Tag: Kevin Durant

The Warriors shine on defense beat the Jazz by 30 104-74

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The game between the Dubs and the Utah Jazz was billed as a contest between a great offense and a great defense. The Warriors have the best offense and the Jazz the best defense in the NBA. The Jazz held the Memphis Grizzlies to just 73 the other night were 11-2 since November 21st. The Jazz came from 25 down when they played the Warriors earlier in Utah, and they almost beat them, and they were missing four starters. However, after a very, very slow start, the Warriors were able to stop the Jazz offense cold and beat them by thirty 104-74. The Jazz style of play which is to use as much of the 24-second clock as possible and to prevent the Dubs from using the fast break seemed to favor them in the early going. Every time the Warriors appeared to be getting control of the game, Utah coach Quin Snyder would call a timeout. The strategy worked for a while, but once the Warriors opened up a double-digit lead, it became impossible for the Jazz to catch up.

Neither team started well in the first quarter. No one could hit a bucket. The Dubs led 4-2 with just about half the first quarter played. The Warriors played better in the last six minutes of the quarter as Steph Curry led the offense with seven points and the Warriors held the Jazz to just fifteen as the quarter ended with Golden State leading 19-15.

The Warriors owned the second quarter. They continued to play great defense as they caused the Jazz to commit 13 turnovers in the half and the Dubs had seven steals. The game was still close 26-21 when the Dubs put it into gear and outscored the Jazz 29-10 to end the second quarter ahead by 24 points 55-31. Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Steph Curry were all in double figures.

The Warriors put the game away in the third quarter. The Big Four of Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Steph Curry, and Draymond Green were just too much for the Jazz. Backup center JaVale McGee scored two buckets on lobs from Draymond and Patrick McCaw. McGee made a layup for another bucket, and he made a great pass to Draymond to pick up an assist. Steph hit a couple of threes, but the big play was a dunk by Draymond after he made a steal at the other end of the court. The Dubs led 82-54 at the end of three.

Kevin Durant played a few minutes of the fourth quarter but Steve Kerr removed him from the game, and the reserves went the rest of the way. The Warriors committed just four turnovers in the first three-quarters of play, but the bench got a little sloppy and made six in the fourth quarter. It didn’t matter as the Jazz were too far behind to catch up as the Warrior defense was superb and the Warriors were able to put the game in the win column 104-74.

Game Notes- The Warriors, with the win, improved the season record to 25-4 while the Jazz drops to 18-11. Steph Curry had 25 points, KD followed with 23, Klay Thompson had 17 and 5 boards. Draymond Green had another double-double as he had 15 points to go along with 4 assists and eleven rebounds. JaVale McGee scored eight and had seven rebounds off the bench. Rudy Gobert was the only Jazz starter in double figures with eleven. Gobert was a monster on the boards as he pulled down sixteen. Joe Johnson, off the bench, led Utah with 14. Joe Ingles and Trey Lyles each had 11.

The Warriors go East for a three-game road trip. They meet the Brooklyn Nets in Brooklyn Thursday night at 4:30 pm. They travel to Detroit for another back-to-back game Friday night against the Pistons. Game time will be at 4:30 pm. The Warriors then travel to face the LeBron James, Kevin Love and the rest of the Cleveland Cavaliers for the first time since the devastating loss in Game & at the Oracle Arena last June. The game will be on Christmas Day and will be on national television. This is a game that should be on every fan’s calendar.Game time will be at 11:30 am.

 

 

The Warriors, behind Kevin Durant, overwhelm the Portland Trailblazers

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- Kevin Durant hit his first shot, a three-pointer, to put the Dubs up 3-0. They never, ever trailed in the game as they blew out the Blazer by forty-five points 135-90 at the Oracle Arena Saturday night before another sellout crowd. The Dubs won all phases of the game. They shot 58.6% from the floor. They held the Blazers to 39.5%. They had another game with more than 30 assists. They finished with 36. They outrebounded the Blazers 66 to 36. The Dubs bench led by Ian Clark’s career-high twenty-three and JaVale McGee’s eleven were too much for Portland to handle.

In the first quarter, Durant and Steph Curry each had thirteen points. The Dubs made five three-point shots, including one by Ian Clark to end the first quarter on a 15-6 run to go up by eighteen 39-21. The Dubs outscored the Blazers 31-24 in the second quarter. Kevin Durant scored eight more in the quarter to finish the half with twenty-one. Klay Thompson had eleven and bench players Andre Iguodala, David West, Shaun Livingstone all contributed to the Dubs taking a twenty-five point lead at the half 70-45.

The third quarter belonged to the Dubs. They had it all going for the. They scored thirty-eight points on offense and held Portland to twenty-seven as they increased the lead to thirty-six 108-72. Kevin Durant was hot all night long he scored thirty-four points in just thirty-one minutes of action. He made eleven buckets on thirteen attempts. JaVale McGee scored nine points in seven minutes of action. He made three dunks on lobs and had a bucket on an offensive rebound and a foul shot. He finished the game with eleven. Steph Curry made a three-pointer as the buzzer sounded to end the quarter. Dubs lead 108-72

Steve Kerr removed all the starters from the game. Ian Clark, Shaun Livingstone, JaVale McGee, Andre Iguodala, David West, Patrick McCaw James Michael McAdoo, and Kevon Looney all played in the quarter. The Dubs reserves outscored the Blazer reserves 27-18 to give the Dubs the win 135-90.

Game Notes- The Dubs had five players in double figures Saturday night. KD had a double-double with thirty-four points, eleven rebounds plus 4 assists and one blocked shot. Steph had nineteen to go along with six assists and three rebounds. Klay had sixteen, Ian Clark 23 and McGee 11. Draymond Green had a double-double, too. He had thirteen assists with twelve boards and just three points. The Blazers were led by Damian Lillard’s twenty points. Maurice Harkness added 17, C.J.McCollum 10, and Allen Crabbe 9.

The Dubs improved their record for the season to 24-4 while the Blazers, who have lost seven of the last eight, drop to 13-16. The Dubs are off for two days but return to action Tuesday night against the Utah Jazz at the Oracle Arena. Game time will be at 7:30 pm.The Dubs will be handing on Nate Thurmond Bobbleheads for the first 10,000 fans. Thurmond, who is basketball’s Hall of Fame, Passed away earlier this year and the Warriors remember him as they wear his number 42 on their uniforms every game this year.

 

The Warriors hold off the Utah Jazz to win again

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Salt Lake City- The Golden State Warriors, playing the third game in four days and the second in the last two days, downed the Utah Jazz 106-99. The Jazz, playing with five players out with injuries, fell behind early and trailed by nineteen at the half, rallied to outplay the Dubs in the second half but fell short. The Jazz love to slow the pace of the game and try to get opposing teams out of rhythm. The Dubs, on the other hand, run the court and enjoy it when they get good ball movement and get players open for shots.

The Warriors played their style in the first half. The Jazz scored the first two buckets of the game to lead 4-0. TheWarriors then went on an amazing 26-1 run to lead 35-17 after one-quarter. Steph Curry made two 3-pointers early in the run. The Jazz played the Dubs even in the second quarter. Steph finished the half with 17, and Draymond Green was second in scoring with 12. He also made two 3-point shots and had eight rebounds. Patrick McCaw, coming off the bench added ten as the Dubs increased the advantage to nineteen 65-46.

The second half was an entirely different story. The Jazz held the Dubs scoreless for the first three minutes of the third quarter. The Dubs were out of rhythm, and that allowed the Jazz to get back into the game. They outscored the Dubs by seven in the period and closed the gap to just twelve 82-70 after three-quarters. The Jazz refused to go away and the Warriors behind Kevin Durant’s strong play in the second half were able to play just well enough to win the game. Dubs win 106-99

Game Notes- With the win, the Warriors improve to 20-3 while Utah falls to 14-10. Shaun Livingstone had the night off. Backup guards Patrick McCaw, and Ian Clark played well. McCaw had ten points all in the first half and Clark nailed two 3-point shots in the fourth quarter that helped seal the win for Golden State. Kevin Durant, who scored just four points in the first half, finished the game with twenty-one points. Durant also recorded eleven rebounds to give him a double-double. Draymond Green also had a double-double. Green scored thirteen and had ten boards. Steph Curry led the team with twenty-six. Klay Thompson scored ten. The Warriors, loaded with talent, do not have to rely on one or two players to carry the load. The entire team makes contributions both on offense as well as defense. In Thursday’s game, Andre Iguodala, Kevon Looney, JaVale McGee, David West, Ian Clark, and Patrick McCaw all made significant contributions. Draymond Green hurt his ankle late in the third quarter. Green was helped off the court and went to the dressing room for treatment. Draymond returned to the bench in the fourth quarter and returned to action.

Joe Johnson with 13, Shelvin Mack(19), Rudy Gobert(20), and Joe Ingles(21) carried the attack for Utah. Steve Kerr said this about the Jazz:”give them a lot of credit.They are a well-coached team.”  Kerr said the Dubs”didn’t play our best.The first quarter was great, intensely fantastic.” He also thought Patrick McCaw had a nice game.

The Warriors travel to Memphis for game three of the five-game road trip on Saturday. Game time will be at 4 pm. After the game, the Dubs are off to Minneapolis to face the Timberwolves on Sunday.

 

 

The Warriors steamroll the Pacers behind Klay Thompson’s 60-point game

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors crushed the Indiana Pacers 142-106 Monday night at Oracle Arena. The Dubs were wary about the Pacers. The Pacers upset the Clippers in Los Angeles Sunday night and were hoping to even the season series with the Dubs. Paul George, C.J.Miles, and Myles Turner did not play when the two teams met earlier in Indiana.

The story of the game was Klay Thompson. He scored a career-high sixty points in twenty-nine minutes of play. He sat out the entire fourth quarter as the Dubs were just too powerful for the Pacers. The Dubs were magnificent on offense, but they excelled on defense, too. The Warriors led by eleven 38-27 after the first quarter. The game was even for about the first five minutes of play, but Klay was on fire. He scored seventeen points in the quarter. The Dubs were rebounding and getting the ball out on the fast break. Draymond Green and Steph Curry combined for twelve assists in the quarter. Klay stayed hot in the second period. He scored twenty-three and the Warriors went on a 17-2 run to gain a thirty-point lead 80-50 at the end of the half. They had twenty-five assists and just two turnovers in the half. They had twenty-three fast break points and scored 36 in the paint. Durant had sixteen and Steph ten. They shot 59% from the field. Thompson had 40 of the Dubs 80 points in the half. It was an amazing performance.

The Warriors did not let up in the third quarter. Thompson stayed hot as he scored twenty points.  He made three three-point shots and the crowd went ballistic. He received a standing ovation and the crowd kept chanting Klay, Klay, Klay. His sixty points was a new career high for him. The lead at the end of the quarter was 116-83. Coach Steve Kerr kept Klay, Steph, KD, Draymond, and Zaza on the bench for the entire fourth quarter. The second unit of Ian Clark, Patrick McCaw, Kevon Looney, JaVale McGee, and James Michael McAdoo finished out the game for the Dubs.

Game Notes- The Warriors’ record improved to 18-3 with the win. The Dubs hit the road and face the Los Angeles Clippers Wednesday night in LA. They play the Utah Jazz on Thursday. They do not play Friday but they have another back-to-back  set with Memphis on Saturday and then Minnesota on Sunday.

Kevin Durant scored twenty and had eight rebounds. Steph Curry scored just thirteen but he had eleven assists and he thoroughly enjoyed Klay’s performance as he was jumping up and down off the bench watching his teammate’s magnificent performance. Draymond Green had ten assists. Paul George scored twenty-one for the Pacers. Thaddeus Young and Jeff Teague scored 10 and 16 respectively.

The Dubs shot 52% from the floor. They outrebounded the Pacers 63-45 and they had twelve steals and twelve blocked shots as they overpowered the Pacers.

After the game, as Klay as being interviewed, Klay remarked that he “felt great obviously. It was a lot of fun.” At that point, Steph Curry dropped a bag of ice on his head. The interviewer asked him “did it cool you off?'” Klay remarked: “no, I’m still hot.” Was he ever. Later, Coach Kerr said this about not letting Klay play the fourth quarter:”we were up and hand the game in hand. Had no thought of playing him in the quarter.” When asked about his team he said this:”the team takes a lot of joy in each others success.” He was also quite pleased with the way the way the team moved the ball and did not commit many turnovers:” we kept our turnovers way down. Don’t give up the easy stuff when you take care of the ball.” The Dubs committed eleven turnovers in the game but seven of them came in the fourth quarter when the second unit was in the game.

Next game is Wednesday night in Los Angeles against the Clippers at the Staples Center. First meeting of the year between the two bitter rivals. Game time is at 7:30 pm.

 

The Houston Rockets subdue the Dubs in double overtime 132-127

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AP photo:Montezl Harrell of the Houston Rockets (right) loses the ball as Kevin Durant (left) of the Golden State Warriors defends in the first half as the Warriors drop an double overtime performance to the Houston Rockets at Oracle Arena on Wednesday night

by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland-The Houston Rockets snapped the Golden State Warriors twelve-game winning streak Thursday night at Oracle Arena in double overtime by a score of 132-27. The game was fiecely contested by both teams all  night. Neither team would give an inch. The Rockets had seven players finish the night in double figures. The Dubs had five. There were five technical fouls called in the game. Draymond Green played his heart out, but he was called for a flagrant foul one in the second overtime period that, unfortunately, turned out to be the key play that doomed the Dubs. Green was going up for a layup when he was fouled by James Harden. As Draymond was going down backward to the floor, his right leg came up and hit Harden in the face. To many, it appeared to be inadvertent, but after a long review, the refs charged him with the foul.Draymond was awarded two free throws, and he made one. Harden made both, and the Rockets retained possession. The Rockets went up by four 128-124. They increased the lead to six, and that was the ballgame.

The game went back and forth all night. The Rockets biggest lead of the night came in the first period when they had a 13-4 lead. The game was tied at four when the Rockets went on a 9-0 run. The Dubs came back and tied the game at twenty. The Dubst hen took the lead by four 24-20, but it didn’t last long. The Rockets tied  it at twenty-five Houston then went ahead and finished the first quarter with a 32-30 lead.

The Dubs tied it at 32 on a Kevin Durant bucket. Houston regained the lead, but the Dubs came back and led by three 46-43. The Rockets continued to match the Dubs offensively and regained the lead 51-48. They finished the first half with a five -point lead 64-59.  James Harden, Ryan Anderson, and Eric Gordon led the Rockets attack. Durant with nineteen, Draymond Green had ten points, six assists, and six rebounds. Andre Iguodala added nine. Steph Curry, saddled, with three fouls, had just five points in eleven plus minutes in  the first half. Klay Thompson did not have a good shooting night, and he finished the first twenty-four minutes with seven points. The Rockets scored ten second-chance points while Golden State had zero. That was the most telling stat of the first half.

The Rockets continued to answer every Warrior challenge in the third quarter. Steph got it going as he made a couple of clutch three-point shots. Houston refused to bend. The Dubs outscored the Rockets by just one point and trailed by four 86-82 after three. The Dubs closed the gap to one 86-85 when KD hit a three to start the quarter. The Rockets increased the lead to seven 97-90.The Dubs started a comeback. They tied Houston at 97 behind two key buckets by Draymond.  Neither team could get separation from the other. They tied the score four times before the buzzer ended the game tied at 113 in regulation.

Steph Curry scored the Warriors’first six points of the first overtime session. He made a reverse layup and was fouled on the play. He made the free throw. Houston came back with a 2-point bucket to make it 116-115. Steph hit a three. Harden countered with a three of his own to trail 119-118. KD responded to put the Dubs up by three. The Rockets scored the next five points to take the lead 123-121. The Dubs tied it again. The Rockets had the ball for the last twenty-five second but the Dubs defense held and the Rockets committed a 24-second violation and the first OT period ended with the score tied.

Steph Curry, saddled with five personal fouls, committed an offensive foul and had to leave the game early in the second OT. Harden made a three to put the Rockets up 126-123. It was at this point that Harden fouled Draymond as he was going in for a layup. Both players were called for a foul. Green made one but Harden made his two and Houston had pssossion of the ball. That was the game. The Dubs could not catch up and they lost by five 132-127.

Game notes- With the loss, the Dubs fall to 16-3 while Houston improves to 12-7. James Harden had his fourth triple-double of the season as he had 29 points, 13 assists, and 14 rebounds. Ryan Anderson had 29 and Eric Gordon added 23, coming off the bench. Four other rockets were in double figures.  Kevin Durant had a double-double with 39 points and 13 boards. Draymond also had a double-double. He scored 20, had nine assists and 15 rebounds. Curry scored 28, Iguodala ten and Klay fifteen.There were 12ties in the game. The Rockets won the offensive rebound battle as they scored twenty-eigh second chance points.

The Warriors hope to get back on the winning track Saturday night againstthe Phoenix Suns. It won’t be easy as the Suns seem to match up well agains the Warriors and have played the Dubs hard in the two meeting so far this year. The game will be at the Oracle arena at 7:30 pm.

 

The Warriors squeak by the Hawks, win twelfth in a row

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors had to fight tooth and nail to defeat the Atlanta Hawks Monday night at the Oracle Arena. The Dubs trailed for most of the game but rallied in the fourth quarter to down the Hawks 105-100. The game was a thriller, and the outcome was in doubt until the final fifteen seconds of the contest.

The Dubs got off to a slow start as they trailed the Hawks 14-8 in the early going. The Dubs went on a 15-1 run to take a 23-15 lead, but the Hawks clawed their way back and trailed the Dubs 29-27 at the end of the first quarter. The Hawks played their game and refused to let the Warriors get any rhythm. Atlanta, coached by Mike Budenholzer who was an assistant at San Antonio under Greg Popovic, had his team use most of the twenty-four-second clock as they took the lead 42-38. The Dubs tied the game at 44, but Atlanta kept making shots and led by three 53-50 at the half. Klay Thompson put in fifteen for the Dubs while Steph Curry and Kevin Durant were held to 8 points each. Malcolm Delaney and Dennis Schroder had nine each and Tim Hardaway; Jr added eight. The Warriors committed eleven turnovers in the half and looked like they were out of sync.

The Hawks led the entire third quarter. Every time the Dubs got close, the Hawks had an answer. They led by seven 74-67 with just 3:53 left in the quarter. Kevin Durant and Andre Iguodala each made a three-point shot to close the gap to just two points 78-76. The Hawks increased the lead to four but backup guard Ian Clark hit a three-pointer as time expired to make it a one-point game 81-80. The Dubs scored the first ten points to start the fourth quarter. Iguodala made two clutch layups to put the Dubs ahead by five 86-81. The Hawks would not fold. They fought back but could not regain the lead. They narrowed the lead to two, but the Warriors fought them off. Steph made a huge three-point bucket to put the Dubs up by eight 102-94. The Hawks know how to play defense too, and the kept the Dubs from scoring. However, Draymond Green stepped up in the final few minutes of the game as he blocked a Dennis Schroder shot and seemed to be everywhere as he guarded Hawks’ center Dwight Howard and guard Dennis Schroder. The Dubs held on to win their twelfth game in a row 105-100. The game was a thriller.

Game Notes- The Warriors are now 16-2 for the season. The twelve-game winning streak is fourth longest in franchise history.  The Warriors big three of Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Klay Thompson all scored over twenty points in the game. The Dubs are 8-0 when those three score more than 20 in a game. Durant had a double-double with twenty-five points and fourteen rebounds; Durant blocked two shots too. Steph added twenty-five and three assists and three boards. Klay Thompson knocked down twenty. Draymond Green was fantastic on defense; Green had just three rebounds, but he blocked four shots. Andre Iguodala scored twelve, and he had five assists, five rebounds, and one blocked shot. Andre provided the spark the Dubs needed to get the win. The Warriors committed eleven turnovers in the first half but just four in the second. Dennis Schroder led the Hawks with 24. Paul Millsap had fourteen points and fourteen rebounds for Atlanta. The big man, Dwight Howard added fourteen and had sixteen boards. Atlanta falls to 10-8.

After the game, coach Steve Kerr had this to say about the defense and Draymond Green in particular. “That was amazing. Don’t know if I ever saw a sequence like that. Incredible defensive sequence. (Green) can guard anyone in the league. Defense in the second half was great. I thought Andre was brilliant. He played with great energy, such a great basketball player.”

The Warriors meet the Houston Rockets Thursday night at the Oracle Arena. Game time is at 7:30 pm.

The Warriors win their eleventh in a row, down the Minnesota Timberwolves

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By Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The Golden State Warriors beat the young and talented Minnesota Timberwolves Saturday night at the Oracle Arena by a score of 115-102. The Warriors played the game without Draymond Green and Ian Clark. Green and Clark suffered injuries on the same play Friday night in Los Angeles. Coach Steve Kerr said that when he told Draymond that he would not play, Draymond “did not fight me on it. If someone is banged up, we give him the night off, no matter who he is.” Kerr gave Kevon Looney the first start of his relatively short NBA career. Looney, in a career-high nineteen minutes of play, scored six points, had two assists and three rebounds. Without Green in the lineup, the Dubs had to find a way to defend the Wolves Big Three. Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, and Rookie-of-the-Year Karl-Anthony Towns are all just twenty-one years old, and these three can play basketball. Those three kept the Wolves in the game, but the Warriors prevailed. Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson led the Warriors in scoring. Durant was magnificent on defense as he had ten rebounds and a career-high six blocked shots. Steph had eight boards and six assists. Zaza Pachulia, Javon McGee, and David West all made their presence felt in the game.

The Warriors started the game well. They had a 21-13 lead until Minnesota went on a thirteen-three run. The first quarter ended with the Wolves leading 33-30. Karl-Anthony Towns (12), Andrew Wiggins(9), and Zach LaVine(9) scored thirty of the thirty-three Wolves’ points in the quarter. The Wolves were 62.5% from the floor. The Dubs weren’t bad as they shot 60%, but they trailed by three.

The Warriors’ and the Wolves were cold to start the second quarter. The Dubs went four minutes without scoring a point. The Timberwolves weren’t much better. They scored just three to take a 36-30 lead with eight minutes left. The Dubs behind Durant, Curry, Looney, and Pachulia managed to put Golden State in the lead. The Warrior defense shut down the Minnesota offense and the Dubs outscored them 26-25 to take an eight-point lead (56-48) at the half. KD(18), Steph(11), and Klay(11) were the high scorers for Golden State.

The Warriors increased the lead to seventeen at the end of three as Steph continued to make three-point shots. However, Minnesota came to life in the fourth quarter and closed the gap to eight but Steph, Klay, and Durant made clutch baskets when needed and they took down the Timberwolves 115-102.

Game Notes- The Warriors won their eleventh straight game to improve to 15-2. The Wolves fall to 5-11. Steph led the Dubs with 34 to go along with six assists and eight rebounds. Klay Thompson had twenty-three and six boards. Durant had a double-double with 28 points and ten rebounds. Durant had a career-high six blocked shots. The Warriors streak of ten consecutive games with 30 or more assists ended. The Dubs made just twenty-five in the contest. Zach LaVine led the Wolves with 31. Towns had 18 and Wiggins added 18.

The Warriors meet the Atlanta Hawks Monday night at the Oracle Arena at 7:30 pm.

The Warriors beat the Lakers again, win their tenth in a row 109-85

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Los Angeles-The Golden State Warriors extended their winning streak to ten as they downed the Los Angeles Lakers 109-85 at the Staples Center in LA. The Dubs, playing the Lakers for the second time in three nights and the third time this season, won handily. The Dubs fell behind early in the first quarter to trail 12-8. Golden State went on a 12-0 run to take the lead 20-12. The Dubs never relinquished the lead for the rest of the game. They led by ten 30-20 after the first twelve minutes of play.

The Lakers tried to come back in the second quarter went they went on a 14-3 to close the gap to three 44-41. The Warriors played better defense after the Laker run and increased the lead back to ten at the half. The Dubs went on a 9-2 run to finish the half. Kevin Durant led the Dubs with sixteen. Steph Curry added seven and Klay Thompson had nine. The score at the half was 53-43 for the Warriors.

The Warriors continued to play great defense in the third quarter. Steph Curry scored two buckets after he made two steals. Draymond Green continued to torment the Lakers on defense. The Warriors increased the lead to 80-64 at the end of the quarter.  However, with just 3:04 left in the quarter, The Lakers’ Larry Nance.Jr pushed guard Ian Clark to the floor. Draymond, who was in the air at the time, came down and somehow hit Clark in the throat. Green tumbled to the hardwood, and both men were down. Green went to the dressing room, and he was diagnosed with a contusion to his left ankle. Clark also went to the dressing room. Both men were done for the night. It is not known if they will play Saturday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

In the fourth quarter, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Klay Thompson kept scoring, and the Warriors’ defense kept the Lakers from gaining ground. The Dubs win by twenty-four 107-85.

Game Notes- The Dubs Big Four, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green all scored double figures. Durant had twenty-nine points, nine assists, and six rebounds. Steph added twenty-four points to along with five assists and five rebounds. Klay had 18 points and seven rebounds. Green, playing a little over 2 and 1/3 quarters of play scored twelve points, had four assists and eight rebounds. The Warriors shot 51.8% from the floor, and they held the Lakers shooting percentage to just 35.6% The Dubs had 44 rebounds, 31 assists, ten steals and ten blocked shots. They were a little sloppy handled the ball as they committed 17 turnovers. They won their tenth game in a row and improved their season record to 14-2. The Lakers drop to 8-9. Jordan Clarkson led the Lakers in scoring with twenty points.Lou Williams had thirteen and Larry Nance; Jr finished with eleven. The Warriors had 31 assists for the tenth straight game in which they had thirty or more assists.

The Warriors return home to face the Minnesota Timberwolves Saturday night at the Oracle Arena. Game time will be at 7:30 pm.

 

 

The Warriors win their ninth in a row, crush the Lakers

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The Golden State  Warriors returned home from a successful four-game road trip to face the Los Angeles Lakers Wednesday night at Oracle Arena. The Lakers, who beat the Dubs by twenty points earlier in the season in LA, were no match for the Warriors as the Dubs sent them down to defeat by a score of 149-106. The Warriors had the highest point total of any team in the NBA so far this season. They also set a franchise record with 47 assists. The Warriors ball movement was superb as they scored just six unassisted buckets. The Dubs big three, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Steph Curry, all played well. The Warrior bench added fifty-three points. They Dubs defense did not allow the young Lakers to drive to the basket the way they did in the game in LA. Draymond Green was everywhere. The Dubs were rebounding, making steals and blocks and they made it difficult for the Lakers to get into a rhythm. Before the game coach Steve Kerr said “we got killed by the Lakers last time. Hope we’re better prepared.” One could say that was an understatement as the Dubs won by forty-three points.

The game was fairly close in the first quarter for about eight minutes. The Dubs led by six 25-19. They picked up the pace as they closed out the quarter with a fifteen-point lead. JaVale McGee made two fantastic dunks on passes from Draymond Green. Steph Curry’s four 3-point shots were helpful giving the Warriors the advantage 41-26 after twelve minutes of play. The Warriors scored thirty-nine points in the second quarter to blow the game open, and they ended the first half with an 80-49 advantage. Steph led the Dubs with twenty-four, Durant had nineteen and Klay Thompson pitched in with fourteen. Steph had six assists. Draymond Green scored four points but he had eight assists and seven boards.

The Lakers outscored the Dubs 29-26 in the third period. The Warriors play was a little ragged but they still led by twenty-eight at the end of three. Klay, Steph, and KD continued to torment the Lakers. Steve Kerr removed his regulars from the game for the entire fourth quarter. The Dubs’ bench, led by Ian Clark’s twenty-one point effort, scored forty-three points and held the Lakers to twenty-eight to put the game away.

Game Notes- The Warriors won their ninth in a row and improve to 13-2 for the season. The Lakers drop to 8-8. The two teams meet again Friday night in Los Angeles. Game time is 7:30 PM. The Warriors had more than 30 assists in a game for the ninth game in a row. They set a new franchise record with forty-seven Wednesday night. Steph led the Dubs in scoring with thirty-one. KD added 28 and Klay recorded 26. Steph made seven 3-point shots. The Dubs outrebounded LA 48-37. They also had 7 steals and 5 blocked shots. The Dubs turned the ball over just ten times in the game. Klay Thompson, when asked about how the team was coming together, remarked:”yeah, we’re getting the hang of things.”

After the game, Steve Kerr had this to say about the game:”I don’t think I’ve ever been part of a team that had 47 assists in a game.” “the ball is moving and the guys, apparently, are getting comfortable playing together.”He also said:”this was a great night” for the team and their fantastic offensive performance. “it was fun to watch.” Was it ever.

 

The Warriors crush the Pacers to win the final game of the four-game roadtrip

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Indianapolis- The Golden State Warriors, led by Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green, beat the Indiana Pacers 120-83 Monday night at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Pacers, depleted by injuries, were no match for the Dubs. The Warriors were hot in the first quarter as they went on a 7-0 run early and slowly but surely increased the lead to 34-21 at the end of the first twelve minutes of play. Klay Thompson scored ten, including two 3-point shots) in the quarter. JaVale McGee made two nice buckets in relief of Zaza Pachulia. The Warriors increased the lead to nineteen at the end of the first half. Steph Curry found his shot and make a couple of three-pointers Klay scored six more points to end the half with sixteen. Kevin Durant had twelve. Draymond Green was all over the court in the first half. He scored six points to go along with seven assists, four rebounds, and two blocked shots. In the half, the Dubs had thirty-five rebounds, eighteen assists, four steals and five blocked shots as they held the Pacer offense to just 35.2% from the floor.

In the second half, the Warriors continued to have no trouble with the Pacers. The Pacers did score twenty-nine points in the third quarter, but the Dubs countered with thirty-nine to take a commanding twenty-nine point lead at the end of three-quarters. The Dubs in the lead 100-71. Coach Steve Kerr removed his starters for the entire fourth quarter. The Dubs, nevertheless, held the Pacers to just twelve points and won the game 120-83.

Game Notes- The Dubs won their eighth game in a row to improve to 12-2 for the year. The Pacers fell to 7-8. The Dubs had 31 assists for the eighth game in a row, too. The Warriors outrebounded the Pacers 70 to 56, and the defense had nine steals and ten blocks in the game. After the game, Steph Curry remarked that “we’re getting better” No kidding, Steph. He also said the guys were ready to go home” it’s a little too cold out here”. Steve Kerr said the game was dedicated to young Brody Stephens who is battling cancer. Steph made a 75 foot 3-point shot just after the buzzer sounded ending the first half and Kerr said that shot was for Brodie. Kerr said the team appears to be getting “better and better” He also thought is was a “great trip to go undefeated.” He mentioned that the team “took care of the ball and defended well.” he also said this about Draymond Green: ” I’m thrilled with Draymond’s play on both ends of the court.” Klay Thompson led the Dubs with 25 points. Steph had 22 while Durant scored just fourteen, Durant, however, had 11 rebounds and six assists plus a couple of blocked shots. Andre Iguodala pitched in with nine, Ian Clark ten and David West seven. Rodney Stuckey scored 21 for the Pacers. Jeff Teague added 11 and Thaddeus Young knocked down 14 for the hometown Pacers.

The Dubs return home to face the Los Angeles Lakers at Oracle Arena Wednesday night at 7:30p PM. The Dubs will attempt to avenge the loss to the Lakers earlier this season in LA. Luke Walton’s Lakers would love nothing more than to come to Oracle and send the Warriors down to defeat.