Tag: Stephen Curry

The Warriors come from behind to beat the Brooklyn Nets

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by Jerry Feitelberg

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Golden State Warriors Commentary and Analysis: The Warriors win again, Down the Clippers in LA

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by Jerry Feitelberg

LOS ANGELES-The game was billed as a contest between the best offense(Golden State) in the NBA against the best defense(LA Clippers) in the NBA. It turned out to be a no contest as the Dubs offense and defense was better as they defeated the Clippers easily 115-98.

The Dub’s big three, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Steph Curry all scored in double figures. Steph had nineteen but was 0-for-8 from three point range. Durant scored sixteen, but he was terrific on defense. Klay, who scored 60 Monday night, struggled but made some key shots in the fourth quarter to lead the team in scoring with 24. The player of the game was “Mr. Defense” Draymond Green. He was second in scoring with 22. he had four assists and five rebounds, but he was magnificent on defense. He shut down the Clippers’ big man, Blake Griffin, holding him to just 12 points in the game. The Warriors’ other players also played well on defense. They held high-scoring guard J.J.Redick to just two points. The Dubs had eleven steals in the game, and Steph had seven all by himself. It was probably the best the team has played on defense all year. The big men, Zaza Pachulia and JaVale McGee, held DeAndre Jordan to just ten points.

Both teams started slowly in the first quarter. The Dubs missed the first seven shots from the floor, but the Clippers didn’t shoot well either. The Dubs led 11-10 with just six minutes left to play in the quarter when they went on a 23-5 run and led by eighteen 37-19. They kept it going for the first few minutes of the second quarter. They led by twenty 41-21 but they, suddenly, could not buy a basket and the Clippers were able to claw their way back. They cut the deficit to seven, but the Warriors behind Draymond Green and Klay Thompson extended the lead to thirteen 62-49 at the half.

So far this season, the Dubs love to break open the game in the third quarter. They increased the lead to 21 75-54 and were able to keep the Clippers at bay. The score at the end of three was 91-75. Steve Kerr rested Steph and KD for most of the fourth quarter. The second unit of Shaun Livingston, Andre Iguodala, Ian Clark, JaVale McGee played well and closed out the game for the  Dubs. Final score 115-98.

Game Notes- Draymond Green was the player of the game. The Clippers concentrated on shutting down the Big Three. That strategy backfired as Draymond found himself open and his shots went in. Steve Kerr, in the press conference after the game, said it was a “great night defensively.” To be able to “defend like that and take care of the ball (means) we’ll be all right” The Dubs had 32 assists and just eleven turnovers in the game. The Clippers’ Blake Griffin turned the ball over seven times in the game. The Warriors improve to 19-3 while the Clippers drop to 16-7. The Warriors have beaten the Clippers eight straight times. The Warriors travel to Utah to face the Jazz Thursday night in Salt Lake City. Game time will be at 6 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 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 win a thriller, beat the Bucks in Milwaukee

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors and the Milwaukee Bucks played a very fast-paced and very entertaining game Saturday night in Milwaukee. The contest was very close, but the Dubs were able to prevail as they won their seventh game in a row downing the Bucks 124-121.

Last year, The Dubs lost to Milwaukee after playing a double overtime win in Boston the previous night.  The Bucks then beat the Warriors the following night to snap the Warriors twenty-four game winning streak. This year, the schedule makers sent the Dubs to Boston on Friday night and then to Milwaukee on Saturday night. The Warriors did not have to go to overtime to beat the Celtics on Friday. However, the Bucks, coached by Jason Kidd, a great high school player at St.Joseph’s in Alameda and at Cal and an All-Star in the NBA, went tooth and nail against the Warriors and nearly came back from an eleven point deficit at the end of three-quarters to beat them. The Dubs defense held the Bucks to just one point in the last two minutes and thirty-three seconds to seal the win.

The first quarter was very close. The bigger Bucks, led by Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker, went on a 21-5 run at the end of the first quarter to lead by nine 37-28.The Bucks were on fire as they shot 66.7% from the field and made all three three-point shots. The Warriors shot 47.8% and were three for seven from behind the three-point arc. The Bucks led for most of the second quarter, but the Dubs clawed their way back and took the lead late in the period. The finished the first half leading by three 69-66. Kevin Durant was terrific as he led the Dubs with twenty-five points. Steph had eleven and Klay Thompson had just four. Zazu Pachulia played well as did Andre Iguodala, coming off the bench. The Bucks’ shooting percentage dropped to 59.6%, and the Dubs came in at 47.1%. The Warriors made six 3-point shots in the quarter and the Bucks connected on just one.

In the third quarter, Klay Thompson got hot. He made four three-point shots and eighteen points total in the period. JaVale MvGee scored a couple of key buckets as the Dubs increased the lead to eleven. Draymond Green made a great play when he stole the ball and made a slam dunk with 2:57 left. The Dubs had the lead 103-92 heading into the fourth quarter.

The Dubs increased the lead to thirteen, but Milwaukee refused to go down. The Bucks went on a 14-4 run to close the gap to four 114-110. The Warriors, behind a layup by Steph, owned a five-point lead 122-117. Milwaukee narrowed the deficit to two 122-120 with 2:33 left in the game. The Warriors defense, led by Draymond Green, stiffened and allowed Milwaukee just one point in the last two minutes and thirty-three seconds of play. Draymond Green mad the defensive play of the night when he tipped an inbound pass over to Klay Thompson. Thompson was fouled and made both free throws to increase the lead to four with just a few seconds left. The Bucks’ big man, Giannis Antetokounmpo was fouled. The only hope the Bucks had was that he make the first free throw, then miss the second shot and hope the ball would be tipped to another Buck player for a three-point shot. That strategy failed, and the Dubs recorded their seventh win in a row. Warriors win 124-121.

Game Notes- The Warriors are now 11-2 for the season. The Bucks fall to 5-7. The Warriors had thirty assists in the game for the seventh straight game. Kevin Durant led the Warriors with thirty-three points, five assists, and six rebounds. Klay knocked down twenty-nine, nd Steph had twenty. Steph also had five assists and five rebounds. Draymond Green played very well again. He scored ten points, to go along with five assists, two rebounds, three steals, and two blocks. The Dubs recorded a total of eight steals and five blocks in the game. Leading scorers for Milwaukee were Antetokopounmpo with thirty, Jabari Parker added twenty-eight and former Cleveland Cavalier, Matthew Dellavedova, contributed ten.

After the game, Durant, when asked about the play of Draymond Green, had this to say:”he was huge.” He also said this about how close the game was” no matter how you do it it, a win is a win.” Coach Steve Kerr also said this about the win:”any win on the road is a good win.” When asked about the defense, Kerr said we”made some stops down the stretch.” “It was the first close game in a while and it was good for us.” He also said  that “we wre kinda sitting on the lead” in the fourth quarter.

The Warriors finish the four game road trip Monday Night in Indianapolis playing the Indiana Pacers for the first time this season. Game Time will be at 4:00 PM.PT

The Warriors defeat the Raptors, it was not easy

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Toronto- The Golden State Warriors downed the Toronto Raptors 127-121 Wednesday night in Toronto. The Raptors were playing the second game of a back-to-back series. They faced the Cleveland Cavaliers Tuesday night and lost 121-117. The Raptors, however, did not show any signs of fatigue as they scored thirty-eight points in the first quarter to take a four-point lead 38-34 over the Dubs. The Warriors, as has been their custom so far this season, started slowly. The trailed by ten 29-19 late in the quarter. The Raptors were controlling the boards on defense and driving the lane attacking the rim on offense. Raptor center, Jonas Valanciunas, scored eight points and clogged the middle for Toronto. The Dubs closed the gap to four late in the quarter. Kevin Durant hit a three-point shot as time expired. The Warriors came to life in the second quarter. The Warriors took the lead 41-40 when Durant hit another three. Toronto regained the lead and led by four 49-45 when Steph, KD, and Draymond Green went to work. The Dubs went on a 21-2 run at the end of the quarter to take a thirteen point lead 66-53. They outscored the Raptors 32-15 in the second quarter.

In the second half, Klay Thompson got hot, and the Dubs increased the lead to twenty(74-54). The Dubs appeared to have put the game away, but the Raptors are not exactly chopped liver. They fought back behind the play of Demar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry. The Dubs had no rhythm and were committing dumb fouls. DeRozan kept going to the charity stripe and the Raptors went on a 17-4 run to trail by nine 95-86 at the end of three.

The Warriors behind Steph, Andre Iguodala, Patrick McCaw were able to fend off the Raptors as they refused to go down. DeRozan kept making free throws, but Shaun Livingston and David West made key buckets for the Dubs. McCaw sank a three-point shot from the corner and played well on defense making a couple of steals. The Warriors held on to win 127-121.

Game Notes- With the win, the Dubs improve to 9-2. The Raptors drop to 7-4. Steph led the scoring with thirty-five points. KD had thirty, and he had six assists and nine rebounds. Draymond added eleven, and he had five assists and seven rebounds. Draymond also had a couple of steals and several blocks in the contest. Klay Thompson scored fifteen, but he made three key three-point shots in the third quarter.

DeMar DeRozan led Toronto with thirty-four points. He made all seventeen free throws, too. Kyle Lowry had twenty-four. Valanciunas had twelve, and Corey Joseph(14) and Terrence Ross(11) helped the Raptors, albeit in a losing cause.

The Warriors became the first team since 1990 to shoot better tan 50% from the floor and had thirty plus assists in five straight games.

The Warriors travel to Boston to play the Celtics Friday night.

The Warriors dominate the Nuggets in Denver

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Denver- The Golden State Warriors played well all four quarters of Thursday night’s game in Denver and defeated the young Denver Nuggets 125-101. The Warriors excelled on offense and defense.The Dubs put the pedal to the metal and they did not let up all night long. They Looked like the potent force that everyone expects them to be and they did it for all four quarters. Steph Curry did his work  in just three-quarters of play. Steph tallied thirty-three points. He had seven assists and five rebounds. Steph scored fifteen in the third quarter alone and made seven 3-point shots in the game. The Dubs led by twenty-four at the end of three and Steph sat out the rest of night. The Nuggets entered the game with a record of 3-4 under coach Mike Malone. The Warriors expected to have a tough night as the Nuggets had two 7-foot players, Jusuf Nurkic and Nikita Jokic, in their starting lineup. The Nuggets entered the game leading the league in rebounding. The Warriors’ centers met the challenge.

The Nuggets last lead occurred in the first quarter when they were ahead 6-3. The Warriors went on a 17-2 run to take the lead for good. They led 38-19 at the end of the first quarter. Steph had fourteen in the period. The big story was the play of JaVale Mcgee. McGee entered the game after Zaza Pachulia picked up two quick fouls. Draymond Green added eight points and had two assists and two rebounds in the first twelve minutes of the contest.

The Warriors continued to assert themselves and showed everyone ow good they could be. Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, David West and Shaun Livingston all contributed as the Warriors finished the half leading 65-51. The Nuggets closed the gap near the end of the half, but the Warriors were in complete control.

Steph took command in the third period as he netted fifteen points. He made four 3-pointers and seven for the game.  The Warriors led by thirty-one 97-66 late in the third quarter. Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson played in the fourth quarter, but they came out when the issue was well in hand about halfway through the final stanza. The Warriors win 125-101.

Game Notes- Kevin Durant’s seventy-two consecutive game streak of scoring at least twenty points ended as Durant left with eighteen. Durant had five assists and nine rebounds. Draymond added thirteen, and he also had five assists and nine boards. The Big news was the combined play of Zazu Pachulia, David West, and Javale McGee. They put in a total of nineteen from the center position. McGee had ten, and the play of the big men negated the Nuggets’ Twin Towers. Five Nuggets scored double figures. Rookie Jamal Murray led them with fourteen. The Dubs shot 54.1% from the floor. They made fourteen 3-point shots in thirty attempts for a percentage of 46.7%. The Dubs had forty-four rebounds to tie the Nuggets in that department. The Warriors defense had fifteen steals and six blocked shots in the win. The Warriors improve to 7-2, and the Nuggets drop to 3-5. The Warriors played their ninety-fifth consecutive game without back-to-back losses.

The Warriors return home to face the Phoenix Suns Sunday afternoon at Oracle Arena.at 5 pm PT.

The Warriors play well, blast the Trail Blazers

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by Jerry Feitelberg

AP photo: Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry (left) drives past the Portland Trailblazers Al-Farouq Aminu (right) in in the first half in Portland Tuesday night

Portland, Oregon- Tuesday night in Portland, the Golden State Warriors played their best game of the young 2016-17 season by routing the Trail Blazers 127-104. They looked like the Warriors of the past two season. They moved the ball well; they played defense, and they got great play from the bench.  The Dubs bench outscored the Portland bench 54-39.

The Dubs got off to a slow start as they trailed by 7 points 18-11 at the midway point of the first period. Guard Ian Clark came off the bench and sparked the Warriors to a 34-25 lead at the end of one period of play. The Warriors were terrific on defense. The players were knocking passes away, rebounding, forcing turnovers and blocking shots. They looked like the Warriors of old. The Dubs continued to play well in the second period. The Blazers behind Damian Lillard and C.J.McCollum also played well and cut the deficit to six at the end of the first half. Warriors lead 59-53. The leading scorer for Golden State was Ian Clark with sixteen. Kevin Durant had eleven, Klay Thompson ten, Steph Curry just five and Draymond Green six. Leading scorers for Portland were Lillard with twenty-two, McCcollum eight and Evan Turner, off the bench, eleven. The Warriors continued to shoot three-point shots poorly. They were four for fifteen from behind the three-point stripe.

The third period belonged to Steph Curry. Curry made five 3-point shots and made two 3-point plays. He outscored the entire Portland team 21-20 in the third period. The Dubs went on a 20-4 run late in the stanza as the defense and Steph overwhelmed Terry Stotts’ team.

The bench played most of the fourth period. The only starter in the lineup was Klay Thompson. Klay had to miss most of the third period with four fouls. Coach Kerr wanted Klay to work on his 3-point shots, but Klay just couldn’t put one in from 3-point range. He is frustrated but he is too good a shooter and he will break out soon.

The defense was great. The bench contributed mightily to the win. Ian Clark, Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, and David West all made significant contributions to the Dubs win. Steph led the team with 28 points. Durant had 20. Durant has scored at least 20 points in 68 consecutive games and is closing in on Michael Jordan’s record of sixty-nine straight. Lillard had 31 for Portland and McCollum added sixteen. Layman scored seventeen off the bench but most of those points came late in the fourth period well after the game was decided.

After the game, Coach Steve Kerr said this about Steph:”He looked like Riley Curry(Steph’s older daughter) in the first half and like Steph Curry in the second half.” He also sais that he”had never seen anyone like that turn it on that quickly.” Kerr remarked this about the defense “I thought the defense was the best so far” and that “Draymond was phenomenal and set the tone early in the game.” Green finished the night with six points,nine assists, and eight rebounds. The Dubs controlled the boards outrebounding Portland 45-32

The Warrior next game will be against the Oklahoma Thunder Thursday night at the Oracle Arena. Kevin Durant will be facing his ex-teammates for the first time since shocking the basketball world and signing as a free agent with the Warriors in the off-season. Russel Westbrook and company will be seeking revenge as the Dubs eliminated them in the playoffs last season. Game time will be at 7:30pm.

Warriors second half struggles lead to Game 6 loss

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by Michael Martinez

picture credit Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images

At the half, the score was tied at 61. Kyrie Irving and LeBron James each had a tremendous first half, but Klay Thompson kept the Warriors right in it.

Out of the half, James and Irving continued playing great on the offensive end of the court while the Warriors began to struggle. The Cavs shot over 60 percent from the field in the third quarter while the Warriors shot 29 percent.

And then in the fourth quarter, Cleveland only shot 42.1 percent but Golden State shot an abysmal 23.8 percent. After things had been close and both teams played tough, James and Irving kept playing like great players do in elimination games.

As Draymond Green was suspended from game 5, it seems as if James took advantage of facing anyone else but Green. Andrew Bogut also came out early in the third quarter with a knee injury, which effected the Warriors defensive presence.

In place of Green, Andre Iguodala had a solid game finishing with 15 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Thompson finished with a team high of 37 points as the forward was 11 for 20 from the field with six threes. Thompson was nine of nine from the charity stripe.

MVP Steph Curry scored 25, but the James and Irving were simply too much.

James and Irving became the first pair of teammates to score 40 or more points in a Finals game. With Kevin Love playing poorly, the duo was the reason Cleveland is sending the series to a game 6.

James and Irving scored 41 points apiece. James grabbed 16 rebounds and tallied seven assists shooting 16-30 from the field. James’ jumper looked smooth and the Warriors had no answer on the defensive end.

Irving also had six assists and incredibly knocked down  17 of 24 shots from the field.

As the final horn sounded, the Cavs defeated Golden State 112-97. Cleveland shot 53 percent from the field for the game and the Warriors just shot over 36 percent.

Tonight, the Warriors struggled to find their shot from beyond the arc, which is usually how they take the lead and maintain it.

Heading back to Cleveland, the Warriors should be excited to get after it in hopes of grabbing their second championship in as many years. Golden State will have Green back and more news is to come regarding Bogut.

The Warriors are going to need to find an answer to stop either James or Irving because if both play as well as they did it’s going to make difficult to finish off the series.

Tune in to ABC on Thursday at 6 p.m. PT and be prepared to watch a game full of offensive flurry. Golden State will look to try and finish off their historic season with the greatest prize the NBA has to offer.