Tag: Oracle Arena

Warriors down Mavericks 112-97 for eighth straight win

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

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.

Warriors beat Blazers 111-104 for seventh straight win

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

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.

Golden State Warriors post game wrap: Warriors without Durant and Curry can’t stop Kings on home floor 110-106

Published on by rxslugger1 Comment

Sacramento Kings’ Willie Cauley-Stein lays up a shot against Golden State Warriors’ Kevon Looney (5) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Nov. 27, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — On a night when the Warriors played without Steph Curry and Kevin Durant, they were not able to overcome their absence and lost 110-106 to the visiting Sacramento Kings. The two teams played a very close and entertaining game, and the final outcome was in doubt for the entire 48 minutes. Warriors coach Steve Kerr started Patrick McCaw in place of Curry, and Omri Casspi filled in for Durant. McCaw played very well He tallied 16 points, seven assists, three rebounds, one blocked shot, and four steals. Klay Thompson led the team in scoring, and he knocked down five three-point shots, but he missed a three at the end of the game that would have won it for the Dubs.

The Kings, coached by Dave Joerger, probably played their best game of the year. The Kings are not known as a good shooting team, but shot 53% from the floor and made nine three-point shots as they upset the Warriors. The Kings had five players in double figures, and the stats will show how even the game was.

Both teams played well in the first quarter as the first 12 minutes ended with the teams tied at 27. With Sacramento leading by a point (36-35), the Dubs went on an 11-2 run to lead 46-38. The Kings refused to wilt and clawed their way back to finish the first half trailing by two (55-53). McCaw and Thompson led the Warriors with nine points each. Nick Young gave the Dubs a boost as he poured in eight. The Kinds were led by Zach Randolph and Garrett Temple. The Kings’ bench of Bogdan Bogdanovich, Willy Cauley-Stein, Buddy Hield, and Frank Mason III all made contributions to the Kings’ offense.

In the third quarter, it appeared that the Warriors had found their mojo as they were able to take a seven-point lead (76-69). The Kings were not to be denied. They continued to attack the Warriors’ defenses and went on a 9-0 run at the end of the period to take the lead 83-82. They increased the lead to six (90-84), but David West made a two-point shot, and Andre Iguodala connected on a three to tie the game at 92. The Warriors increased the lead to five (106-101), but the Kings tied the game at 106 with 1:43 left in the game. The Kings took the lead for good when they scored a bucket with 12.6 seconds left to play. The Warriors had a chance, but Thompson missed the shot, and the Warriors had to foul. The two free throws were made to seal the victory for Sacramento.

Game notes and stats — The Warriors shot 50% from the floor and made 16 three-pointers, but it wasn’t good enough. The Kings shot 53% from the floor, and they made nine threes. The Kings had seven more free throws and outscored the Dubs by seven in that department. The Warriors recorded 31 assists, which indicated the team had good ball movement. The Kings had 27. Rebounds were even. The Warriors had nine steals and six blocks while the Kings had seven steals, and they too, had six blocked shots.

The Warriors’ scoring leaders were Thompson with 21, McCaw with 16, Green with 14, Iguodala with 11, Livingston with 10, Casspi with nine, D. West with eight, and Young with eight.

The Kings’ Cauley-Stein had a terrific game. His line was 19 points, six assists, eight rebounds, and two blocked shots. George Hill had four threes and ended the night with 16. Temple had 14, Randolph had 11, Skal Labissiere had nine, and Frank Mason 14.

The Warriors embark on their longest road trip of the year when they meet the L.A. Lakers Wednesday night. They then go to Miami, Orlando, New Orleans, Charlotte and finish the trek in Detroit.

Game time for Wednesday’s game with the Lakers is at 7:30 pm PT.

Sacramento Kings post game wrap: Kings Humiliate Warriors With 110-106 Win In Front Of Sellout Crowd At Oracle Arena

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Sacramento Kings’ Bogdan Bogdanovic (8) celebrates a score in the final seconds of an NBA basketball against the Golden State Warriors with Garrett Temple, left, and Frank Mason III (10) on Monday, Nov. 27, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. Sacramento won 110-106. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

By: Ana Kieu

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Sacramento Kings humiliated the Golden State Warriors with a 110-106 win in front of a sellout crowd of 19,596 at Oracle Arena Monday night.

The Kings had a goal in mind to snap the Warriors’ two-game win streak in order to avoid a two-game losing skid on the road.

Nick Young hit a three-pointer to put the Warriors up 25-20 with 2:26 left in the first quarter. However, Buddy Hield made a statement after getting off the bench in the second quarter. Hield hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 25 with 1:31 left in the first.

The Kings and Warriors were tied at 27 after the first quarter of the regional rivalry game.

Zach Randolph completed a set of free throws with 21.5 seconds left in the second quarter. Garrett Temple then attempted a three-pointer, but it missed the net. The Kings trailed the Warriors by two (55-53) at the half.

The Kings and Warriors continued to compete in the second half.

As usual, the Kings’ Twitter account had some fun, which sparked some outrage among Kings fans and #BasketballTwitter in general.

The Kings and Warriors went back-and-forth in the third quarter. The Kings put Frank Mason III in for Fox with 2:52 left in the third. Warriors’ JaVale McGee committed an offensive charge foul. After the replay review, the officials announced a support ruling. Andre Iguodala hit a three-pointer and McGee picked up the assist, but Vince Carter shot a driving reverse layup to put the Kings ahead 82-76 with 1:36 left in the third. That’s the reason why Kings fans call Carter “Vinsanity” for a reason.

The Kings took a 83-82 lead over the Warriors after the third quarter.

The Kings weren’t expecting any surprises, but the Warriors were without Steph Curry and Kevin Durant, so they weren’t at the top of their game tonight. Willie Cauley-Stein shot a driving dunk to tie the score at 98 with six minutes left in the fourth quarter.

However, the Kings started to fall behind, and that wasn’t what they wanted. As a result, Cauley-Stein came to the rescue and shot an alley-oop dunk to tie the score at 106 with 1:46 left in the fourth.

The Kings had no more timeouts, so they had to hang on late in the game. Bogdan Bogdanovic made a driving floating bank jump shot to give the Kings a 108-106 lead with 12.6 seconds left. Bogdanovic added two free throws, and the Kings (6-14) ended a nine-game road losing streak and dealt a humiliating setback to the defending champion Warriors (15-6) with a 110-106 win on the road.

Notes
Kings’ Starters
De’Aaron Fox, George Hill, Garrett Temple, Skal Labissiere and Zach Randolph.

Injuries

Kings: Harry Giles (bi-lateral knee rehabilitation) is out.
Warriors: Steph Curry (right hand contusion) and Kevin Durant (sprained left ankle) are out. Andre Iguodala (sore left knee) is doubtful. Draymond Green (right foot contusion) is available to play. Damian Jones is on a G-League assignment.

Team leaders
Kings

Points: Randolph (13.2)

Rebounds: Koufos (6.2)

Assists: Fox (4.5)

Warriors

Points: Curry (26)

Rebounds: Green (7.4)

Assists: Green (6.7)

Up Next
The Warriors take on the Lakers on Wednesday, November 29 at 7:30 pm PST.

The Kings host the Bucks on Tuesday, November 28 at 7 pm PST.

Warriors extend win streak to two with 110-95 win over Pelicans

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, left, drives the ball away from New Orleans Pelicans guard Rajon Rondo during the second half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Nov. 25, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. The Warriors won, 110-95. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

By: Ana Kieu

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Golden State Warriors defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 110-95 at Oracle Arena Saturday night.

The Warriors came off a massive 143-94 blowout win over the Bulls, while the Pelicans came off a standard 115-91 blowout win over the Suns. However, the Bulls and Suns were both struggling teams to say the least. Tonight’s matchup between the Warriors and Pelicans wasn’t as lopsided in terms of the standings.

Prior to the tip-off, Pelicans guard Ian Clark received a championship ring from the Warriors.

The Pelicans overwhelmed the Warriors in the first quarter. The Pelicans were 5-7 from the three-point line, while the Warriors were just 1-5. The fast-break points were in favor of the Pelicans (9-0). The Pelicans outscored the Warriors 31-17 at the end of the first quarter.

After an unsatisfactory opening quarter, the Warriors outscored the Pelicans 36-22 to even the score at 53 apiece at the half. The Warriors’ offense put on a show for rapper and Vallejo native E-40, who was spotted in the audience at the Oracle Arena tonight.

Here are the halftime stats: Klay Thompson with 16 points and made four of six three-pointers, Omri Casspi with seven points and two blocks, Andre Iguodala with seven points and four assists, David West with six points, Steph Curry five points and five assists, Shaun Livingston with four points, Draymond Green with two points, four rebounds and three assists, Zaza Pachulia with two points and three rebounds and Kevon Looney with two points and three rebounds.

The Warriors started the second half on the right foot as they took the lead on a 6-0 run and never looked back. Also, the Warriors’ Twitter account retweeted a tweet from ESPN, who said their alternate jerseys are fire.

The Warriors led the Pelicans 84-75 at the end of the third quarter.

The Warriors continued to dominate in the fourth quarter. Livingston completed a three-point play to put the Warriors up 95-83 with 8:48 left in the game. The Warriors then went on a 8-0 run that was nice while it lasted.

The Warriors finished the home game with a 110-95 win over the Pelicans. Curry led the Warriors with 27 points, four rebounds and six assists. Thompson recorded 24 points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals and two boards. Pachulia scored 10 points, seven rebounds, two assists and three steals. Casspi scored nine points, four rebounds and two assists. Green scored six points, seven rebounds, eight assists and two steals. Iguodala had 14 points and four assists. Livingston had seven points and two rebounds. West had six points, two rebounds and two assists. Looney had three points and five rebounds.

Notes
Warriors’ injury update: Kevin Durant (left ankle sprain) is out for tonight’s game against the Pelicans. Andre Iguodala (sore left knee) is probable.

The Warriors debuted their Statement alternate uniforms, featuring “The Town” logo.

Last night, Jameer Nelson, Rajon Rondo and DeMarcus Cousins combined for 21 of the Pelicans’ 29 assists with eight, seven and six, respectively.

Pelicans’ injury report: Alexis Ajinca (right knee injury), Solomon Hill (left hamstring tear) and Frank Jackson (right foot fracture).

Up Next
The Warriors host the Kings on Monday, November 27 at 7:30 pm PST.

The Pelicans host the Timberwolves on Wednesday, November 29 at 7 pm CST.

Warriors play first preseason game Saturday night fall to the Denver Nuggets 108-102

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: GoldenStateWarriors (@warriors)

By Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The Golden State Warriors played the first of four preseason games Saturday night against the Denver Nuggets at Oracle Arena. The Dubs, preparing to defend their NBA championship, showed a lot of rust and the three-point shots did not fall. The Nuggets with their new addition of Paul Milsap leading the way beat the Dubs 108-102.

Coach Steve Kerr played his regular for about 20 minutes in the game. The Dubs wanted to give some of the players on the second and third units playing time.

The Warriors missed their first nine three-point shots and were 4-for-33 for the game. Draymond Green and Kevin Durant were each 0-for 5 and Steph was 1-for-7 in that department. Nick Young made the first three-pointer for Golden State late in the first half. The Dubs shot 40% from the field but had just seven assists which indicated that they didn’t have a lot of ball movement.

Denver shot 41% from the field in the first half. They made five three-pointers.

Warriors rookie Jordan Bell knocked down seven points in his first game as a Warrior.

Game Notes- Ben Wallace, winner of Defensive Player of the Year four times in his career, presented Draymond Green with the award.  Draymond, when he was a young man growing up in Saginaw, Michigan, idolized Wallace and he was totally surprised by Wallace’s appearance at Oracle Arena.

The Warriors fly to China on Sunday. They will play two games against the Minnesota Timberwolves there. The first game will be in Shenzen on October 5th and the second game will take place on October 8th in Shanghai.

Warriors send Rockets packing in dominating fashion

Published on by Michael MartinezLeave a comment

by Michael Martinez

picture credit CBS 46 Atlanta

Well, Steph Curry did not play and yet the Warriors showed why they made history for the best record in NBA history. Normally, a team without their star player has a lot to worry about. The Warriors showed no problems minus the reigning MVP and proved why they are the team to beat besides the fact their last year’s champs. Golden State annihilated the Houston Rockets in a 114-81 victory at Oracle Arena.

Let’s be honest, there’s not much to say about this game. The game went exactly as most would have figured given that the Warriors routed Houston in game four and not to mention they’re the Golden State Warriors.

The Warriors played great, the Rockets played atrociously, which is a recipe for disaster. The Warriors played with great togetherness and to nobody’s surprise, they shot out of this world. Golden State made it look easy as they finished with a 54.9 shooting percentage while Houston could not find a way to score with a 32.6 shooting percentage. Golden State played solid defense as they forced 18 turnovers for 25 points.

James Harden was the only Rockets’ player to show any offensive life finishing with 35 points. Besides Harden, Michael Beasley was the only other Houston player to finish the game in double figures.

Klay Thompson did his best to fill Curry’s shoes and finished with 27 points. Thompson knocked down seven buckets from behind the arc on 11 shots and finished 10 of 14 from the field overall. Draymond Green was tremendous overall as usual and totaled 15 points, grabbed nine boards and dropped eight dimes.

Shaun Livingston had a good game on offense as well and scored 16 points on seven of eight shooting. The Warriors looked just as good as they always are and bounced the Rockets out of the playoffs.

Throughout the game, Curry showed incredible excitement from the bench and supported his teammates like no other. And this is why the Warriors are so dangerous, they have some of the greatest team chemistry I have witnessed in my lifetime.

The Warriors won the series and only allowed the Rockets to win one game, which came down to the wire.

Golden State will either face the Los Angeles Clippers who are without Chris Paul and Blake Griffin or the Portland Trailblazers. Portland won game five in their series to go up 3-2 and it appears like they will be Golden State’s semifinal opponent.

Whoever the Warriors play, fans are hopeful that Curry can make his way back into the playoffs. But, with the way Golden State played tonight, let Curry take as much time as he needs to get ready for the Western Conference Finals. I am knocking on wood though, so the whole Bay Area doesn’t freak out on me and say I jinxed them.

 

Warriors protect homecourt without Curry, Iguodala

Published on by jhawkes51Leave a comment

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

photo credit: news.yahoo.com Golden State Warriors Steph Curry sat out with an ankle injury for Tuesday night’s game in Oakland

OAKLAND, Calif — Without the reigning MVP in Stephen Curry (ankle) and valuable reserve Andre Iguodala (hamstring), the Golden State Warriors pulled out all of the stops in a 109-105 victory over the visiting Atlanta Hawks Tuesday night in Golden State’s first home game since Feb. 9 after completing a 6-1 road trip.

Draymond Green hit an off-balanced 3-pointer with the shot clock expiring with 40.2 seconds left in overtime to push Golden State’s lead to 107-103. Playing primarily as a point-forward, Green finished two assists shy of another triple-double scoring 15 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists, and four steals.

Klay Thompson scored 26 points, but struggled for most of the night shooting just 8-of-27 from the floor including 6-of-16 from 3-point range. Thompson did knock down the go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:54 left in the fourth quarter, and another key basket with 11.4 seconds remaining.

With the win, Golden State (54-5) picked up its 43rd straight win at Oracle, and improve to 25-0 at home. The Warriors’ last loss at Oracle Arena was to the Chicago Bulls 113-111 on Jan. 27, 2015.

After getting boat-raced 137-105 in Portland in the first game after the NBA All-Star break, Golden State have won six straight games overall, and have a chance at tying history Thursday night.

With a win over the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder, Golden State would tie the Bulls’ 44-game unbeaten mark at home from March 30, 1995, to April 4, 1996. They are also chasing the `95-96 Chicago team’s record 72-win season.

Paul Milsap finished with 19 points and seven rebounds, Al Horford had 17 points and nine rebounds, and former Warriors’ guard Kent Bazemore recorded 15 points and nine rebounds for Atlanta (33-28), who had won two in a row before entering Oracle Arena Tuesday night.

Tonight’s game marked the beginning of a stretch for Golden State in which it will play 17 of their next 24 games at home.

 

 

Warriors hang tough, rally past Bucks to move to 26-1

Published on by jhawkes51Leave a comment

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — Klay Thompson scored a game-high 27 points and Stephen Curry added 26 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists to help the Golden State Warriors avenge their only loss of the season with a 121-112 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks Friday night in front of a sellout Oracle Arena crowd.

Thompson shot 8 of 16 from the floor (2 of 9) on 3s, while Curry shot 7 of 14 including 2 of 6 on 3s.

Curry extended his streak to 100 games with at least one 3-pointer made.

The Bucks ended the Warriors 28-game winning streak dating back to last season in Milwaukee last weekend. Milwaukee came within an eyelash of  joining the Chicago Bulls as the last team to beat the Warriors at Oracle Arena.

With the win,  Golden State has now won 30 straight games at home.

Golden State (26-1) yielded a season-high 70 points in the first half, but turned on the defense in the second half by limiting Milwaukee to just 42 points the rest of the way. The Warriors found themselves down by as much 15 points in the third, and trailing by 11 points with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Draymond Green nailed a huge 3-pointer from straight away to pull the Warriors within three at 100-97 and after being fouled on a 3-point attempt, Curry sunk three free throws to tie the game midway in the fourth quarter.

Green finished with 21 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists, but Andre Iguodala’s 3-pointer from the corner pushed Golden State’s lead to seven cementing the Warriors’ victory.

The made 3-pointer by Iguodala was his only points of the game.

Festus Ezeli who played the majority of the game in place of starting center Andrew Bogut, finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Bogut left the game in the first quarter with a back injury and never returned.

Michael Carter-Williams led the Bucks with 24 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo chipped in 20 points for Milwaukee (10-18), who have dropped five of their last six games but have provided Golden State with its stiffest competition so far this season.

Greg Monroe had 10 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists for the Bucks, who were out-rebounded 46-41 but shot a blistering 62 percent from the floor in the first half.

Khris Middleton added 16 points and Jabari Parker scored 14 points.

So much trash talk was voiced between both squads leading up to their rematch tonight and even after the final whistle, the trash talk couldn’t be stopped.

Green and O.J. Mayo had some heated words when exiting the court, prompting security and fellow players having to come in between the two before heading into the locker room.

Mayo scored just 12 points off the bench after scoring 18 points as a starter in the previous meeting in Milwaukee.

Milwaukee head to Phoenix Sunday, while Golden State doesn’t play until Wednesday when the Utah Jazz visit Oracle Arena.

 

Warriors ground Rockets, win 17th straight at Oracle

Published on by jhawkes51Leave a comment

By Joe Hawkes

OAKLAND — The Golden State Warriors continue to make winning in the NBA and over the Houston Rockets an easy

Klay Thompson scored 27 points and Stephen Curry finished with 22 points and 10 assists as Golden State established a new franchise record with their 17th consecutive home win with a 126-113 victory over Houston Wednesday in front of the 102nd straight sellout at Oracle Arena.

Golden State completed the four-game sweep over Houston this season, which hasn’t been done since the 1973-74 season.

Draymond Green had 18 points and six rebounds and Harrison Barnes finished with 11 points as Golden State shot 50 percent from the floor (49-for-98), while holding the Rockets to just 42 percent shooting (37-for-87).

“We got the best fans in the league,” Green said. “They make it tough for teams to come and try to beat us.”

Marreese Speights and David Lee finished with nine points off the bench for Golden State. Lee reached the 10,000-point career milestone in the process.

Andrew Bogut also finished with nine points, but recorded 10 rebounds and five blocks while playing 22 minutes.

The Warriors utilized a 26-6 run in the second quarter to push their lead to 62-42 at halftime.

Tempers flared in the third quarter when Curry ran after Rockets’ forward Trevor Ariza bumped the Warriors’ point guard.

“I got a technical for nothing,” said Curry. “Softest technical I’ve ever gotten. I thought it was a cheap shot, even if he didn’t meant it, that’s how I felt at the time.”

Ariza was assessed a technical in fact, Houston had four technical fouls called against them, two of them on forward Josh Smith who was ejected in the third quarter for arguing with referee, Tre Maddox.

Both teams finished even in total rebounds (46), while Golden State finished with the edge in assists (26-23), and Houston leading the turnover battle (19-16).

Golden State was lights out from beyond the arc, shooting 13-for-29 on 3s (44 percent). Houston shot 13-for-32 from downtown (40 percent).

“I thought we played well tonight, but we could’ve ended the game better,” said Warriors head coach Steve Kerr. “We didn’t close the game like we normally do, but we had a big lead so we were able to ride it out.”

Golden State biggest lead was 30 points.

Houston (29-14) just didn’t seem to have it again against Golden State Wednesday night.

Outside of James Harden’s game-high 33 points, Corey Brewer (20 points) and Jason Terry (14 points), no other Rockets players scored more than nine points.

Center Dwight Howard finished with seven points and 11 rebounds while battling foul trouble. Howard also picked up a first quarter technical and was clearly frustrated for the remainder of the game.

“They play hard, and fast,” said Houston head coach Kevin McHale. “They make you make plays, they defend, and they pressure you. Give them credit for playing a great game.”

Golden State (34-6) joins just 10 teams since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976 to win 34 of their first 40 games of the season. At 19-1, the Warriors sport the best home record in the league.

“Teams are going come in a give their best effort,” Bogut said. “We’ll bring our game and continue to play hard and tough.”

The Warriors continue their five-game homestand Friday night with their I-80 brethren, Sacramento Kings visiting Oracle Arena.