Last second shot downs Warriors, lose 121-120 to Wolves

By Gabe Schapiro

The Golden State Warriors (26-18) lost a hectic back-and-forth contest to the Minnesota Timberwolves, 121-120, Friday night, at Oracle Arena. The game featured a ton of offense, and seemed to come down to which side would blink first. The Warriors grabbed a late lead, before a Kevin Martin 20-foot jumper with eight seconds left ultimately put the Timberwolves ahead for good. Three Minnesota players finished with 20+ points in the win.

The fast pace was set early on, as both squads combined for 72 points in the first quarter alone, deadlocked at a 36-36 tie. The foes continued to go blow-for-blow, with neither establishing a significant lead. The Timberwolves opened up the game with a 6-0 run, but that would be the biggest advantage either would enjoy until the third quarter.

Heading into the locker rooms at half time, they remained tied, 63 all.

Late in the third quarter, Golden State finally made a bit of a run. Minnesota failed to score for the final 2:53, sending the Warriors on a 10-0 tear, and a seven-point lead, heading into the fourth. It appeared as though the dubs could fight them off, but the rollercoaster ride wasn’t over.

In the fourth the momentum slowly swayed back in the Wolves favor. With 5:54 remaining in the contest, a Martin three-pointer had erased Golden State’s lead, and had taken back a one-point lead of their own. They continued to trade punches down the stretch. With 27 seconds left a pair of Andre Iguodala free-throws gave the Warriors their last lead of the game, 120-119. With eight ticks left, Martin played the game-changer again, sinking a jumper. Harrison Barnes had one last shot at the buzzer, after a double-teamed Stephen Curry passed the rock his way, but his attempt clanged off the rim.

In all five Warriors finished in double figures. Curry led all scorers with 33 points, including six three-pointers, to go along with 15 assists. David Lee pitched in 23 points and seven rebounds. Andrew Bogut set a Warriors season-high with seven blocked shots, to highlight his line of eight points and 11 boards. Klay Thompson had 18, Iguodala finished with 16.

Kevin Love led the way for Minnesota, filling up the stat sheet with 26 points, 14 rebounds, and eight assists. Martin did plenty of damage as well, chipping in another 26 points. Center Nikola Pekovic scored 22, and hauled in 14 rebounds. Ricky Rubio led the team with 12 assists.

Golden State will look to get back to their winning ways this Sunday, when they take on the tough Portland Trailblazers, back at Oracle. The game begins at 6:00pm.

Curry, Lee carry Warriors past Pelicans

By Joe Hawkes

NEW ORLEANS — Stephen Curry had 28 points and eight assists, while David Lee added 22 points and eight rebounds helping the Golden State Warriors rebound from their loss in Oklahoma City Friday night, with a 97-87 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans Saturday night at New Orleans Arena.

Curry shot 10-for-22 from the field, but 2-for-9 from 3-point range. Andrew Bogut scored 10 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks in 34 minutes, and Jordan Crawford added 10 points off the bench for Golden State (26-16), who picked up their seventh straight victory over New Orleans.

Klay Thompson had a tough night from the field, scoring eight points on 3-for-14 shooting, 2-for-7 shooting from 3-point range.

Anthony Davis led all scorers with 31 points and pulled down 17 rebounds, his seventh straight game with at least 20-plus points.

Tyreke Evans finished with 14 points, after missing the previous three games with a left ankle sprain for the Pelicans (15-24), who have lost seven straight games. Al-Farouq Aminu scored 12 points, but New Orleans finished shooting 38.6 percent (32 of 83), including 2-for-11 from 3-point range. The Warriors shot 44 percent (37 of 84), hitting 6 of 22 from deep.

Golden State needed this victory in the worse way, as they host the Eastern Conference-leading Indiana Pacers Monday at Oracle Arena and didn’t want to face a tough Pacers team on a three-game losing streak.

 

Durant’s Career Night Overshadows Curry in Warriors 127-121 Loss

By Matthew Harrington

In a battle of two of the top stars of the NBA, Stephen Curry’s Warriors dropped a 127-121 shootout to Kevin Durant’s Oklahoma City Thunder (30-10) Friday night from Chesapeake Energy Arena. Curry collected his fifth-career 30 point, 10 assist game for the Warriors (25-16), but Durant’s career night spoiled Curry’s performance.

Most Valuable Player candidate Durant accounted for over a third of the Thunder’s baskets, torching the Warriors for a career-best 54 points on 19 of 28 shooting and 11 free throws. Curry led the Warriors with 37 points on 11 of 18 shooting, including six three-pointers, and added 11 assists to complete the double-double. Back court mate Klay Thompson nailed six treys to add 26 points of his own, while Thunder forward Serge Ibaka produced 21 points over 35 minutes of play. Thunder center Kendrick Perkins led all players in rebounds with 12, while David Lee reeled in nine for the Warriors. In total, the Thunder out-boarded the Warriors 41-33.

The two sides played it neck-to-neck to open the first nine minutes of play with Golden State leading with a slim 25-23 lead. The Thunder then went on a 14-7 run to close out the first leading 39-32. The Dubs took their first lead of the second quarter after Curry knocked down a shot from the charity stripe on a technical foul to give the Warriors a 56-55 lead with 3:48 left in the half. The Thunder closed out the half on a 16-9 run to hold a 71-65 lead at the midway point.

The home team expanded their lead 101-91 after the first 12 minutes of the second half before breaking the game open for a game-high 14 points lead, 123-109, with 2:45 left. Golden State outpaced their hosts 12-4 down the stretch for a respectable seven-point defeat to the third-place Thunder.

The Warriors hit the hardwood again tomorrow night, traveling to New Orleans for a Saturday night tip-off against the New Orleans Pelicans in Golden State’s sixth road game of the month.

Robinson, Nuggets slow down Warriors

By Joe Hawkes

OAKLAND — Nate Robinson scored 24 points off the bench, with 14 coming in the crucial final quarter, and the Denver Nuggets defeated the Golden State Warriors,  123-116 Wednesday night at Oracle Arena.

Wilson Chandler and Ty Lawson scored 22 points each, and Randy Foye added 21 points on 8-for-12 shooting, including 4-for-7 from behind the arc. J.J. Hickson scored 13 points and grabbed a career-high 24 rebounds. Lawson dished out 11 assists.

Denver out-rebounded Golden State 46-24.

Denver (20-18) has won six of their last seven games.

David Lee finished with 28 points and 11 rebounds and Stephen Curry finished with 24 points and seven assists in Golden State’s first game after a four day layoff. Golden State (25-15) hasn’t played since defeating the Boston Celtics last Friday night at home.

Klay Thompson had 21 points on 9-for-19 shooting from the field. Andrew Bogut had 10 points and 10 rebounds. Harrison Barnes scored 15 points off the bench for Golden State, who was 11-1 in their last 12 games.

Speaking of the bench, Golden State acquired swingman shooting guard Jordan Crawford and MarShon Brooks from the Boston Celtics  as part of a three-team trade Wednesday, according to a report by Yahoo! Sports.

Golden State sent backup point guard Toney Douglas to the Miami Heat, and the Heat sent veteran center Joel Anthony to Boston.

Crawford is averaging 13.7 points per game in 39 games with the Boston Celtics this season and should give Golden State a guy who can create his own shot, not named Curry.

Brooks, a 6’5″ point guard, is a former lottery pick of the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets in 2011 out of Providence.

Golden State is in Oklahoma City Friday to take on the Thunder.

Curry’s Heroics Hand Warriors First Win At Home In 2014

By Matthew Harrington

For the first time in 2014, the Golden State Warriors (25-14) took the Oracle Arena court in front of blue-and-gold clad fans and the Dubs did not disappoint in their first look of the new year Friday night. In a thrilling finish, Stephen Curry nailed a jumper with 2.1 seconds left to seal a 99-97 win over the visiting Boston Celtics (13-24) in the Warriors’ first home game since a win over the Phoenix Suns December 27.

Andre Iguodala broke out for 22 points with 7 assists and three steals, including a pivotal steal in the waning seconds of the game to build a Warriors lead with 19 seconds left. The hero of the night Curry dropped 19 on the struggling Celtics, losers of 10 of their last 11, while Klay Thompson (17), David Lee (16) and Marreese Speighs (13) also broke double-digits in scoring. For the visitors, forward Jeff Green had a game-high 24 points, Kris Humphries had one of two double-doubles of the game with game-best 14 boards and 16 points. Celtics forward Jared Sullinger joined Humphries with 11 rebounds and 21 points.

The Warriors got out front with a 24-21 first quarter but trailed at the half 49-47 courtesy of a Celtics 28-23 second frame. The Dubs drop 25 points on Boston in the third to 18 Celtics tallies. The Celtics entered the final 12 minutes trailing 74-67 but managed to outscore the home team 30-25 to force a 97-97 tie with just 11 seconds on the clock. Curry, currently on the bench, checked in the game for Draymond Green after Jeff Green hit the game-tying shot to force a Warriors time-out. Curry would use a Lee screen to create space and knock down the game-winner with aplomb.

The Warriors, fresh off a 6-1 road trip, receive a welcome respite before facing the Denver Nuggets at home Wednesday night. They then hit the road once again, taking on the Oklahoma City Thunder Friday night before a meeting with the New Orleans Pelicans Saturday.

Warriors 10-game winning streak snapped in Brooklyn

by Joe Hawkes-Beamon

BROOKLYN — Stephen Curry led all scorers with 34 points, but it wasn’t enough as the Golden State Warriors (24-14) saw their 10-game winning streak come to an end in Brooklyn, 102-98 Wednesday night. The Warriors finished tied for an NBA-record 6-1 on their season-long seven-game road trip.

David Lee finished with 20 points and seven rebounds, Klay Thompson scored 14 points, and Andre Iguodala added 10 for Golden State, who committed 18 turnovers in the game. Curry was responsible for seven turnovers, but did have seven assists while playing a game-high 45 minutes.

Andrew Bogut finished with 10 points and nine rebounds.

Brooklyn (14-21), playing without start point guard Deron Williams, got a huge boost from Joe Johnson, and Kevin Garnett.

Johnson led Brooklyn with 27 points on 8-for-17 shooting from the field, including 9-for-11 from the free throw line.

Garnett scored 11 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter, and stole Curry’s pass with the Warriors trailing by three with 30 seconds left to play.

Brooklyn added a pair of free throws while Thompson’s desperation three-pointer as time expired fell short, helped the Nets pick up their season-high fourth straight victory.

Golden State returns home to Oracle Arena Friday when they host the Boston Celtics.

Warriors Best Bucks, Run Longest Win-streak Since ’75 Season to 10

By Matthew Harrington

After a 101-80 win Tuesday night at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee, the Golden State Warriors (24-13) now stand on the cusp matching team history. The Dubs dominated the Milwaukee Bucks (7-27), currently boasting the worst record in the NBA, to reel off their tenth-straight victory, putting Golden State one win away from tying a franchise-high 11-game winning streak set by the 1971-72 squad.

David Lee had a game-high 22 points while also pulling in 18 rebounds, most by a player on either side Tuesday night, for his second-straight double-double. The forward went 10 for 12 from the field in 35 minutes of play. Klay Thompson (15) and Stephen Curry (15) combined for 30 points, while Curry had six assists to lead Golden State.

Warriors center Andrew Bogut, whom the Bucks drafted first overall in 2005, made his first appearance in Milwaukee as a visitor after a 2012 trade sent him to the west coast. He had 12 rebounds, coming two points shy of a double-double. Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova topped Milwaukee with 20 points while Brandon Knight chipped in 18. No Milwaukee played had more than six rebounds.

The Warriors winning ways appeared to be heading to an unexpected demise at the hands of the last-place Bucks after Milwaukee took a 30-28 first quarter lead by virtue of more than half the Milwaukee shots finding their mark. Golden State held a slim 50-48 lead at the half after outscoring Milwaukee 22-18 in the second 12 minutes. The Warriors cushioned the lead with a 29-20 scoring advantage in the third for a 79-68 then shut the Milwaukee offense down in the fourth for only 12 points. The Warriors added 22 tallies in the closing quarter to cap the 101-80 victory for their longest win-streak since the 1975 championship season.

The Warriors will look to tie history in the second half of a back-to-back Wednesday night from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The contest against a Nets squad well below a .500 winning percentage will finish off a season-high seven road games in a row for the Warriors. With a win, Golden State could return home with a chance to break the record for the team’s longest win-streak at Oracle Arena in a Friday night showdown with the Boston Celtics.

Warriors Continue Historic Run, Make Wizards Early Lead Disappear

By Matthew Harrington
The Golden State Warriors ran their win-streak to nine-straight games, topping the Washington Wizards 112-96 at the Verizon Center Sunday afternoon. David Lee and Andrew Bogut registered double-doubles for the Dubs who continued their longest win streak since the end of the 1991 season and start of the 1992 campaign with the win.
Guard Klay Thompson had a game-high 26 points for the Warriors (23-13) on 9 of 14 shooting while Lee dropped 21 points and 11 rebounds. Bogut also had 11 rebounds, tying Lee for the game-best, and 15 points on seven baskets made in nine attempts. Wizards starting point guard John Wall and reserve Nene Hilario tied for the team-high in points with 14 with Wall notching a double-double of his own courtesy of his 10 assists. The Warriors Stephen Curry matched his Wizards counter-part with 10 assists and 14 points of his own.

The Wizards (14-17) raced out to an early 36-28 lead but Golden State would send the teams to the half tied at 58 after outscoring Washington 30-22 in the 2nd quarter. The Warriors took the 92-73 lead in the third by outscoring the hosts 34-15 then cruised to the win despite the Wizards outscoring them 23-20.

The win, coming in Golden State’s fifth road game in a row amidst the season’s longest road trip of seven games, boosted the Dubs past the Clippers to the top of the Pacific Division standings. The Warriors will travel to Milwaukee Tuesday looking for their tenth in a row, a streak that would match a ten-game run the Warriors compiled in December, 1975. After that, it’s a stop in Brooklyn then back home to Oracle Arena.

Iguodala’s Buzzer Beater Runs Warriors Streak To Eight-Straight

By Matthew Harrington

To string together eight-straight victories in professional sports a team finds a variety of ways to win. On Friday night in Atlanta, the Golden State Warriors produced a victory of the nail-biting variety with Andre Iguodala hitting a three-pointer at the buzzer for a 101-100 thriller over the Hawks from Phillips Arena. The Warriors (22-13), winners of 9 of their last ten, now boast their longest win-streak in since April of the 2005 season.

The three-pointer was one of three baskets from the field for the forward who ended the night with seven points and five assists. David Lee (23), Stephen Curry (22) and Klay Thompson (21) all cracked the 20’s in scoring for the red-hot Warriors in their eighth-straight win, five of which have come on the road. Center Pero Antic set a career-high with 16 points for the Hawks (18-15), while reserve Shelvin Mack chipped in 15 points off the bench. Paul Millsap had a game-high 11 rebounds. Andrew Bogut topped the Warriors with nine boards after leaving Thursday’s win against defending champion Miami early due to a calf injury.

Iguodala’s trey with time expired stood as one of only shots from downtown the Warriors converted on, quite a letdown from the season-high of 15 made Thursday over the Heat. Despite the 22 points, Curry struggled from beyond the arc, hitting only one of seven deep shots, to accompany a game-leading nine turnovers.

The Warriors held a 24-21 lead after 12 minutes of play, but a second quarter that saw the Hawks outscore Golden State 25-22 to send both teams to the locker room tied at 46 at the midway point. In total, the lead changed hands three times in the second quarter, with the Hawks hitting a three and a lay-up to open the quarter on consecutive baskets for a 26-24 lead just a minute and a half in. The Warriors would not take back their lead until late in the quarter when a Klay Thompson jumper with 3:48 left made it 37-36 Warriors. Atlanta then outscored the Warriors 10-7 to regain their edge before the Warriors knotted it back up.

Atlanta allowed only 18 Warriors points in the third quarter to 26 Hawks tallies for a 72-64 lead before the Warriors went on a 37-28 fourth quarter run capped by Iguodala’s game-winner.

A game back of the Los Angeles Clippers for the Pacific Division lead, the Warriors continue their tour of the South with a Sunday tip-off from Washington, their fifth stop of a seven game road trip. A win would make it nine in a row for Golden State, who also enter the game having bested Washington in 9 of their last 12 meetings, including a sweep of last season’s series.

Curry, Lee lead Warriors past Heat for 7th straight win

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

MIAMI, FL — Stephen Curry had a game-high 36 points, while David Lee added 32 points and 14 rebounds as the Golden State Warriors picked up their seventh straight win, outdueling the Miami Heat 123-114 Thursday night.

Curry was read hot all night, shooting 13 for 22 from the field, including 8 for 15 from 3-point range helping Golden State (21-13) improve to 3-0 on their current seven-game road trip. Curry also dished out 12 assists.

Klay Thompson scored 16 points and Harrison Barnes added 15 points for the Dubs, who currently have the longest win streak in the league. Golden State shot 56 percent from the field, including 15 of 29 from beyond the arc.

LeBron James finished with 26 points,  while Dwyane Wade chipped in 22 points for Miami (24-8), which had all five starters finishing with double figures. Miami has lost just two games at home to Western Conference teams since the start of last season, both to the Warriors.

Chris Bosh scored 19 points, Mario Chalmers finished with 17 and Shane Battier had 11 for the Heat.

Golden State held a 40-31 rebounding edge over Miami.

The Warriors look to remain run their win streak to eight games Friday in Atlanta.