Tag: NBA

Too much Aldridge, Gasol and Ginobili ends the Kings two-game win streak: Spurs win 108-99 on Saturday night

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
More Hield SAS
Buddy Hield drives to the hoop for two of his 24 points Photo: USA Today Sports

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Sacramento – The Kings stayed with the Spurs stride for stride in the opening quarter and played them to a 33-33 tie at the end of 12-minutes. The energy was high in the Golden 1 Center. Kawahi Leonard was declared unavailable due to injury management, so Sacramento fans felt their team was on a more even playing field talent wise.

They were wrong.

The Spurs outscored the Kings 29-16 in the second quarter as they shot 50-percent (11-for-22) from the field, hit 3-of-5 three-point attempts and converted 4-of-5 free throw attempts. San Antonio began a scoring drive at the 10:10 mark of the quarter and built up a 13 point lead by the time the horn sounded for halftime.

The Spurs went to the locker room at the half with a 62-49 lead over the Kings.

Sacramento came out in the third quarter knowing they had to make a run at the Spurs immediately. The Kings kept chipping away at the San Antonio lead and cut it to six-points twice. When the third period ended, SAC trailed by just eight points, 84-76.

Buddy Hield scored 10-points shooting 4-for-6 (including two 3-pointers) to lead the Kings 27-point scoring attack. Willie Cauley-Stein added eight-points.

The Kings needed to put together a run and cut the Spurs lead to five-points or less with two-minutes to go in the game to have a chance to win. That did not happen.

Former King Rudy Gay – who had previously not scored in the game – sank two jump shots and 25-foot 3-pointer in the opening 2:18 of the final quarter to help the Spurs rebuild a 14-point lead. The San Antonio lead would reach 15-points twice in the period which was too much for the Kings to overcome.

San Antonio won the game 108-99.

Top Performers

Spurs (22-11)

Gasol SAS
Pau Gasol recorded a triple-double versus the Kings on Saturday night Photo: USA Today Sports
  • Star of the Game: Paul Gasol – the Spurs 37-year old, 17-year NBA veteran – recorded a triple-double on Saturday night. Gasol scored 14-points, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out 10 assists in just over 30-minutes on the floor. After the game Gasol said, “I have to give credit to my teammates. Without them, I wouldn’t be able to get the assists, so it’s a team accomplishment. Just happy it turned out that way tonight. It’s been a couple of years since my last triple-double.” (February 27, 2016 as a member of the Chicago Bulls)
  • Co-star: LaMarcus Aldridge only gets a co-star billing for the game because he recorded just a double-double putting up a game-high 29-points and pulling down 10 rebounds. He also played a game-high 38-minutes and 33-seconds.

  • Ginobili to hoop
    The ageless Ginobili goes to the rack versus the Kings Photo: USA Today Sports
  • Co-star: The final co-star for the Spurs is man who should probably be playing “wheelchair basketball” if you listen to “the experts” who say he should retire at the end of every season he plays. 40-year old Manu Ginobili evidently does not know he is too old to play in the NBA. On Saturday night, he scored 15-points in just over 21-minutes of playing time coming off the bench.

Kings (11-21)

  • Star of the Game: Buddy Hield was the Kings leading scorer with 24 points versus the Spurs on Saturday night. He played almost 32-minutes shooting 9-for-17 overall and 4-for-7 from behind the 3-point arc. Hield also hauled in eight rebounds in the contest. In what was also a major improvement, he committed no turnovers.

  • WCS vs SAS
    Willie Cauley-Stein posted a double-double on Saturday night Photo: USA Today Sports
  • Co-star: Willie Cauley-Stein posted his fifth double-double of the season as he scored 22 points and recorded 11 rebounds. Cauley-Stein shot 10-for-18 for the game and added three assists.
  • Co-star: Bogdan Bogdanovic had a perfect shooting night as he was 6-for-6 overall and 3-for-3 from 3-point land. Bogdanovic played 28-plus minutes against the Spurs.

Key Team Stats

San Antonio

  • Field Goal Shooting: 44-for-88 (50-percent) It’s tough to beat a team that is sinking half of its shots
  • 3-point Shooting: the Spurs made 11-of-23 (47.8-percent) 3-point attempts. Six different players made 3-point baskets
  • Free throw shooting: the Spurs went to the line only 11 times but the made nine free throws (81.8-percent) which helped them to win this game
  • The Spurs also had a fantastic assists to turnover ratio. They dished out 29 assists and turned the ball over just eight times. That is very close to a 4 to 1 ratio with a 2 to 1 ratio being the goal

Sacramento

  • Field Goal Shooting: 46.5-percent (49-for-86) which is respectable until you look and see your opponent shot 50-percent from the field
  • 3-point Shooting: The Kings actually out-shot the Spurs from behind the 3-point line. They hit 12-of-22 3-point attempts (54.5-percent). Four Kings did all of their 3-point scoring – Randolph, Temple, Hield and Bogdanovic.
  • Free throw shooting: the Kings went to the line just 11 times and converted just seven of those shots. They still need to get more attempts per game
  • Assists to turnover ratio – The Kings finished with 20 assists and 10 turnovers or the magic 2 to 1 formula. It just was not enough in this case.

Up Next

Sacramento

The Kings are done until after Christmas. Sacramento will return to action on Tuesday, December 26 when the team will travel to Los Angeles to face the Clippers at the Staples Center.

San Antonio

The Spurs headed home after the game and will have Christmas Day off. San Antonio will host the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night.

 

Warriors’ “The Town” jerseys didn’t bring good luck, Nuggets beat Warriors 96-81 to end 11-game win streak

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Photo credit: @warriors

By: Ana Kieu

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Golden State Warriors’ 11-game win streak came to an end as the Denver Nuggets cruised to a 96-81 win at Oracle Arena Saturday night.

The Warriors tipped off a little earlier than usual against the Nuggets in Oakland. Golden State was hoping to extend their win streak to 12 games while Denver was simply looking to win two games in a row.

The Warriors’ Twitter account wished everyone a Happy Festivus Seinfeld style before the tipoff. Omri Casspi, Andre Iguodala, Draymond Green, Jordan Bell, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant put in work in the first half.

Yet, the Warriors trailed by two (22-20) at the end of the first quarter and fell behind even further by 12 (53-41) at the end of the second quarter.

At the half, Durant led all scorers with 13 points and three rebounds. Thompson scored six points and two steals. Bell had six points and six rebounds. Patrick McCaw had five points. Iguodala had six assists. Casspi had four points and three rebounds. Green had just three points and four assists.

The Warriors outshot the Nuggets 21-20, but trailed the Nuggets 73-62 at the end of the third quarter. Green was a reliable man on the court and so were Bell, Durant, Iguodala and even Nick Young, who hit a three-pointer late in the quarter.

Thompson knocked down a corner three-pointer with 7:54 left in the fourth quarter.

JaVale McGee made some buckets late in the quarter. The Warriors tried their best, but the Nuggets embarrassed the home team 96-81 on their home court.

At the end, Durant led all scorers with 18 points, six rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Thompson scored 15 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Green had 10 points, five rebounds, six assists, two steals and two blocks. Bell had seven points, 10 rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks. McCaw had seven points, two rebounds and two steals. Casspi had just five points, seven rebounds and two assists.

Notes
Warriors’ injury update: Kevon Looney (gluteal strain) is available to play. Shaun Livingston (sore right knee) and Zaza Pachulia (left shoulder soreness) are out.

Nuggets’ injury update: Emmanuel Mudiay (right ankle sprain) and Paul Millsap (left wrist ligament injury) are out.

Up Next
The Warriors host the Cavs in an NBA Finals rematch on Christmas Day at 12 pm PT.

The Nuggets return home to host the Utah Jazz on Tuesday, December 26 at 7 pm MT.

Draymond Green returns, Warriors rout Lakers 113-106 for 11th straight win

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Photo credit: @mercnews

By: Ana Kieu

OAKLAND, Calif. — Draymond Green returned to the court, NBC Sports Bay Area provided the fans their Authentic Fan cheer cards, and the Golden State Warriors faced the Los Angeles Lakers for the second time this week. The Warriors beat the Lakers 113-106 at Oracle Arena on Friday night.

The Warriors were ready to shoot some hoops on a Friday night. The Golden State starting lineup consisted of Green, Kevin Durant, Jordan Bell, Klay Thompson and Patrick McCaw. Meanwhile, the Lakers put some pressure on the Warriors. The Los Angeles starting lineup featured Andrew Bogut (former Warrior), Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Kyle Kuzma.

The first quarter flew by, but Durant stepped back and drained a three-pointer with 3:17 left on the game clock.

The Warriors led the Lakers 27-24 at the end of the first quarter.

Durant continued to make it rain in the second quarter, and the Warriors carried a 61-44 lead over the Lakers to the locker room at halftime.

At the half, Durant led all Warriors with 18 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Thompson scored 11 points. Bell had 10 points, eight rebounds and two assists. Green had five points, eight rebounds and three assists. West had six points, two rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Omri Casspi had six points. Young had five points.

With a huge block, Durant put an end to the Lakers’ 8-0 run in the third quarter.

The Warriors led the Lakers 84-72 after three quarters.

Caldwell-Pope hit a three-pointer to make it a two-point game (88-86) with 8:09 left in the fourth quarter. Yet, the Warriors were still in charge of the game as they were up 99-97 with 3:12 remaining. Jordan Clarkson missed a three-point shot and the Lakers had a team rebound to close out the game.

The Warriors beat the Lakers 113-106 at home.

In the end, Durant led all scorers with 33 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, two steals and four blocks. Bell scored 20 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. Thompson had 16 points and two blocks. Green had 13 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and two steals. McCaw had five points and three rebounds. Casspi had 10 points, three rebounds and two blocks. West had eight points, four rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Young had just eight points and two rebounds.

Notes
Warriors’ injury update: Andre Iguodala (flu-like symptoms) is available to play. Zaza Pachulia (left shoulder soreness) & Shaun Livingston (sore right knee) are out.

Before the Lakers got rolling tonight, DeMarcus Hollins and South Bay (12-6) took on Canton at 4 pm PT.

Up Next
The Warriors host the Nuggets on Saturday, December 23 at 5:30 pm PT.

The Lakers host the Trail Blazers on Saturday, December 23 at 6:30 pm PT.

Warriors win 10th straight game after defeating the Grizzlies 97-84

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Photo credit: @mercnews

By: Ana Kieu

The Golden State Warriors beat the Memphis Grizzlies 97-84 at Oracle Arena Wednesday night.

The Warriors and Grizzlies were ready to battle it out on the court tonight. Fans in attendance received Zaza Pachulia bobbleheads, courtesy of realtor.com. The Golden State starting lineup featured Kevin Durant, Jordan Bell, JaVale McGee, Klay Thompson and Quinn Cook. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies’ starting lineup consisted of Tyreke Evans, Marc Gasol, Andrew Harrison, Dillon Brooks and JaMychal Green.

McGee got Golden State going with a hook early in the first quarter. He continued to make a couple of notable plays. Durant, Thompson and Omri Casspi also made things exciting for Golden State. However, the Golden State trailed the Grizzlies 28-24 at the end of the first quarter.

Thompson scored 25 points in the first half, which was a season-high for any half this year. Last time, Thompson had 23 on Oct. 20 at the New Orleans Pelicans. Thompson’s career half high is 40 points, dating back to Dec. 5, 2016 vs. Indiana Pacers.

The Golden State held a 56-51 lead over the Grizzlies at halftime.

Durant’s shooting wasn’t spectacular in the third quarter, but Nick Young hit a three-pointer to make up for Durant’s rather lackluster performance. The Warriors led the Grizzlies 74-65 at the end of the third quarter.

Patrick McCaw made a putback dunk to push the Warriors ahead 76-68 with 10:12 left in the fourth quarter.

The Warriors defeated the Grizzlies 97-84 at home.

Here are Golden State final stats:


Notes: Warriors injury update: Draymond Green (right shoulder soreness), Andre Iguodala (flu-like symptoms) and Zaza Pachulia (left shoulder soreness) are out for tonight’s game vs. Grizzlies.

Grizzlies’ injury report: Mike Conley (left heel), Wayne Selden Jr. (right quad) and Chandler Parsons are out (rest) for tonight’s game vs. Warriors. Brandon Wright (right groin) is listed as doubtful.

Up Next
Warriors host the Lakers on Friday, December 22 at 7:30 pm PST.

Grizzlies visit the Suns on Thursday, December 21 at 7:00 pm MST.

Randolph’s 10,000th rebound is icing on the cake for Kings as they top Nets 104-99

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Brooklyn Nets’ Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (24) defends Sacramento Kings’ Zach Randolph (50) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2017, in New York. The Kings won 104-99. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

By Jessica Kwong

BROOKLYN–The Sacramento Kings won back-to-back games for the first time this season on Wednesday night, surviving a late rally by the Brooklyn Nets to win 104-99 at Barclays Center.

As icing on the cake, Kings forward Zach Randolph surpassed 10,000 career rebounds.

“It’s a good win for us,” Kings head coach Dave Joerger said.

“It’s been a tough place for our organization to get some wins. I think in seven years we’ve only done it once,” Joerger said. “We got some good performances tonight from some guys who had tough nights last night.”

Sacramento led throughout most of the match at Barclays Center until about halfway into the final quarter. The Kings lead by as many as 15 points, but the Nets chipped away until Joe Harris made a driving layup to cut Sacramento’s lead to 97-95 with 5 minutes remaining in the game.

Kings forward Bogdan Bogdanovic was fouled with 10.7 seconds to go with his team up 101-99 and made one of two free throws. Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie missed a triple but the ball went out of bounds off the Kings with 4.8 seconds remaining. Brooklyn blew it when Harris made a bad pass.

Dinwiddie fouled Kings guard George Hill, who made both free throws, allowing his team to win the game 104-99.

“That was a team win,” Joerger said. “Teams are going to make runs, teams are going to make shots, so it’s how do we handle that, where do we get the ball to.”

Sacramento’s leading scorers were Hill with 22 points, Randolph with 21 points and Bogdanovic with 14 points.

Towns, Timberwolves blow out Kings 119-96

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Sacramento Kings forward Zach Randolph (5) reaches for the ball in front of Minnesota Timberwolves center Taj Gibosn (67) in the third quarter of an NBA basketball game on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017, in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves defeated the Kings 119-96. (AP Photo/Andy Clayton-King)

By: London Marq

The explosive Minnesota Timberwolves welcomed the Sacramento Kings in a midseason tilt with plenty of young talent to go around. The Kings, who are 5-5 over their last 10 games, continue to search for rhythm and consistency. The Timberwolves, led by Karl-Anthony Towns, would prove difficult for the Kings to handle.

Slow starts have been a problematic trend for Sacramento. On the road in hostile territory, the Kings fell behind early and were outclassed by the Timberwolves stars: Towns and Jimmy Butler, whose offensive prowesses were too much for the Kings, who are inconsistent and exhibit poor defense.

The Timberwolves were in control from start to finish. All five of Minnesota’s starters scored double-digit points. Towns led all scorers with 30 points and 14 rebounds.

George Hill led the Kings in scoring with 16 points.

16 points was all the Kings could muster in the third quarter, as the Minnesota defense came out rolling in all cylinders after halftime.

The Timberwolves walked away with a 119-96 blowout win over the Kings at the Target Center.

Up Next: Kings visit the Raptors on Sunday, December 17 at 12:30 pm PST.

Warriors down Mavericks 112-97 for eighth straight win

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Golden State Warriors’ Klay Thompson (11) shoots over Dallas Mavericks’ Harrison Barnes (40) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

By: Ana Kieu

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Golden State Warriors won their eighth straight game after downing the Dallas Mavericks 112-97 at Oracle Arena Thursday night.

This was a rather lopsided matchup as the Warriors entered the game in second place with a seven-game win streak, trailing the first-place Rockets with a gigantic 11-game win streak, while the Mavericks came in as a second-to-last team in hopes of a two-game win streak.

Both the Dubs and Mavs were focused before the 7:30 p.m. tipoff in Oakland.

Mavs point guard J.J. Barea picked up where he left off. Barea had nine points and three assists in 14 minutes in the Mavs’ 105-96 win over the Nets on March 10, 2017. Barea suffered a strained right calf and a left calf strain, respectively.

The Dubs trailed by Mavs by four (28-24) at the end of the first quarter.

As expected, Klay Thompson played like a Splash Brother in the second quarter. The Dubs then went on a 9-0 run and tied the game at 48 apiece to end the first half. Kevin Durant led all scorers with 17 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Thompson scored 11 points. Omri Casspi had seven points and seven rebounds. Jordan Bell had five assists, four points and four rebounds. Shaun Livingston had six points.

The Dubs and Mavs fought hard to start the second half.

Dirk Nowitzki connected on a three-point shot from downtown to put the Mavs ahead 51-48 with 5:42 left in the third quarter.

Casspi, Durant and Livingston put on the pressure on the rim. Durant drained a jumper to tie the game at 61 and helped the Dubs regain the lead. Casspi had a season-high 14 points (6-of-7 field goals). Casspi also scored in double figures for the seventh time this season.

The Dubs led the Mavs 80-73 at the end of the third quarter.

Casspi, Thompson, Andre Iguodala and David West put in work for the Dubs in the fourth quarter. Thompson was on fire, just take a look at the tweet below.

The Dubs overcame a slight deficit and ended up defeating the Mavs 112-97 at home. Durant led all scorers with 36 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and two blocks. Thompson scored 25 points and five assists. Casspi had 17 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks and two assists. Bell had eight assists, eight points and six rebounds. West had nine points, three rebounds and three assists. Livingston had eight points.

Notes
Dubs’ injury update: Draymond Green (right shoulder soreness), Zaza Pachulia (left shoulder soreness) and Nick Young (concussion) are out for tonight’s game vs. Mavs.

Dubs’ starting lineup: Durant, Casspi, Bell, Thompson and Livingston.

Mavs’ starting lineup: Nowitzki, Matthews, Barnes, Kleber and Ferrell.

Before the game vs. Dubs, Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said: “Transition defense is the biggest thing. We’ve got to take away threes, we’ve got to rebound and we’ve got to take care of the ball.”

Up Next
The Dubs visit the Lakers on Monday, December 18 at 7:30 pm PST.

The Mavs visit the Spurs on Saturday, December 16 at 7:30 pm CST.

Kings black out Suns 99-92; Sac wins two out of last three

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Sacramento Kings forward Zach Randolph, left, drives against Phoenix Suns forward TJ Warren during the second half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017, in Sacramento, Calif. The Kings won 99-92. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

By Tony Renteria

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento Kings (9-18) were looking to rebound from a bad home loss against against the Toronto Raptors and got what they were looking for with a much-needed 99-92 win over the struggling Phoenix Suns (9-20) at Golden 1 Center in California’s capital.

The Kings, who have now won two of the last three games, are looking to make a move up from last place in the Pacific Division by beating the Suns, who are directly above the Kings in the standings. With tonight’s win, the Kings are now in fourth place and a game ahead of the Suns.

Kings’ George Hill made a nice return to the starting lineup with a solid stat line of 18 points with seven boards and five assists. Hill has been averaging only nine points a game, but in this return, he played a quality game in only 28 minutes. Veteran Zach Randolph, who has been playing center for the young Kings, chipped in 17 points himself.

The Suns, who are are really on a tail spin by dropping eight of their last 10 games before tonight’s loss, really need to turn things around soon if they hope to salvage this season at all.  Interim coach Jay Triano is not not helping his cause to remain at the helm of this once proud franchise with effort from his squad like tonight. The Suns were led by third player T.J. Warren, who scored 18 points, but had less than 40% shooting from the field.  He missed all four of his three point attempts against the Kings.

With the win tonight, the Kings have evened up the series this season to one game apiece with each team winning on their home floor.

The Suns head up to Canada to play the mentioned Raptors Wednesday night. while the Kings also head up north to Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves on Thursday.

Warriors beat Blazers 111-104 for seventh straight win

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Photo credit: @mercnews

By: Ana Kieu

OAKLAND, Calif. — It wasn’t easy, but the Golden State Warriors ended up defeating the Portland Trail Blazers 111-104 at Oracle Arena Monday night.

The Warriors entered the matchup vs. the Trail Blazers in second place of the Western Conference, trailing the first-place Houston Rockets. Meanwhile, the Blazers were in sixth place in the conference.

After playing their last four games in their red “statement” jerseys, the Blazers sported their black “icon” jerseys tonight. The Blazers were just fine early in the game as they scored four consecutive points–all from Evan Turner’s dunks, but the Blazers barely outscored the Dubs by one point (28-27) at the end of the first quarter.

However, the Dubs went on a 10-2 run to grab a 39-32 lead with 7:48 left in the first half. Still, the Blazers said it was really difficult to stop Damian Lillard, a Oakland, Calif., native. Lillard led all scorers with 19 points at the half.

Despite the Lillard show, the Dubs led the Blazers 60-47 at the half.

The Blazers got off to a great start as they shot 100% from the free-throw line for a bit and even went on a 17-4 run to cut the deficit to 11, but the Dubs started cooking in the kitchen late in the third quarter. The Dubs led the Blazers 93-75 at the end of the third quarter.

The Dubs also received some bad news as Nick Young left the game with the concussion and didn’t return.

Klay Thompson did his thing, and Kevin Durant (19,712 points) passed John Stockton (19,711 points) for 44th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Thompson also closed out the game with a couple of three-pointers, and the Dubs beat the Blazers 111-104 at home.

The Dubs’ final stats are embedded below.

Notes
Warriors’ injury report: Draymond Green (right shoulder soreness) is probable. Patrick McCaw (nose contusion/concussion) is questionable. Zaza Pachulia (left shoulder soreness) is doubtful. Stephen Curry (sprained right ankle) is out.

Blazers’ injury update: Maurice Harkless (left quad) downgraded to OUT for tonight’s game. Jusuf Nurkić (right ankle) is also out.

Up Next
The Dubs host the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, December 14 at 7:30 pm PST.

The Blazers embark on a four-game road trip. The first game will be at American Airlines Center vs. the Miami Heat on Wednesday, December 13 at 7:30 pm EST.

Warriors beat Pistons 102-98 to finish perfect road trip

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Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) takes a shot against Detroit Pistons forward Anthony Tolliver (43) during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game Friday, Dec. 8, 2017, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

by Jerry Feitelberg

For the first time in team history, the Golden State Warriors won all six road games after defeating the Detroit Pistons 102-98. The Warriors were without the services of Steph Curry, Zaza Pachulia, and Patrick McCaw. Head coach Steve Kerr inserted JaVale McGee in for Pachulia, and Shaun Livingston started in place of Curry.

Quinn Cook, who had started at point guard, was relegated to the bench, but he played well when Kerr put him into the game.

The Warriors were trying to avenge a loss to the Pistons when the two teams met in Oakland earlier this season. The last time they met, the Dubs committed 26 turnovers, and they were not in sync that night. The Dubs were determined to not let that happen. They were also committed to shutting down the Pistons’ offense. The Dubs did just that as the had a season-high 15 blocks. Both teams played defense Friday night at the Little Caesars Arena in Motown, but the Dubs were just a little better.

The Warriors lead in the first quarter 30-24. They held the Pistons to just 31% from the floor. The Pistons were making three-point shots, and the Dubs were shooting bricks from a three-point range. The Pistons held the Dubs to 16 points in the second quarter and scored 24 to lead 50-46 at the end of the first half.

The Dubs shot 48.6% from the floor but made just one three-pointer in 13 attempts. The Pistons shot 38.8% from the floor but connected on seven three-point shots in 14 attempts. The Dubs committed just five turnovers in the first half and knew they would have to make adjustments if they were to beat the Pistons. Kevin Durant was the only Warrior in double figures with 14. Thompson and West were next with six each.

Whatever Kerr and the coaches told the Warriors at the halftime break must have worked as the team outscored the Pistons 31-17 and finished the period with a 10 point lead (77-67).

The Dubs, behind Thompson and Durant, continued to keep the Pistons at bay. They increased the lead to 12 (81-69), but Detroit would not fold.

The Pistons closed the gap to three (87-84), but Thompson and Durant made two key buckets to up the lead to seven.

The Dubs were ahead 100-93 when Detroit cut the lead to two (100-98) with 22.7 seconds left in the game. The Pistons went for the tie, but they missed a layup and Thompson got the rebound and was fouled. He nailed both free throws with just 5.3 seconds left. Detroit failed to score, and the Warriors picked up the win.

Game notes and stats — Kevin Durant had a double-double Friday night. He knocked down 36 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, and blocked five shots. Klay Thompson added 22, David West 11 and Shaun Livingstone 10. Draymond Green tallied just two points on offense, recorded 13 assists, and was basically a monster on defense. Green had six rebounds and led the club with six blocked shots.

Quinn Cook, coming off the bench, scored seven and he made a three-point shot as the buzzer sounded to end the third quarter.

Leading scorers for the Pistons were former Boston Celtic, Avery Bradley, with 25, Reggie Jackson 16, Tobias Harris 11, Anthony Tolliver 10, and the seven-foot-three big man Boban Marjanovic from Serbia also had 10. Pistons star center, Andre Drummond, was held to eight points, but he recorded 17 rebounds in a losing effort.

The Warriors improve to 21-6 and Detroit falls to 14-11.

The Warriors return home to face the Portand Trailblazers Monday night at Oracle Arena. Game time is at 7:30 pm PT.