Tag: Stephen Curry

Warriors slip by Thunder behind Curry’s 34 points

Published on by jhawkes51Leave a comment

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — Stephen Curry scored 34 points and handed out nine assists, elevating the Golden State Warriors to a 114-109 home win over the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder Thursday night after clawing back from a 17-point deficit early in the game.

“We stepped up tonight,” Curry said after the game. “We had to battle tonight and once we got stops and transitions, we felt good.”

Golden State (22-3), bounced back tonight after snapping their franchise-record 16-game winning streak in Tuesday’s 105-98 loss at Memphis. The Warriors improved to 9-1 at home this season, and have won 17 of their last 18 games.

Oklahoma City came out and jumped ahead of Golden State, building a 40-32 first quarter lead. Kevin Durant scored 16 of his 30 points in the first quarter sinking 6 of his first 7 shots from the floor, including 5 for 6 from 3-point range. Oklahoma City made 15 of its first 25 shots.

The 40 points scored by the Thunder in the first quarter were the most points surrendered by Golden State in any quarter this season, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Durant appeared to be heading for big night, but sprained his right ankle late in the second quarter and didn’t return to the game.

The reigning league Most Valuable Player finished with 30 points in 20 minutes on 10 of 13 shooting, becoming the first player since the NBA/ABA merger in 1976 to score at least 30 points in 20 minutes, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

“I wanted to go back out and play, but thought I should be cautious about it,” said Durant after the game.

Russell Westbrook picked up the scoring slack for the Thunder, finishing with a team-high 33 points and eight assists. Serge Ibaka had 12 points, while Andre Roberson finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Six players finished in double figures for Golden State, who converted 32 assists into 48 made field goals (48 of 64) and shot 51 percent from the floor. Golden State shot the lights out from from 3-point range, draining 12 of 31 from behind the arc.

Draymond Green finished with 16 points, nine rebounds, and a career-high nine assists.

Harrison Barnes and Shaun Livingston each scored 12 points, and Marreese Speights had 8 points. Barnes also grabbed seven rebounds.

The Warriors dominated the Thunder in the paint, outscoring Oklahoma City 52-36 and forced 15 Thunder turnovers, while only committing just nine. Golden State rattled off a 35-18 run in the second quarter to pull ahead of Oklahoma City, 49-48, which led to a 65-63 halftime lead for the Warriors who never looked back.

It took a total team effort for Golden State to snap Oklahoma City’s (12-14) seven-game winning streak, after continuing to play without center Andrew Bogut (right knee) and forward David Lee (left hamstring).

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr reaffirmed general manger Bob Myers’ recent comments that Lee could be back on the court Monday for the Warriors’ next home game Monday night against Sacramento

“David Lee will be back next week, probably,” Kerr said.

Bogut is a different story.

Bogut is expected to be out a number of weeks after undergoing platelet-rich plasma therapy on his right knee Wednesday.

 

 

Warriors ground Rockets, nab 14th straight win

Published on by jhawkes51Leave a comment

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — Klay Thompson scored 21 points and Harrison Barnes and Stephen Curry each finished with 20 points as the Golden State Warriors finished the game on a 22-7 run and took down the visiting Houston Rockets 105-93 Wednesday night in front of 19,596 fans at Oracle Arena.

The win extended Golden State’s franchise record streak to 14 games, and improved the Warriors to an NBA-best 19-2 record.

“It took so long for us to break through tonight, that’s a helluva team,” said Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, who became the first coach in NBA history to win 19 of his first 21 games. “I thought we struggled a bit, but we were able to get the ball moving.”

Playing without center Andrew Bogut due to right knee tendinitis, Golden State relied on small ball going with Festus Ezeli at center to start the game, but ended the game with Draymond Green (11 points) at center, and Barnes at power forward.

The result: Golden State outscored Houston 32-17 in the fourth quarter, and shot 70 percent (14-of-20) from the floor, while playing lock-down defense. The Dubs held Houston in check in the fourth quarter, limiting the Rockets to just 31.6 percent (6-of-19) shooting.

James Harden scored 20 of his game-high 34 points in the first half, while Trevor Ariza and Donatas Motiejunas both finished with 18 points for the Rockets (16-5), who saw their four-game winning streak snapped.

Dwight Howard (right knee) missed his ninth straight game for Houston.

Both teams finished with 15 turnovers.

“We knew with Bogut out, we needed everyone to play well and we did,” said Barnes, who also had seven rebounds. “We had to grind out this game…we’ve been through a lot, but we got a lot of guys who can come in and contribute.”

Marreesse Speights finished with 15 points and eight rebounds and Shaun Livingston scored eight points off the bench.

Kerr knows its all about the team.

“It means that I’m the luckiest head coach in history…it’s fun to come into work everyday to get ready for the next game and work with these players.”

The Warriors will try to continue their winning streak Saturday in Dallas.

Curry’s 19 points drives Dubs to 11th straight win

Published on by jhawkes51Leave a comment

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — Western Conference Player of the Month for November Stephen Curry continued his steady play into December, scoring 19 points and handing out a season-high 11 assists leading the Golden State Warriors to their 11th consecutive victory with a 112-85 win over the New Orleans Pelicans Thursday night in front of 19,596 fans at Oracle Arena.

“We are off to a great start,” Curry said. “We have a laser focus and we never get too head of ourselves.”

Golden State’s 11-game win streak matches their longest in franchise history, dating back to the 1971-72 season. Their NBA-best 16-2 mark this season is also their best start in the team history, while improving to 7-1 at home.

After starting 1-of-8 shooting, Klay Thompson finished with 23 points on 8-of-16 from the floor.

Harrison Barnes added 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Draymond Green had 14 points and matched his career-high with 14 rebounds.

Marreese Speights continues to provide scoring off the bench for the Warriors, finishing with 12 points. In his last five games, Speights is averaging 14.6 points per game, 6.6 rebounds per game, and shooting 42 percent from the field.

Golden State destroyed New Orleans in points in the paint (62-48), rebounds (56-47), and held the Pelicans to just 41.6 percent shooting from the floor (3-0f-15 from 3-point range).

After trailing 30-22 early in the second quarter, Golden State went on a 20-4 run to close out the first half. Golden State led as much as 22 points over a New Orleans team that couldn’t get it going tonight after coming off a 112-104 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder Tuesday night.

Anthony Davis scored 30 points and 15 rebounds, Jrue Holiday finished with 12 points and eight assists, and Tyreke Evans chipped in 11 points for New Orleans, who fall to 8-9 this season.

Omer Asik finished with nine points, and 15 rebounds for the Pelicans, who also committed 17 turnovers compared to nine by the Warriors.

Golden State looks to set a new franchise mark Saturday when the team heads to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bulls.

Extra dribbles:

  • Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said he hoped power forward David Lee (hamstring strain) would return to action next week while ruling Lee out for the Bulls game.
  • Warriors guard Justin Holiday got into the game for the final two minutes and had a dunk, marking the first time he played in a game with his brother, Pelicans point guard Jrue Holiday, on the opposing team.
  • Sarunas Marciulionis bobbleheads did not arrive at Oracle Arena in time for them to be distributed because of labor issues at the Los Angeles and Long Beach waterfront, so fans were given vouchers instead for the giveaways to be shipped to their homes.

 

Fab Five: Warriors Sweep Five-Game Road Trip With Win Over Detroit

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

By Matthew T.F. Harrington

Make it a perfect five for the Golden State Warriors, who completed an undefeated quintuple-city road trip Sunday with a 104-93 win against the Detroit Pistons. Saginaw, Michigan Native Draymond Green collected a team-leading 20 points for Golden State. The Michigan State alum hit 5 of 8 from beyond the three-point line. Marreese Speights followed up his Friday night breakout with a 12-rebound performance to hand the Warriors (14-2) their ninth-straight victory.

The Pistons (3-14), losers of eight straight, took a 24-21 lead in the first, but the Warriors dominated the second fourth of play with a 32-16 run to etch out a 53-40 halftime lead. The Pistons cut the lead by two following a 31-2 scoring edge in the third, but 22 points a side allowed the Dubs to cruise to the 104-93 win.

As a team, the Warriors shot 46.8 percent from the field. They limited the hosts to only 33 of 91 from the field for a 36.3 shooting percentage. Golden State turned the ball over 16 times, but went to the free throw line 27 times, hitting 21 from behind the charity stripe. The Motor City side struggled from behind the line, hitting just 16 of 24 free throws.

The Pistons back court combo of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (23) and Brandon Jennings (22) combined for almost half the Pistons’ points. Pitching in along with Green for the Warriors were Stephen Curry’s 16 points over a limited 28 minutes and Klay Thompson’s 15. Curry collected a double-double, dishing out 10 assists, but left the game early with a sore left ankle. X-rays taken Sunday were negative.

The Warriors return home for a brief two-game homestand, starting with Tuesday night’s tilt against the Orlando Magic then a Thursday showdown with Anthony Davis and the Pelicans. After that, the road beckons once more, with the Warriors starting a two-game roadie against the Chicago Bulls.

Speights’ Fourth Quarter Onslaught Takes Sting Out Of Hornets

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

By Matthew T.F. Harrington

The Golden State Warriors stayed scolding hot, coming from behind 106-101 on the road against the Charlotte Hornets for their eight-straight victory. Marreese Speights topped the Warriors (13-2) with 27 points, including 16 in the fourth quarter, to salvage the Dubs chances on a night when the starting five under performed.

Speights hit 12 of 20 field goals, was a perfect three for three from the free throw line and added five rebounds in 23 minutes of work against the overmatched Hornets (4-13). The Warriors needed every ounce of effort considering Stephen Curry hit only 1 of 10 three pointers in his 26-point homecoming performance. Fellow Splash Brother Klay Thompson also struggled, going 7 for 22 from the floor.

As a team, the Warriors hit 42 of 99 attempts, but went 15 for 16 from the charity stripe. Brian Roberts was the only Hornet to crack the teens in scoring, collecting only 20 points. Center Al Jefferson pitched in 18 points, while Cody Zeller added 15. Zeller completed the double-double on his 14 rebounds. Warriors starters Draymond Green (10) and Harrison Barnes (9) led the visitors in boards.

Golden State found themselves ahead 28-24 after one quarter, but were outscored 31-21 in the second to find themselves down 55-49 at the half. The differential didn’t change after 36 minutes of play were in the books with both teams producing 25-point third quarters. Speights’ huge fourth quarter capped a 32-21 Warriors fourth quarter run for the victory.

The Warriors take Saturday off for travel, heading to Detroit for a Sunday showdown with the Pistons. A win in Motown would make Golden State a perfect 5-0 on its current road trip. They’ll return home for a pair midweek before hitting the road again for a Saturday matchup with the Chicago Bulls.

Splash Brothers Make Waves In Win Over Miami

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

By Matthew T.F. Harrington

The Golden State Warriors continued their franchise-best start to a season, topping the host Miami Heat 114-117 to run their record to 11-2. Stephen Curry bounced back from a sub-par 15-point performance Sunday against the Thunder to score 40 points on 12 of 19 shooting to give the Warriors their sixth-straight win. The Warriors shot 57.3 from the field and turned the ball over just 11 times in the win.

Tuesday marked the seventh time in Curry’s career he cracked the 40-point plateau over his 37 minutes of play. The Warriors point guard hit an eye-popping 8 of 11 three-pointers. Fellow Splash Brother Klay Thompson pitched in with 24 points. Andrew Bogut led all players with ten rebounds after exiting Sunday’s contest in the first quarter with an apparent injury.

For the Heat (8-7), the final remaining member of the Big Three led the way. Center Chris Bosh scored 26 points on 10 of 19 from the field. He also topped the home team in rebounds with nine.

The Warriors trailed by as much as 16 in the second quarter but closed out the half on a 22-6 run to pull within one at 62-61. The two teams swapped the lead five times over the first 9:30 of the third quarter, but Golden State outpaced the Heat 11-7 down the stretch to take the lead one final time at 91-86. They then played their stingiest defense of the night, allowing only 11 points in the final frame to 23 of their own for the 114-97 final.

The Warriors won’t get much respite on the road, a place where they have been very successful this season. They’ll take their 6-1 record away from Oracle Arena to Orlando Wednesday night in game two of a Sunshine State back-to-back.

Warriors Beat Thunder, Lose Bogut and Barbosa

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

By Matthew Harrington

News came in many forms Sunday night for the Golden State Warriors. In the affirmative, the Dubs escaped Chesapeake Energy Arena with a 91-86 over the host Oklahoma City Thunder. Dampening the excitement of victory for Bay Area fans is the fact that both Andrew Bogut and Leandro Barbosa exited the contest early with injuries.

The Warriors (10-2)hit a season-low 35.6 percent of field goals, going 32 of 90 from the floor. The Warriors starters account for only 15 of the 32 makes, including poor shooting nights from Stephen Curry (5 of 15) and Klay Thompson (6 for 20). Thompson scored 20 points to Curry’s 15. Marreese Speights did the heavy lifting for the Warriors, scoring 28 points for the winners.

The Thunder (3-13), still without Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook, were led on the scorer’s sheet by Reggie Jackson’s 22 points. Jackson pulled down 11 rebounds for the double-double, while former Warrior Anthony Morrow had a game-high 12 boards.

The Warriors lead by as much as 10 points the first half, but found themselves only up 70-66 heading into the fourth quarter. Without Bogut and despite not hitting a three-pointer in the entire second half, the Warriors outscored the Thunder down the stretch 21-20 for the win.

The Warriors travel itinerary doesn’t get any lighter in the next few days. The Dubs play four straight on the road before month’s end, starting with a Tuesday-Wednesday Florida back-to-back. The Warriors head to Miami to face the heat before moving on to in-state opponent Orlando.

Warriors Bigs Center of Attention in Blowout Win over Lakers

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

By Matthew T.F. Harrington

The Golden State Warriors flexed their offensive muscle for a second consecutive night, routing the host Los Angeles Lakers 136-115 Sunday night after romping over the Charlotte Hornets Saturday night. Stephen Curry and Andrew Bogut each earned double-doubles for the Warriors, while Kobe Bryant scored a game-high 44 points for the struggling Lakers (1-8).

Curry topped the Warriors (7-2) with 30 points and 15 assists, hitting 10 of 19 field goals and five threes, but it was the Golden State bigs that stole the spotlight. Marreese Speights collected 24 points, including 8 from the field while pulling down nine rebounds off the bench. Starting center Andrew Bogut cracked double digits in points in the first quarter, finishing the night with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Even Ognjen Kuzmic and Justin Holiday, called up from the Warriors D-League affiliate in Santa Cruz, saw playing time with coach Steve Kerr electing to rest his starters with the game out of hand early.

The Warriors hit 46 of 86 field goals, good for a 53.5 shooting percentage. While the turnover numbers were still somewhat high, the 16 committed Sunday are an improvement on the NBA-worst 20.1 the Dubs are averaging a game.

With Bogut on fire in the first quarter, the Warriors took a 34-23 lead. 21 of the 23 points came courtesy of Bryant, with the Mamba bent on passing Michael Jordan’s career points total this season. A 40-32 Warriors scoring margin in the second quarter put Golden State up 74-57. They put up 41 points in the third, while yielding only 24 to Los Angeles. With the reserves in, the Lakers outscored their visitors 36-21 in garbage time for the final score of 136-115.

After winning both ends of a back-to-back, the Warriors get a lengthy respite. They next take the Oracle Arena hardwood Friday night against the Utah Jazz to kick seven straight games against teams at or below the .500 winning percentage.

Thompson, Curry, Warriors thump Hornets

Published on by jhawkes51Leave a comment

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — Klay Thompson was the lead man with 21 points, Stephen Curry chipped in 19 points and nine assists as the Golden State Warriors shot 52 percent from the field on 45-of-87 shooting to cruise to a 112-87 victory over the Charlotte Hornets Saturday night at Oracle Arena.

Harrison Barnes had 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting, Andrew Bogut scored a season-high 13 points and nine rebounds for Golden State, who are off their best start since the 1994-95 season and remain atop of the Pacific Division at 7-2.

Marreesse Speights gave a boost off the bench for Golden State, scoring 13 points and six rebounds.

“That was a great effort tonight, I thought that was our best effort of the season. We really put it together both offensively and defensively,” said Warriors head coach Steve Kerr.”We’re heading in the right direction with our offensive execution. The last six minutes were a little tough, committing five turnovers, but it was just a small mark on a otherwise great game.”

The Warriors have had trouble holding on to the ball early on in the season, leading the league with 21 turnovers per game.

In three of their past five games, Golden State committed 74 turnovers. In their last two victories over the Brooklyn Nets and now Charlotte, the team committed just 24 turnovers.

“We were able to control the ball. It shows when you control the ball, good things happen,” said Curry, who had just one turnover and shot 8-of-15 from the floor, including 3-of-6 from behind the arc.

Golden State  leads the NBA in shooting percentage, and destroyed Charlotte from beyond the arc with 11 3-pointers made, and holding a 48-30 edge in points in the paint.

The Warriors out-rebounded Charlotte 51-31, and held the edge in fast break points, 27-9.

Al Jefferson scored 19 points, Lance Stephenson had 16 points, and Brian Roberts finished with 17 points for Charlotte (4-6), who struggled from the floor shooting just 38 percent on 32-of-84 shot attempts.

Kemba Walker scored just eight points on 3-of-14 shooting.

The Hornets were playing their second game of a back-to-back, after winning in Phoenix Friday night, 103-95. With the loss, Charlotte fell to 1-5 on the road.

Saturday’s game was the first of a back-to-back for Golden State, who travel to Los Angeles Sunday to take on the 1-8 Lakers.

Game Notes

  • Golden State has sold out 87 consecutive games dating back to Dec. 18, 2002, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
  • Saturday’s game marked Klay Thompson’s 200th start in the NBA.

 

 

 

 

 

Warriors hold court, drop Nets

Published on by jhawkes51Leave a comment

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — All five starters scored in double figures, led by Klay Thompson’s 25 points as the Golden State Warriors snapped a two-game losing skid with a 107-99 victory over the Brooklyn Nets Thursday night at Oracle Arena.

Draymond Green and Stephen Curry scored 17 points apiece. Green added seven rebounds and tied a career-high with seven rebounds.

“Everyone on our team contributed tonight,” said center Andrew Bogut. “Coach [Steve Kerr] told us he wanted us to be aggressive tonight and we were.”

Bogut scored 11 points and grabbed 14 of the Warriors 45 rebounds. Harrison Barnes finished with 12 points, but the story of the game was how controlled Golden State ball, committing just 11 turnovers tonight.

“Happy to get back into the win column,” said Curry. “We got a deep team and everyone is capable of having a big night. ”

For a team that is leading the league with 21 turnovers per game, it was definitely refreshing to see the Warriors to limiting the turnovers.

“That was great,” said the Warriors head coach. “Just three turnovers in the first half and 18 assists, that was huge…we’re just scratching the surface.”

Golden State shot a blistering 51 percent from the floor (25-of-49) in the first half, but cooled off a bit to finish the game shooting 46 percent (41-of-90). The 3-point line was kind for the Dubs, who connected on 11-of-34 shots (32 percent).

Former Warriors backup point guard Jarrett Jack scored 23 points on 10-of-10 shooting off the bench for Brooklyn.

Brook Lopez and Deron Williams each finished with 18 points for the Nets, who shot a putrid 39-of-88 (45 percent) from the floor and a nightmarish 3-of-16 from behind the 3-point arc.

Joe Johnson finished with 12 points for Brooklyn, who fall to 4-4 on the season.

At 6-2, the Golden State Warriors will look to finish up their three-game homestand Saturday night when the Charlotte Hornets  (that’s right, the Charlotte Hornets) come into Oracle Arena.