. But they went cold late in the quarter, and the Heat turned the tables on them as they went on a 15-6 run to take the lead 49-48.The Warriors tied the game at 51, but Patrick McCaw committed a foul on a three-point shot.The half ended with the Heat ahead by one-point 54-53.

The Warriors played fantastic defense in the third quarter and outscored the Heat 26-14 to take a 79-68 advantage. Kevin Durant paced the Dubs in scoring and KD and Draymond Green along with Andre Iguodala were superb on defense. The Dubs scored the first bucket in the fourth quarter to up the lead to thirteen. However, the Heat chipped away at the lead and close the gap to just three trailing 85-82. The Dubs scored the next five points. Ian Clark drained a three to put the Dubs up by seven 89-82. The Warriors pulled away to lead by 17 late in the game. They led 107-90 but the Heat scored the last 5 points of the contest. Warriors win 107-95.

The Stats- The Warriors shot 45.7% from the floor. Steph Curry led the Warriors with 24 points, 9 assists, and 8 rebounds. Steph also blocked a shot. KD led the team with 28 points. Draymond Green added 13 to go along with 5 assists, nine rebounds, and 2 blocked shots.Zaza Pachulia had 8. The bench players Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, and Ian Clark added 9, 8 and 10 respectively.The Warriors, who love to run, scored 34 fast break point. However, the Heat was able to score 58 points in the paint, and they held the Dubs to 36 in that department. The Heat’s center Hassan Whiteside was a force as he scored 28 points and snagged 20 rebounds.Goren Dragic knocked down 17 and Tyler Johnson, from Mountain View, pitched in with 18 points, 3 assists, and 7 rebounds. Janes Johnson helped the Heat cause with 14.

The Dubs were terrific on defense. They outrebounded the Heat 57-49. Golden State had 6 steals and seven blocks. The Dubs protected the ball and committed just 11 turnovers.

The Warriors meet the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night at Oracle Arena. Game time will be at 7:30 pm.

 

Golden State outruns the Kings 117-106 upping their win streak to 13 over SAC

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

 

Golden State Warriors v Sacramento Kings
Rudy Gay attacks the basket versus the Warriors Photo:NBAE

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Sacramento — The Golden State Warriors played their first game in the new Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Sunday night and found the new arena to their liking. The Warriors – who were coming off an overtime loss on Friday to Memphis – started the game slowly but recovered in the second half to post their 33rd victory of the season with a 117-106 win over the Sacramento Kings (15-22). The Kings have now lost three games in a row on this current homestand.

The Kings started the game with a high energy performance. Sacramento outscored the Warriors 33-24 in the first quarter behind a 15-point opening period barrage put on by Rudy Gay. Gay shot 6-for-8 from the floor including one 3-point basket. The Kings shot 54.2-percent (13-for-24) from the field and hit 4-of-10 shots from behind the 3-point line.

The Warriors began to work their way back into the game in the second quarter behind Klay Thompson’s 10 points. The Warriors won the second period 27-25 but the Kings went to halftime with a 58-51 lead having never trailed Golden State in the first 24 minutes of play.

The real Golden State Warriors showed up in the third quarter. The Warriors followed the lead of Stephen Curry who scored 12 points while shooting 5-for-7 including two 3-pointers in the period. Golden State hit 60-percent of their field goals (15-for-25) and 50-percent of 3-point tries (4-of-8) en route to outscoring the Kings 39-22 in the quarter. The Warriors defense also tightened up holding DeMarcus Cousins to just three points and limiting the Kings to a 31.3 field goal percentage. Golden State led 90-80 at the end of three quarters.

The Kings tried to mount a comeback in the fourth quarter but while they shot very well (57.1-percent 8-for-14) Sacramento was unable to put together any type of run which is what they needed to really cut into the Golden State lead. The Warriors defense did an impressive job of keeping DeMarcus Cousins from becoming a factor holding him to just four points and two rebounds in the final period.

Golden State sets more records

The Warriors have now gone 124 consecutive regular-season games without a back-to-back loss which is an NBA record. Golden State has now won their last 17 regular-season games after loss with their victory on Sunday.

The win was also the Warriors 13th consecutive victory over the Kings. That is Golden State’s longest active win streak over any opponent. This win streak is the fourth-longest active win streak against one opponent in NBA history.

Top performers

Rudy Gay was the Kings star of the game in his second start since coming of the injury list with a hip flexor problem. The major portion of Gay’s production came in the first half, but he had a strong overall performance in his 35-minutes of playing time. Gay scored 23 points, had two assists and added two blocked shots. He went 9-for-17 from the floor including two 3-point baskets.

While this may seem cold, the Kings management has to be pleased with Gay’s performance because it has to make his trade value increase. Gay has already declared that he is going to opt-out of the final year of his contract with Sacramento. Several teams including the OKC Thunder have been rumored to be interested in the veteran forward. The Kings cannot afford to let a player of Gay’s talent go and not get something in return.

Would it painful to see him go? Yes. Does it have to happen? Virtually every expert observer of the game says the Kings must get something in return for Gay.

Picking the top performer for Golden State is easy. I’m sorry … excuse my yawn. Yes, it’s Stephen Curry. Curry scored 30 points, had six assists and added two steals to his box score. The MVP shot 11-for-22 overall and 5-for-11 from 3-point land. Simply put, the man is just incredible.

Co-stars of the game

For the Kings, it has to be DeMarcus Cousins. He posted another double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. He also had five assists, two steals and two blocks in the game. Only Cousins could have line like this and have people say that he had an off-game. The Warriors defense did make it a very tough night for the Sacramento all-star center.

The Golden State defense gets the nod for their co-star of the game. When you can take DeMarcus Cousins out of the game, a defense has done something right. They used the double-team to perfection while still covering the potential open shooters and were very physical with Cousins. Zaza Pachulia proved he can hold his own down low against star centers.

Kevin Durant get honorable mention with 28 points, six assists and four blocked shots.

Key stats that made a difference in the game

  • Points in the paint: Warriors 52 Kings 36 – this is an area the Kings usually do not lose
  • 2nd chance points: Warriors 10 Kings 2 the next stat will explain this one
  • Rebounds: Warriors 46 (13 offense) Kings 31 (1 offense) another category the Kings do not lose
  • Fast break points: Warriors 28 Kings 3

Cousins technical foul

DeMarcus Cousins was called for a lose ball foul with 4:14 left to go in the first half of the game. As with most lose ball fouls, if you are a Warriors fan, it was a righteous call. If you are a Kings fan, it was a complete injustice.

Cousins thought it was a complete injustice. He let referee David Guthrie know what he thought of the call. Cousins then went to the bench and beat up a chair (Bobby Knight had to be so proud). Referee John Goble felt sorry for the chair and called a technical foul on Cousins – his 10th of the season. While not pretty, I am not sure the incident was worthy of a “tech”.

chair-gsw
Cousins vs the chair Video capture from CSN

There was a feeling by some observers that Cousins play was still affected by the incident into the third quarter. His coach Dave Joerger did not agree. Joerger felt it was a combination of a strong Golden State defensive scheme and fatigue that influenced Cousins production in the second half.

Up next on the schedule

The Kings head back to the court on Tuesday when they will host the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons beat the Trail Blazers 125-124 in double-overtime on Sunday.

The Warriors will also go back to work on Tuesday when they will host the Miami Heat.

The Warriors rebound from the loss to the Grizzlies as they defeat the Sacramento Kings 117-106

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Sacramento- The Golden State Warriors traveled the I-80 to Sacramento Sunday night to face the Kings at the new Golden 1 Arena. The Warriors, still smarting from their stunning loss to Memphis Friday night, did not get off to a good start against the Kings. The Kings, behind red-hot Rudy Gay and Ty Lawson, led the Warriors by 16  two-thirds of the way in the second quarter. The Kings’ big man, DeMarcus Cousins committed his third foul with 4:14 left in the half. Cousins came out of the game. As he went to the bench, he lost his temper and pounded his chair. He was charged with a technical foul.The Warriors started to play defense and were able to cut the deficit to 7 as they trailed 58-51 at the end of 24 minutes of play.

The Warriors, as they have done so may times this season, owned the third quarter. They started the period with a 19-7 run and took the lead for the first time with 7:34 left in the quarter. They outscored the Kings 39-22 to finish the third quarter leading 90-80. The Dubs, behind the superb defensive skills of Draymond Green, Kevin Durant, and Andre Iguodala, did not let the Kings back into the game. The Warriors outscored the Kings 27-26 and won the game by a final score of 117-106.

Game Notes- Steph Curry led the Dubs with 30 points. Steph made 5  3-point shots and had 6 assists and 4 rebounds. Steph has now scored 30 or more points in his last 3 games. Kevin Durant knocked down 28 to go along with six assists, 7 rebounds, and 4 blocked shots. Zaza Pachulia scored 10, and it was his fourth straight game in double figures. Draymond Green had 10 assists for the 12th time this season and the third time in his last four games.  Draymond kicked in with nine points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots. Andre Iguodala posted 8 points, 5 assists, and 7 rebounds. The Warriors had 30 assists in a game for the 26th time this season. The Kings had six players in double figures. Rudy Gay had 23, DeMarcus Cousins 17, Anthony Tolliver 16, Darren Collison 14, Garrett Temple 14, and Ty Lawson 15.

The Warriors shot 50.6% from the floor and made 10 3-point shots. They Warriors outrebounded the Kings 46-31 and had 13 offensive rebounds. The Dubs blocked 6 shots and had 11 steals.They turned the ball over 17 times, and the Kings were able to score 24 points off those turnovers. The Dubs excelled in the paint as they scored 52 points. They also outscored Sacramento 28-3 in fast break points.

The Warriors defeated the Kings for the 13th straight time. The last time the Kings beat the Dubs was March 27th, 2013 and the last time the Dubs lost in Sacramento was on December 19th, 2012. The Warriors have now played 124 games without back-to-back losses.

The Warriors return home to face the Miami Heat Tuesday night at Oracle Arena. Game time is at 7:30 pm. They play the Detroit Pistons Thursday night at Oracle and then meet the Cleveland Cavaliers Monday Night January 16th (Martin Luther King Day) at 5:00 pm.The game will be on National TV.

The Portland Trailblazers give the Warriors a very tough battle, however, the Warriors do not lose 125-117

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The Golden State Warriors had their hands full with the visiting Portland Trailblazers Wednesday night at the Oracle Arena. The Blazers were missing Damian Lillard who was unable to play due to an ankle injury. The Dubs beat the Blazers by 45 points the last time they were in town on  December 17th. With Lillard out, people were predicting the Dubs would pulverize the Blazers again. Not so fast, the Blazers, behind C.J.McCollum’s 26 points in the first half led Portland to a two-point lead 71-69. The Dubs defense shut down McCollum in the second half, and they were able to come back and beat the Blazers 125-117.

The Warriors and Blazers were scorching hot in the first and second quarters. The Dubs led by six 40-34 at the end of the first quarter. The Warriors increased the lead to 13, but Portland owned the last 7 minutes of the second quarter as they finished the half with a flurry and outscored the Dubs by eight points 37-29 to give them the 2-point lead at the end of the half. Both Teams were on pace to score 140 points in the game. McCollum was hot as he scored 26 and hit several 3-point shots. He had help from Allen Crabbe who scored 14 and Maurice Harkless who added 8. Evan Turner, coming off the bench, scored 7 for the Blazers. Kevin Durant led the Dubs with 21 and Steph Curry pitched in with 16. Klay Thompson had 7, and Zaza Pachulia knocked down nine.The Dubs turned the ball over 8 times, and that helped the Blazers overcome the 13 point deficit and get back into the game.

The Blazers increased the lead to  74-70 early in the third quarter. That would be the last lead the Blazers would own. Kevin Durant scored two buckets in a row on passes from Draymond Green to tie the score. Zaza Pachulia made a deuce, and Steph Curry followed with a trey, and Golden State led 79-74. The Warrior defense held Portland to just 21 points in the third quarter, and the Dubs were able to end the quarter with a 7-point advantage 99-92. Draymond Green missed much of the third quarter as he was saddled with four personal fouls. Draymond picked up his fifth foul early in the fourth quarter. Draymond played his usual tough defense and did not foul out. The Warriors increased the lead to 13, but Portland refused to quit. They cut the lead to six 113-107. Draymond made a terrific pass to Shaun Livingston who put it in to increase the lead to 8. On the next play, Draymond blocked a shot, and Steph Curry made a three to up the lead to 11 119-107. Time ran out on the Blazers as they just couldn’t catch the Warriors. KD made a steal, then ran the length of the court for a layup and drew a foul. The Dubs sealed the win with that play.Final score 125-117 for the Warriors.

Game Notes- The Warriors won their ninth straight game at home. Steph Curry was the Curry of old as he made shots from everywhere and anywhere. He made 5 3-pointers and ended the game with 35. Kevin Durant scored 30. Klay Thompson added 14. Draymond Green had 9 points,11 assists, seven rebounds and one big blocked shot. Ian Clark, Shaun Livingstone, Andre Iguodala, and David West all made huge contributions to help the Dubs prevail. The Warriors shot 50.6% from the field and made 13 3-point shots. They were terrific on defense as they had 14 steals and 9 blocked shots. The Dubs continue to lead the NBA in those two categories. The Dubs committed 19 turnovers and that allowed the Blazers to score 21 points. The Dubs, however, scored 30 fast break points and knocked down 48 in the paint. The Dubs defense held Portland to just 46 points in the second half, and they held C.J.McCollum to nine. Portland had six players in double figures. All five starters and Evan Turner off the bench.

The Warriors season record improved to 31-5 and Portland drops to 15-22. The Warriors face the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night at Oracle Arena. The Grizzlies beat the Dubs in Memphis on December 10th, and the Warriors will be looking to avenge that loss on Friday. Game time is at 7:30 pm.

The Warriors also announced that the ground-breaking ceremony for the new Chase Center Arena in San Francisco will take place on January 17th. The Warriors expect the arena to be ready for the start of the 2019-2020 season.

 

The Warriors and Denver Nuggets play a very fast paced game in W’s win 127-119

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors and the Denver Nuggets played a very entertaining and fast-paced game Monday night at Oracle Arena. The Nuggets, behind the great play of their three big men Nikola Jokic, Jusuf Nurkic, and Danilo Gallinari, stayed close to the Dubs for most of the game. The Warriors ha six players in double figures and Draymond Green had his second triple-double of the season. Ian Clark was hot in the first half, and Shaun Livingston made three big baskets down the stretch to doom the Nuggets  Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Kevin Durant all scored more than twenty points in the game and the Warriors are now 12-0 for the season when that happens. As a result, the Warriors were able to down a very determined Denver Nugget team 127-119.

Both teams played a very high scoring first quarter as evidenced by the fact that each team shot over 60% from the floor, The lead changed hands several times in the quarter, but the Dubs finished the first 12 minutes of play leading 35-33.  Steph, Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Zaza Pachulia and Ian Clark led the team in scoring. The Dubs increased the lead to four at the half when KD hit a 3-point shot as the buzzer sounded. The Warriors couldn’t put Denver into its dust. The Dubs tried, but the Nuggets kept coming back. They Nuggets tied the game at 51, but the Warriors were able to go up by six 62-56. The Nuggets closed the gap to just one 65-64, but Durant’s 3-pointer at the buzzer put the Warriors ahead by 4. Kevin Durant led the Dubs with 13.

Zaza Pachulia added 9, Klay had 12 and Steph tallied 11. Ian Clark, coming off the bench scored 12. Clark is getting more playing time, and his confidence has soared as he has become an instant offense for Golden State when he comes into the game. Jokic had 8 for Denver. Greg Harris had 7, and Wilson Chandler knocked down 6. Gallinari, who is six feet 10 inches tall scored 11. Jusuf Nurkic and Will Barton, coming off the bench, tallied nine apiece for the Nuggets.

The Dubs, who usually go on a tear in the third quarter to put away their opponent, were not able to do that to the Nuggets. They did outscore the Nuggets by five to increase the lead to 9 at the end of the period, but it was not easy. The Dubs were leading by 6 points 86-80 when Steph Curry scored 2 buckets and 2 free throws. Draymond Green also made 2 free throws, and the Dubs enjoyed a 14-point lead which was the biggest lead of the night. The Nuggets scored the next 5 points and trailed by just nine heading into the fourth quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the Warriors led by 15 late in the quarter. Shaun Livingston made three big buckets to help propel the Dubs to that advantage. The Nuggets kept coming back. With the score 121-111, the Warriors failed to score on three trips to the basket. The Nuggets closed the gap to six. The key play to seal the win was made by Draymond Green. Draymond not only fought for an offensive rebound but was able to make a layup to put the Warriors up by eight. Each team scored another basket, and the Warriors won again 127-119.

Game notes- the Warriors big tree of Klay Thompson, Steph Curry had 25, 22, and 21 points respectively. The Warriors had good ball movement again as they tallied 33 assists in the game. Denver also moved the ball well, and they recorded 33 assists too. The Warriors shot 52.6% from the floor and held Denver to 47.5%. The Dubs made 11 3-point shots in 15 attempts while Denver was 9-for-35 in that department. The Warriors turned the ball over 13 times which pleased coach Steve Kerr. Denver also took care of the ball as the committed just 14 turnovers in the game.  The Warriors scored 22 fast break points and had 56 points in the paint.

Denver had 60 points in the paint for the game. The Warrior defense had trouble with Denver’s big men, but Steve Kerr said the “we started defending well the last five minutes of the second quarter.  Draymond Green scored 15 points to go along with 13 assists and 10 rebounds for his second consecutive game with a triple-double. Green was a force on the floor all night, and he made two huge rebounds that helped secure the win for Golden State. Jokic and Chandler led Denver with 21 points each. Gallinari had 19, Nurkic 15, Barton 14, and Harris 11.

After the game, Kerr said that “Denver changed their style a little bit.” Coach Mike Malone, a former Warrior assistant coach, and former Sacramento Kings head coach, removed Nurkic from the starting lineup and has him coming off the bench. Chandler replaced him in the starting lineup. The Warrior’s bench player scored 33 points in the game, and Kerr said ” the bench was the key to the game.” they had to be good as the Denver bench outscored them 39-33.

The Warriors won their 30th game of the season and are now 30-5. Denver, a team that had won 5 of their last 8, falls to 14-19.

The Warriors resume play Wednesday night against the Portland Trailblazers at Oracle Arena. Game time will be at 7:30 pm. It will be the third meeting of the year between the two teams, and the Blazers will be trying to avenge the 45  point loss the last time the played the Dubs in Oakland on December 17th.

 

 

 

 

 

The Warriors cruise to victory over the Dallas Mavericks 108-99

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The Golden State Warriors defeated the Dallas Mavericks Friday night at Oracle Arena 108-99. The Mavs, making their second visit to Oakland, did not have former Warrior Andrew Bogut in uniform. Mavs’ coach Rick Carlisle decided to rest Bogut after he played las night in Los Angeles. The other former Warrior, Harrison Barnes, was in uniform and he led the Mavs in scoring with 25 points.

The two teams played a very even first quarter. The game was tied at 29 after the first 12 minutes of play. The Dubs took the lead for good in the second quarter. They played a very methodical quarter as they ended the half leading 59-48. The Dubs were rebounding well, and they scored 15 points using the fast break. The core four of Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson all were instrumental in leading the Dubs to the 11-point advantage at the half 59-48. The Dubs shot 54% from the floor, the had 17 assists and just 4 turnovers. They also outscored the Mavs in the paint 24-12.

The Dubs, behind Klay Thompson’s 17 points in the third quarter, increased the lead to 22 91-69. Thompson was in one of his patented “zones, Nowitzki” and his teammates were finding him as often as they could. However, the fourth quarter, as has been the case the last two games, was ugly. The Mavs outscored the Dubs 30-17 but could not overcome the 22 point deficit. The Dubs scored just 7 points in the last 7minutes and 11 seconds of the game. They did not score a point in the last 3:32. Warriors win 108-99

Game Notes- Kevin Durant recorded his first triple-double of the season. He scored 19 to go along with 10 assists and 11 rebounds. Klay Thompson led the Dubs with 29. Draymond Green pitched in with 13 points, seven assists, and eight boards. Steph Curry finished the night with 14.  The Warriors’ bench players made significant contributions, too. JaVale McGee and David West each scored 8 points. Ian Clark had seven and Shaun Livingston knocked down six. The Mavs were led by Harrison Barnes 25 pointNowitzki, in his 19th season had eleven and Deron Williams also scored eleven. Neither player scored in the second half. Wesley Matthews had 14, Seth Curry 11 and former Stanford Cardinal standout, Dwight Powell pitched in with 10. Most of Powell’s scores came in the fourth quarter and almost got the Mavs back into the game.

The Warriors improve to 29-5, the best record in the NBA. The Mavs fall to 10-24.

After the game when asked about his performance, Klay Thompson said that he was “being patient, trying to get a great shot.” He also said this about his team:”we moved the ball well and we shared the ball well.” Klay answered this when asked about Kevin Durant. “He does everything great. He is huge for us.”

The Warriors meet the Denver Nuggets on Monday, January 2nd at Oracle Arena at 7:30 pm.

 

The Warriors bounce back, take down the Toronto Raptors

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By Jerry Feitelberg

Still smarting after a one-point loss at the hands of the reigning NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers on Christmas Day, the Golden State Warriors (28-6) returned home to face the second-best team in the East, the Toronto Raptors (22-9). Trying to establish themselves as an elite team, the Raptors trailed by as few as five points in the fourth quarter, but the Warriors’ shot-blocking defense proved too much for Toronto in a 121-111 Golden State win.

The Warriors ran the Raptors off the court in the first quarter. The Warriors scored 42 points and held Toronto to just 17. Klay Thompson led the Dubs with 12, but Steph Curry and Kevin Durant also contributed. Toronto won the second quarter as they closed the gap to just five trailing 56-51. The Raptors outscored the Dubs 21-6 in the first eight minutes of play but Golden State was able to get back on track as they increased the lead to 17 at the end of the first half 72-55. The Warriors shot a blistering 74.4% from the field in the half. Toronto was held to just 37%. Toronto, however, took fifteen more shots than the Dubs to stay close. Demar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry, and Terrence Ross, off the bench, scored 49 of Toronto’s  55 points.

The teams played even in the third quarter as Golden State maintained its 17 point lead. The play of the game came when Steph Curry made a behind the back pass to Klay Thompson. Thompson then made a three-point shot from the corner that lit up the crowd. The fourth quarter was an entirely different story. The Raptors played defense and held the Warriors to just 17 points in the quarter. The Dubs led Cleveland by 14, and they blew the lead and lost. The Dubs must have been thinking it was deja vu all over again when the woke up to play great defense and regrouped after Toronto closed to within five 114-109 with 3:01 left in the game. The Dubs held them at bay and won by ten 121-111.

Game Notes- The star of the night was Kevin Durant. Durant scored 22 points but was a monster on defense as he had 17 rebounds and five blocked shots. Draymond Green had a double-double with 14 points and 10 assists to go along with six rebounds and 2 blocked shots. Klay had 21 and Steph led the team with 28. Steph had 7 assists and 7 rebounds. Ian Clark with 9, Andre Iguodala added 11 and Zaza Pachulia knocked down 8. The Warriors had 33 assists in the game to go along with 4 steals and 10 blocks. The one negative was the 20 turnovers that allowed the Raptors to stay close. The Raptors were led by DeMar DeRozan’s 29, Kyle Lowry’s 27 points and 11 assists, DeMarre Carroll’s 13 and Terrence Ross’ 24. The Warriors extended their NBA record to 119 consecutive games without back to back losses.

The Warriors improve to 28-5 while Toronto drops to 22-9. After the game, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said he thought this about the game:”between the turnovers and offensive rebounds, it was a strange first half and a strange game overall.” He said “there was a lot of energy to start the game’ and that “we needed it as we couldn’t sustain the pace.” Rhen asked about the 20 turnovers, Kerr said”twenty was too many. We gotta clean that up.” He thought Steph was great:”he had the ball quite a bit. Had a great game.” However, Kerr was not happy that the game nearly got out of hand and said “we had a lot of bad possessions down the stretch. It could have been worse but as someone once said: “all’s well that ends well.”

The Warriors play the Dallas Mavericks Friday night at Oracle Arena. Former Warriors Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut will be aiming to upset their ex-mates on Friday. Game time will be at 7:30 pm.

The two best teams slug it out on Christmas day in Cleveland. It’s a lump of coal for the Dubs

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Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James, right, hugs Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry before an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2016, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

by Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors had this game marked on their calendar since last June 19th when they lost game 7 and the NBA Championship to the Cavaliers. Losing a game in a regular season hurts but not as much as in the playoffs. The Dubs really wanted to beat Cleveland Sunday and it looked like that was a strong possibility as the Dubs led by 14 94-80 early in the fourth quarter. The Cavs went on a 14-1 run to trail by three. The Dubs were just not able to put the game away. Steph Curry made a three-point shot to put them ahead 108105 with 1:14 left in the game. The Dubs did not score again and Cleveland, behind Kyrie Irving’s bucket with 3.4 seconds left, won the game for Cleveland 109-108.

The game was a thriller from start to finish. The Dubs led most of the way, but the Cavs kept coming back. The Dubs’ biggest lead until the fourth quarter was 49-38 in the second quarter, but the Cavs went on a 12-1 run and trailed by three 55-52 at the half. Draymond Green was called for two fouls in the first three minutes of the first quarter. He also was called for his 7th technical of the year when he complained to the refs that he was kicked by a Cleveland player. They didn’t listen, and Draymond had to sit out the entire first quarter.

Kevin Durant led the Warrior attack with twelve in the first 12 minutes of play. LeBron James had 6, Kevin Love 7, and Kyrie Irving 5 to lead Cleveland. The Dubs led by two 27-25 at the end of the quarter.  Klay Thompson started to score in the second quarter. Klay hit 2 3-point shots, and Steph had one.

The Dubs led by 11, but Cleveland went on a 12-1 run to tie the game at 50. Zaza Pachulia scored a deuce and KD hit a three. Cleveland score and the half ended with the Warriors up by three. KD Led the Dubs with 17, Klay had 13 and Steph was held to 6 points by the Cavaliers’ DeAndre Liggins. Lebron James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love and Channing Frye were the leading scorers for the Cavs. The Dubs shot 46.2% from the floor, and they held the Cavs to 33.3%. However, the Cavs had more rebounds, especially on offense, and took more shots and were able to stay close.

The Warriors continued to hold the lead in the third quarter. Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson all played well in the quarter. The Cavs’ LeBron James scored 16, but the Dubs were able to increase the lead to 87-80 at the end of the third quarter. The Dubs went on a 7-0 run to start the final stanza and were up by 14 when things started going south.

The Cavs continued to chip away at the lead and finally tied the game at 105 late in the quarter. Curry hit a three but, perhaps the key play was a Klay Thompson 3-point shot that was waved off by the refs as the 24-second shot clock expired. Had the shot counted the Dubs would have won but as mentioned earlier, they lost.

Game Notes- The Dubs fall to 27-5 while Cleveland improves to 23-6. Kevin Durant was fantastic for Golden State with 36 points, 3 assists, and 15 rebounds. Klay Thompson added 24. Draymond had 16 point, 4 assists, and 4 rebounds. Steph Curry was held to 15. He did make 2  3-poin shots, and the one he made late in the game almost won the Dubs the game.The Warriors committed 19 turnovers while Cleveland did better holding on to the ball as they lost it just 12 times.

The Warriors return home to face the Toronto Raptors Wednesday night at Oracle Arena. Game time will be at 7:30 pm.

 

The Warriors and Pistons go at it tooth and nail in Detroit. Golden State hangs on to win

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Detroit- The Warriors and Pistons duked it out Friday night at the Palace of Auburn Hills.The game was highly competitive and thrilling from start to finish as the Dubs won their seventh game in a row 119-113 over the Detroit Pistons.

Last year in Detroit, the Pistons beat the Dubs and were hoping to upset the Warriors’ apple cart once again. Didn’t happen as the Warriors were just a little bit better on offense and defense in the last two minutes of the game and were able to record the win. Warrior defensive star, Draymond Green, played just 24 hours after returning to the Bay Area to be with his newborn son on Thursday.

The Warriors led by one 33-32 after the first quarter. The biggest lead was seven, but Detroit went on a 9-0 run and took the lead 24-23. JaVale McGee scored four and Steph Curry had two 3-point shots in the stanza. The Pistons outscored Golden State 27-24 in the second quarter. The Warriors were ahead by four 47-43 when they suddenly couldn’t make a field goal. They went over four minutes in the quarter without a bucket and that allowed the Pistons to regain the lead. The Dubs trailed by four when Steph hit another 3-pointer to trail by one 52-51, but Detroit would come back, and score and the half ended with Detroit in the lead by two points 59-57.

The Warriors, who usually own the third quarter, did not break the game open. They did outscore Detroit by six and led 88-84 at the end of the quarter, but the outcome of the game was still in doubt. JaVale McGee was one of the key players for the Dubs in the quarter. McGee scored nine of his fifteen points in the quarter, and that helped Golden State regain the lead.

The Pistons, at one point in the quarter, fell behind by eight but they would not fold as they came back to trail by four at the close of three. The Pistons and Dubs slugged it out in the final quarter. The Dubs fell behind 91-90 but went ahead by three 102-99. Detroit clawed back and led 104-102. Steph Curry made a layup to tie the game at 104.

Steph made a three to make it 107-14, but Detroit scored the next four points and led 108-107. Kevin Durant hit a three to regain the lead 110-108. Detroit came back and tied the game at 110 with just one minute and forty seconds left to play. The Dubs took the lead for good when Draymond Green made a slam as he was all alone on the weak side and was able to walk in uncontested.

Klay Thompson made a bucket to put the Dubs up 114-110 with 53.2 seconds left in the contest. Detroit scored a deuce, but Klay hit a three and the Warriors led by five 117-112 with 22.1 seconds left. The Warriors could have iced the game then and there but they turned the ball over on an inbound pass the bounced off Kevin Durant’s hands. The Dubs fouled Andre Drummond, and he made just one free throw. The Pistons fouled Steph, and he iced the game with two free throws with just 2 seconds to play. Dubs win 119-113

Game Notes- The Warriors played a very sloppy game as they committed twenty-three turnovers that nearly cost them the game. Detroit scored thirty-three points off the turnovers. The Dubs, however, did play well on defense. They had 41 rebounds, nine steals, and two blocked shots. They also moved the ball well as they had another game with over 30 assists(35 to be exact).

Kevin Durant led the Dubs in scoring with 32 points in 31 minutes of action. Durant had three assists and 8 boards. Draymond Green had another double-double. Green had 12 assists, ten rebounds, 1 blocked shot and just five points in Friday’s game. Steph had 25 points, 8 assists, and 3 rebounds. Klay Thompson had seventeen, but he had two key buckets in the fourth quarter.

JaVale McGee, continuing to improve, had a season-high 15 points. Zaza Pachulia, who had a season-high 15 points against Brooklyn, scored seven and had 7 boards. Ian Clark, David West had six each while Shaun Livingston and Andre Iguodala each had 4. Golden State shot a blistering 55.8% from the floor. The Pistons shot well, too, as they shot 50.6% Leading scoring for Detroit was Tobias Harris, coming off the bench, with 26. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 25. Reggie Jackson knocked down 17, and big Andre Drummond added 15. The Warriors are now 27-4 for the year and Detroit drops to 14-18.

After the game, Steve Kerr had this to say about the team’s performance:”I think there were some good things at the end.” He was not pleased about the “23 turnovers and a lot of careless defense.” He thought the Warriors performance at the end of the game “was a good way to finish but not a good performance overall.”

The Warriors are on their way to Cleveland to face the Cavaliers for the first time since game 7 of the NBA Finals last June. The Cavaliers will be without J.R.Smith who injured his wrist and will be out for a while. Nonetheless, the Warriors will have to still contend with LeBron James, Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving and company.  The game will be played on Christmas Day at 11:30 am.

The Warriors come from behind to beat the Brooklyn Nets

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Brooklyn, New York – The Golden State Warriors, without star defensive ace Draymond Green who returned to the Bay Area Thursday for the birth of his son, rallied from a sixteen-point halftime deficit to down the Brooklyn Nets 117-101.

The game was very competitive in the first quarter as the Nets led 34-33 at the end of the first twelve minutes. The Nets behind big Brook Lopez and point guard Jeremy Lin drove the lane and were able to score as the Dubs were not playing any defense at all. The Nets owned the second quarter as they outscored the Dubs 31-16 and led by sixteen at the half. The Warriors could not stop Brook Lopez as he tallied 23 in the half. The Warriors went cold late in the quarter and were able to score just 4 points in the last 4 minutes and 44 seconds of play in the half. Brooklyn led 65-49. The Nets started the second quarter on a 9-0 run, and they looked like they were going to upset the best team in the NBA.

However, teams have to play four quarters to win the game. The Nets may have won the first half but the Warriors, behind the stellar play of Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Zaza Pachulia, and Steph Curry were no match for the Warriors. The Dubs played defense. They lead the NBA in steals and blocked shots, and they did exactly that as they held the Nets to nineteen in the third quarter and seventeen in the fourth. The Warriors forced the Nets to commit twenty-six turnovers. The Warriors had nineteen steals and seven blocked shots as they showed Brooklyn how good they are. The Dubs outscored Brooklyn 39-19 to take a four-point lead after three and by sixteen in the fourth to win 117-101.

Game Notes- The Warriors improve to 26-4 for the year while Brooklyn drops to 7-21. Kevin Durant led Golden State with 26 points,7 assists, and nine rebounds. He also blocked a shot. Klay Thompson knocked down 23, Steph 15, and Zaza Pachulia had a double-double. Zaza had a season-high 15 points to go along with 14 boards. Quite a performance. David West led the bench scoring with ten, and he blocked two shots. Ian Clark and Andre Iguodala added 8 each. Iguodala snagged six rebounds. The Dubs shot 45.2% from the floor, and they made twelve 3-point shots. They also had good ball movement as they recorded twenty-nine assists.

After the game, Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr said the players’ “intensity in the third got us going.” The Warriors started the period with a 17-2 run. “That changed the game.”He also said:”I didn’t expect to be down sixteen at the half, but I knew they(Brooklyn) would come out and give us a hell of a fight.” He remarked that the “transition defense in the first half was horrible and that no matter who you play, you have to defend” The Warriors did just that in the second half as they came back from the sixteen-point deficit to record the 26th win of the year.

The Warriors play the Pistons in Detroit Friday night. Game time is at 4:30 pm. The Warriors then play the Cleveland Cavaliers Sunday in Cleveland. Game time for the big game is at 11:30 am.