Tag: Stephen Curry

Warriors shake off slow start, sink Suns

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — Stephen Curry finished with 25 points and Klay Thompson scored 22 points to help the Golden State Warriors stop a two-game losing streak with a 106-87 win over the Phoenix Suns Saturday night at Oracle Arena.

“We got back to our style of basketball,” said Curry, who combined with Thompson shot 19-for-30 from the floor. “We we’re slumping a little bit and wasn’t playing well, so this was big for us.”

Harrison Barnes added 13 points and eight rebounds, Leandro Barbosa scored 14, and Andre Iguodala finished with 12 points for Golden State (37-8), who shook off a sluggish start where the missed their first 10 shots of the game.

Daymond Green fell one point short of a double-double, scoring nine points and grabbing 11 rebounds. During one timeout, Green was heard telling teammates, “we got to get our focus back and play better.”

Phoenix jumped out to a 40-28 lead midway through the second quarter, but rallied to close out the frame to take a 52-51 lead into halftime and never looked back.

After finding themselves down by 12 to Phoenix, Golden State outscored the Suns 78-47 the rest of the way that proved to be difference.

Golden State’s 15-2 run midway through the fourth quarter proved to be the difference for the Warriors, who got back into the win column.

“Great effort by our guys tonight,” said Warriors head coach Steve Kerr. “The defensive effort in the second half was tremendous. We closed out on the shooters, got into passing lanes, got back on track.”

Golden State shot 46 percent from the floor (40-for-87), while holding one of the NBA’s best scoring teams to well under their 100 points per game average and 36 percent shooting (33-for-91).

The Warriors had seven players with two or more assists led by Curry’s seven.

Phoenix did get the best of Golden State on the glass, outrebounding the Warriors 52-44.

“We have great passers on our team,” said Barbosa. “It helped the team and we were able to get the ball moving and played better tonight.”

Markieff Morris had 17 points and 11 rebounds and Eric Bledsoe finished with 16 points for Phoenix (28-21) just fell apart in the second half.

Goran Dragic scored 10 points and Isaiah Thomas added 13 points. Phoenix shot 35 percent on 3s (9-for-26).

The Warriors improved to 22-2 at Oracle Arena this season. With a 12-3 record in January, it was Golden State’s best January since the 1974-75 season.

Golden State heads up to Sacramento Tuesday to take on the Kings.

 

 

Bulls snap Warriors’ 19-game home winning streak in OT

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — For the first time in 19 games at Oracle Arena, the Golden State Warriors know what it feels like to lose.

Derrick Rose’s step back jumper with 7 seconds in overtime lifted the Chicago Bulls to a 113-111 victory over Golden State Tuesday night, snapping the Warriors’ franchise record 19-game home winning streak.

Rose finished with 30 points 13-of-33 shooting, seven rebounds, and 11 turnovers (1 assist). According to Elias Sports Bureau, Rose is the first player in NBA history to have at least 30 points, 10 turnovers, and 1 or fewer assists in a game.

Klay Thompson’s running bank shot with 2.9 seconds left rimmed out, sending Golden State to only their second home loss of the season. Not to mention it was Golden State’s first loss in 15 games to the Eastern Conference this season.

Chicago took a 107-105 lead after Kirk Hinrich drilled a 3 from the right side with 15.8 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

Then with 1.4 seconds remaining, Warriors’ power forward Draymond Green out-jumped Bulls’ big men Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol to tip in a missed Andre Iguodala desperation 3 that tied the game at 107, forcing overtime.

“We wanted to compete with those guys,” said Rose after the game. “They are a great team that competes and we were able to stay with them and keep the game close, which helped us get the win.”

Gasol finished with 18 points and 16 rebounds, Noah scored 18 points and 15 rebounds.

Nikola Mirotic scored 12 points, while Taj Gibson and Aaron Brooks each scored 10 points off the bench for Chicago (30-17), who got back into the win column after losing to the Miami Heat 96-84 in Chicago Sunday.

With Andrew Bogut coming down with flu-like symptoms shortly before tipoff and Marreese Speights inserted into the starting lineup, Chicago bullied a depleted Warriors’ frontcourt, out-rebounding Golden State 61-48.

“Their frontline was tough tonight,” said Warriors head coach Steve Kerr. “It was a great game, fun game. There were times we felt like we had the game but, they [Chicago], worked. We scrapped and clawed, but we didn’t get it done.”

Kerr was right, Golden State didn’t get it done tonight against a Bulls team that clapped down defensively on Golden State.

After shooting 61 percent from the field in the first quarter (12-for-23), Golden State had trouble putting the ball in the basket finishing 48-of-113 (42 percent).

“We looked tired…after such a hot start in the first quarter, but just couldn’t get

The NBA’s No. 1 3-point shooting team couldn’t buy a bucket in the second half, shooting 0-for-13 from behind the arc after shooting 6-of-11 from deep in the first quarter.

Golden State shot 9-of-33 (27 percent) on 3s.

Thompson scored 20 of his game-high 30 points in the first half, Stephen Curry scored 21 points and dished out nine assists, but the “Splash Brothers” shot 9-of-32 in the second half and in overtime.

Thompson added 10 rebounds, and Curry had nine assists.

David Lee had one of his best games of the season, scoring 17 of his 23 points in the third quarter. Lee shot 10-for-17 from the floor.

“I thought we had a stretch in the fourth quarter where we didn’t score and they picked it up,” said Lee, who also had nine rebounds and six assists. “I thought we fought hard, but just came up short tonight.”

Golden State dominated the fast break, outscoring the Bulls 31-8, and forced 21 turnovers into 22 points.

At 36-7, Golden State are still playing at a high level, but you can’t win them all. The Warriors close out their five-game homestand at 4-1, bringing their home record to an NBA-best 21-2.

Golden State get back on the court Friday night in Utah.

Game Notes

  • The Warriors announced on Monday that the team plans to wear a special Chinese New Year uniform. The uniform, which will be worn for Golden State’s home game against the San Antonio Spurs on Feb. 20, has “Warriors” is spelled out in Mandarin on the uniform’s front, and the sleeve features a goat, the animal the Chinese attribute to this upcoming year. The jersey also features red and yellow piping. Red is the color associated with good luck, while yellow is connected to wealth and happiness.”The meaning of a warrior certainly translates into the Chinese culture well as they are very familiar with what being a warrior means,” said Rick Welts, the team’s president and chief operating officer. “I think they’d be hard-pressed to make a similar connection to the Lakers.”
  • The 2015 NBA All-Star game reserves will be announced Thursday, and Klay Thompson is expected to be named a reserve. Thompson was named the Western Conference Player of the Week for the third time this season on Monday.
  • First 10,000 fans At Oracle Arena received the tallest bobblehead (10”) in Warriors franchise history Tuesday of former center, Manute Bol.Bol played for the Warriors for three seasons (1988-90, 1994-95). In his first season with Golden State in 1988-89, Bol led the league with a team-record 345 blocks while also demonstrating a rare shooting touch for a man his size, converting on 20 three-pointers. The Sudanese star averaged 3.34 blocks per game in his career, the second-best mark in league history, and ranks 15th on the NBA’s all-time blocks list with over 2,000 career rejections. Bol’s son, Chris Bol, was in attendance to honor his father, who passed away on June 19, 2010.

 

 

Warriors Squeak Past Celtics Thanks to Thompson’s Encore

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

What would Klay Thompson do for an encore after dropping 37 points in a quarter Friday night? The All-star hopeful didn’t quite replicate the matching and drop 40 over 12 minutes, but he did produce a game-high 31 points to lead the Golden State Warriors to a 114-111 win over the Boston Celtics Sunday at Oracle Arena.

One game after setting the NBA points record in a quarter against the Sacramento Kings, Thompson hit 11 of 19 field goals (including three three-pointers) over 32 minutes to help the Dubs (36-6) extend their home winning streak to 19.
Thompson didn’t shoulder the burden alone. Fellow Splash Brother Stephen Curry picked up his 15th double-double, scoring 22 while dishing out 11 assists. Andrew Bogut joined curry for a double double-double, scoring 13 while pulling down a game-best 13 rebounds.

The Celtics (15-27) rode a near double-double from Jared Sullinger to remain in contention against the NBA’s best. The former Ohio State Buckeye worked the Warriors defense for 26 points but came a rebound shy of double-digit totals. Guard Evan Turner produced an efficient shooting night, hitting 7 of 12 attempted shots from the floor for 19 points.

After taking a 3-2 lead, the Warriors never trailed in the first quarter, but couldn’t extend the lead more than seven points, ultimately settling for a 30-23 first quarter edge. The second quarter was more of the same with the tenacious Celtics hanging around to trail 56-49 at the half.

The Warriors appeared to be putting their potential draft lottery-pick bound opponents away, staking out as much as a twelve-point lead after an Andre Iguodala layup put the Warriors ahead 86-74, closing out the quarter ahead 89-77. The Celtics made the Warriors sweat it out though, scoring 34 fourth-quarter points to the Warriors 25, pulling one possession away from a chance to tie.

With a victory nearly stolen, the Warriors now face a tough test in the visiting Chicago Bulls. If the Warriors want to make it 20-straight at home, they’ll have to top the Central Division’s best Tuesday night at Oracle Arena.

Warriors ground Rockets, win 17th straight at Oracle

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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.

 

 

Warriors Bury Nuggets, Win 16th Conescutive Home Game

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

James Michael McAdoo’s loyalty to the Golden State Warriors has paid off, possibly far sooner than the forward expected.

Just hours after singing a 10-day contract with the Warriors, McAdoo found himself on the court at Oracle Arena.
The former North Carolina Tar Heel started the season in training camp with the Warriors after going undrafted, but was ultimately waived as the Dubs trimmed their roster.

With multiple NBA offers on the table thanks to his impressive play with the Santa Cruz Warriors of the D-League, the talented 22-year-old opted to return to the team that first put faith in him. In return, the coach Steve Kerr inserted him into the rotation during today’s 122-79 blowout of the Denver Nuggets.

McAdoo saw just 12:37 of game-time, collecting 11 points in his NBA Debut, but wasn’t asked to do the heavy lifting. That responsibility fell to the Splash Brothers, and deliver they did.
Stephen Curry (20 points) and Klay Thompson (22) combined for 42 points. The duo each went 7-for-13 shooting.
Reserves Leandro Barbosa and Shaun Livingston chipped in 12 points apiece. As a team, the Warriors hit an impressive 54.3 percent shooting.

The Nuggets (18-23), losers of three-straight, scuffled in the face of the Warriors defensive presence, shooting just 34.5 percent from the field for the night. Golden State’s stout defending handed the home team a 55-28 lead at the half, allowing the Warriors to cruise through the final two quarters for the romp. The Nuggets cracked 20-plus points in only one quarter, scoring 32 in the third, while being held to 15, 13 and 19 points in the other three periods.

With the win, the Warriors (33-6) have now matched the franchise record in consecutive home wins with 16. The NBA-leadings Dubs get a chance to break the tie Wednesday night when they welcome the Houston Rockets to Oracle Arena.

Warriors drop Cavs, Extend home winning streak to 14 games

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AP Photo/Ben Margot

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — Klay Thompson scored 24 points and Stephen Curry finished with 23 points, helping the Golden State Warriors win their 14th straight game at Oracle Arena with a 112-94 victory Friday night in front of the team’s 99th consectutive sellout.

The Warriors finished their six-game homestand 6-0, and have won sixth straight game overall. The last time Golden State went 6-0 on a homestand you got to go back to February of 1992.

“We got some big stops down the stretch when we needed them,” said Curry, who finished with 10 of the Warriors’ 35 assists with just one turnover. “We wanted to protect the basket and play solid defense.”

Marreese Speights scored 12 points, Harrison Barnes had 11, and Draymond Green nearly had a triple double, finishing with 10 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists.

Rookie Justin Holiday provided another spark off the bench, scoring 14 points in 18 minutes. Holiday scored 12 points off the bench in 28 minutes of action in Golden State’s 117-91 victory over Oklahoma City Monday night.

Golden State had trouble containing Cleveland in the first quarter, allowing the Cavs to shoot 52.2 percent from the floor on (12-for-23). Cleveland dominated the Warriors on the glass early, holding a 16-8 rebounding edge early before finishing with a 45-44 rebounding advantage.

The Cavaliers outscored the Warriors 18-0 on second chance points.

But Golden State turned to the run game, outscoring the Cavaliers 36-3 on fast break points, and holding the edge in points in the paint, 40-28.

Trailing 66-64 with 6:39 left in the third quarter, Golden State went on an 11-0 run to push their lead to 75-66, keyed by a Barnes’ dunk courtesy of a Green lob. From that point, Golden State never looked back.

Cleveland (19-18) played without forward LeBron James (sore left knee, lower back soreness)

J.R. Smith scored 12 of his game-high 27 points in the first quarter, Kyrie Irving finished with 23 points and six assists, and Kevin Love added 17 points and 14 rebounds for Cleveland.

Cleveland dropped to 1-6 without James this season.

“It wasn’t what I expected (6-0 at home), but it felt great to get back to who we are,” said Warriors head coach Steve Kerr. “We play in front of great fans and the atmosphere is electric.”

Golden State have owned the Eastern Conference this season, improving to 12-0, the team’s best start against the Eastern Conference.

With the NBA’s best record at 29-5 and home record at 16-1, Golden State have played unselfish team basketball this season and those records show that this could be a very promising season in the Bay Area for the Warriors.

The Dubs don’t hit the court again until Tuesday, when they head to Utah, before returning to Oracle Arena Wednesday against Miami with a chance to make it 15 in a row which would tie the 1989-90 Warriors’ franchise mark.

Game Notes:

  • Former Warriors head coach Mark Jackson called the game for ESPN. Jackson, who was fired at the end of last season, was greeted by several members of the Warriors and received a standing ovation from the home crowd. Jackson went 121-109, with two playoff appearances (1 postseason series win) in three seasons manning the bench for Golden State.
  • Stephen Curry’s “Curry 1’s” basketball shoe from Under Armour made their debut.
  • Klay Thompson left midway through the third quarter with a gash to his forehead. Thompson would return to the game in the fourth.

Thompson Outpaces Pacers, Scores 40 in Warriors 13th-Straight Home Win

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

The Golden State Warriors beat the Indiana Pacers 117-102 at Oracle Arena Wednesday night, extending their home winning streak to 13 games. Klay Thompson came a point shy of matching his career-high of 41 points to lead the team atop the NBA standings to the second-longest lossless stretch at home since the Warriors (28-5) won 15-straight at home in 1989-90.

Thompson went 14 of 25 from the field, including six three-pointers, over his 40 minutes of the play. The NBA All-Star hopeful also went six-for-six from the free throw line and pitched in two assists and four rebounds.

Splash Brother Stephen Curry played the perfect sidekick, collecting a double-double on 21 points and 15 assists. Center Andrew Bogut returned after missing 12 games, playing 14 minutes off the bench, but his replacement in the starting five Marreese Speights proved adequate, chipping in 18 points. Draymond Green matched Indiana’s Lavoy Allen for the game-high in rebounds with 9 each.

Despite being a game and half out of playoff position in the Eastern Conference, the Pacers (14-23) gave the Warriors the early test. They had the home team down by as much as 11 points in the first half, but the Warriors found a way to tie the game at 50-all at the half. A 34-26 Warriors run in the third Quarter gave the Dubs a cozy 8-point lead, while a 33-26 fourth quarter helped ice the win for Golden State.

The Warriors could be primed for home win no. 14 when they next take the court. Golden State welcomes the LeBron-less Cleveland Cavaliers to Oracle Arena Friday night, with newly acquired Timofey Mozgov expected to make his Cavs debut after coming over from the Denver Nuggets for a pair of first-round picks Wednesday.

Notes: Klay Thompson’s 40-point game was his second of his career. He also scored 41 points against the Lakers on November 1st of this season …Stephen Curry hit his 1,000 career three-pointer. His 369 games are the fewest played to reach that milestone…Indiana center Roy Hibbert left Wednesday’s game with an injury after only five minutes of play….Wednesday Night was Asian Heritage night at Oracle Arena. Fans with special event tickets received an Asian Hertiage night t-shirt while everyone in attendance was entertained by an on-court performance presented by the Thai Cultural Council of Berkeley and Fremont.

Golden State blow by OKC

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AP Photo/Ben Margot)

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — It’s no secret, the Golden State Warriors have the Oklahoma City Thunder’s number this season.

Harrison Barnes finished with a season-high 23 points and seven rebounds, helping Golden State pick up their third straight win over Oklahoma City this season, 117-91 in front of a sellout crowd of 19,596 at Oracle Arena.

“My teammates got me into the flow of the game,” said Barnes, who shot 5-for-5 from 3-point range. “It was a relief to shoot better tonight.”

Overall, the Warriors shot 15-for-28 (53 percent) on 3s.

Golden State (27-5), blazed out to a 17-6 lead in the first quarter over the Thunder, ignited by the Splash Brothers. Klay Thompson scored 13 of his 19 points in the first quarter, and Stephen Curry also finished with 19 points.

With both Curry and Thompson battling foul trouble, Golden State turned to reserve guard Justin Holiday in the second quarter. Holiday had his best game of the season, scoring 12 points on 4-for-6 shooting while playing a season-high 28 minutes off the bench.

“Coach [Steve Kerr], told me to be confident and take my shot,” Holiday said.

Draymond Green finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds as Golden State held Oklahoma City to 30 percent shooting (30-for-98) from the floor, while the Dubs shot 46 percent (41-for-88) from the floor.

Oklahoma City (17-18) couldn’t get their superstar duo of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook or the entire team into gear tonight.

Westbrook led all Thunder players with 22 points, but shot 5-for-21 from the field. Durant finished with just 14 points on 3-for-16 shooting after scoring 30 points in 20 minutes against Golden State back on Dec. 18 at Oracle Arena before leaving the game with a sprained ankle.

“Great job defensively tonight, I thought our defense was really good,” said Kerr. “Obviously when Durant and Westbrook won’t have bad shooting nights, but we played great defense, but we we’re lucky.”

With the win, Golden State have now won 12 straight games at home for the first since the 1989-90 season, and hold the best home record in the league at 14-1.

The Warriors and Thunder hook up for the final time this season on Jan. 16 in Oklahoma City. The Thunder should have newly acquired shooting guard Dion Waiters available for that game.

Oklahoma City was part of a three-team trade, sending a protected 2015 first-round pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Waiters. The New York Knicks received reserve Lance Thomas from Oklahoma City, and sending J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert to Cleveland.

Golden State has won the first four games of their six-game home stand, which continues Wednesday night with the visiting Indiana Pacers coming to town.

 

Curry’s 25 points carries Warriors past T’Wolves

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By Joe Hawkes

OAKLAND — Stephen Curry scored a game-high 25 points to go along with six assists helping the Golden State Warriors shake off a two-game losing streak with a comfortable 110-97 victory over the struggling Minnesota Timberwolves Saturday night in front of 19,596 at Oracle Arena.

Klay Thompson added 21 points and five rebounds for Golden State, who out-shot Minnesota 46.6 to 44.2 percent from the field. Golden State led as much as 27 points in the fourth quarter, and forced Minnesota into 25 turnovers while committing just 14 turnovers.

Even with sporting the NBA’s best record at 24-5, Golden State has been brought back down to earth recently with back-to-back losses in Los Angeles to the Lakers and Clippers respectively. Warriors first-year head coach Steve Kerr, who is an even-keel guy, has voiced his frustration with his team’s lack of focus and commitment during games, but seemed satisfied after the game.

“I told our guys, `If we want to win in May and June, we have to play every possession,” Kerr said. “You just can’t completely lose focus and throw the ball where nobody is. Or maybe at a guy with a different color jersey. I was dumbfounded with some of the stuff that I saw. But as I said, a lot of great stuff, too.”

Thompson is clearly on board with what Kerr is trying to preach to his team.

“We’re still growing and we’re still getting there. I completely understand where Steve’s coming from,” Thompson said.

“I just think our team has a tendency, at times, to want to put on a show instead of just making the right play,” Kerr said. “What they need to understand is making the right play will provide the show.”

Minnesota (5-24) didn’t look like a team that wanted to be on the court.

Small forward Thaddeus Young scored 17 points, talented rookie Zach LaVine added 12 points and a game-high 14 assists, while Troy Daniels finished 14 points off the bench for Minnesota, who dropped their eighth straight game.

Rookie Andrew Wiggins finished with 10 points. Point guard Ricky Rubio missed his 24th straight game due to a sprained ankle.

Golden State has dominated the Northwest Division this season, improving to 6-0 on the season. With the win over Minnesota, Golden State have won nine straight home games, their longest home winning streak since the 1994 season where they won 10 straight.

The Warriors will have a chance to tie that 10-game home winning streak Tuesday with Michael Carter-Williams and the Philadelphia 76ers visiting Oracle Arena.

 

 

Warriors Disappoint Against Lowly Lakers

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

For the first time in a successful debut season, rookie Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr cannot explain away a loss. It only took four times in the loser’s column for the Warriors (23-4) to final complete a game that, upon completion, had no silver lining.

The season’s first shortcoming against the Spurs proved a teaching moment for the then turnover-prone Dubs, but San Antonio is the defending champions for a reason. When the Warriors fell to the Phoenix Suns, it was a case of not having enough gas to truck through the second half of a back-to-back. The recent loss to the Memphis Grizzlies was a clash of the best of the Western Conference giants.

Tuesday night, the Warriors dropped a 115-105 decision to the lowly Los Angeles Lakers (9-19) at the Staples Center. Despite coach Byron Scott giving Lakers perennial All-Star Kobe Bryant a night off, the Warriors failed to stymy an offensive outburst from the home team. LA hit 46 of 89 field goals, good for 51.7 percent, turning Golden State’s routinely stout defense to Swiss cheese.

Seven Lakers cracked double-digit scoring, with Carlos Boozer (18 points) and starter Ronnie Price (17) leading the charge. Boozer went 8 for 11 from the floor in his 26 minutes of work, coming a rebound shy of a double-double.

Stephen Curry topped the Dubs with 22 points on 10 of 14 makes to attempts. Fellow Splash Brother Klay Thompson made six baskets and hit a pair of free throws, but also missed on another 11 shot attempts. In just his second game back from a hamstring injury, David produced 12 points in his 18 minutes of play off the bench.

The Warriors shot 46.4 percent as a team, just under two percent off their season mark and fell three rebounds shy of matching their foes at 42-39. Golden States’ downfall, aside from a loose defensive effort, was an inability to maintain possession. Kerr’s charges turned the ball over 19 times in LaLa land Tuesday, proving to keen to hand out gifts on the night before Christmas Eve.

The Warriors failed to outscore LA in a quarter until the fourth, but by then they were already down 95-73. A 32-20 Warriors fourth quarter turned the final score into a deceptively close margin of defeat.

The Warriors take Christmas Eve off before stealing center stage as the final Christmas Day game on the slate. With another SoCal rival, the Clippers, on the docket, it’s doubtful the Warriors will bring with them holiday cheer when they take the Staples Center court once again Thursday night.