Tag: Stephen Curry

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary with Barbara Mason: It’s a miracle, Sharks back home for Game 7; LA Clippers on brink, face Warriors for Game 5; plus more

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Photo credit: @mercnews

Barbara Mason is filling in for Amaury Pi-Gonzalez on That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast:

#1 It’s a miraculous comeback playoff for the San Jose Sharks, who were down 3-1 in the series with the Vegas Golden Knights. The Sharks won games 5 and 6 by scores of 5-2 and 2-1 to force a Game 7 and not much thought they would get this far. Faceoff is on Tuesday night in San Jose for Game 7.

#2 After that horrific 31-point lead they had in Game 2 that got erased, the Golden State Warriors have now been cruising on the Los Angeles Clippers. The Warriors now have a 3-1 series lead and are just about ready to put the final touches in the elimination game on Wednesday night in Oakland in Game 5.

#3 After going through a 191 at-bats against the Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey finally broke out and got a home run, which proved to be the game-winner on Sunday. The Pirates were the only National League team that Posey had not hit a home run off of.

#4 The Oakland A’s not only got swept by the Toronto Blue Jays over the weekend. A’s pitcher Brett Anderson rolled his ankle coming off the mound to field a grounder hit by the Jays’ Randal Grichuk in the top of the third inning and had to leave the game. Anderson is hopeful for his next scheduled start on Saturday in Toronto.

#5 With the loss on Sunday to Toronto, the A’s have lost four straight in Saturday’s 10-1 loss. A’s manager Bob Melvin was upset up about the lack of hitting. The A’s pitching staff was exhausted using six pitchers, including first baseman Kendrys Morales as a ninth inning reliever.

Barbara Mason is filling in for Amaury Pi-Gonzalez for That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Warriors can move onto next round with win over Clippers Wednesday night

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Photo credit: @SNYtv

On the Golden State Warriors podcast with David:

#1 Since that 31-point erasing by the Clippers in Game 2, the Warriors have been on track with some consistent basketball and flawless play in games 3 and 4.

#2 Warriors star Kevin Durant led Golden State in Game 4 with 38 points. Durant might be the round one MVP at this rate.

David does the Warriors podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Kevin Durant was trustworthy in Warriors’ Game 3 win over the Clippers

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Photo credit: @usatodaypost2

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

Can the notion that Kevin Durant can’t be trusted as a Golden State Warrior be buried six feet under?

Ever since the Warriors surrendered a historic 31-point lead on Monday night to the Clippers which allowed Los Angeles to steal Game 2 with a 135-131 victory that tied the first-round series 1-1, all the talk was the amount of shots that Durant took (8), the amount of turnovers he committed (9), and that Clippers defensive point guard Patrick Beverley was in his head.

Well, Durant exploded and was indeed trustworthy in Game 3, scoring a game-high 38 points on 14-of-23 shooting to lead the Golden State Warriors to a commanding 132-105 victory to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 series. Durant finished with seven assists, four rebounds and five turnovers.

Game 4 is Sunday at Staples Center.

Golden State came out firing in the first quarter, jumping all over Los Angeles with a 22-9 run while shooting a blistering 73-percent from the floor. The Warriors took the crowd out of the game early and just dominated the Clippers wire-to-wire.

Durant was a major reason for such an emphatic response by Golden State in Game 3, drilling his first five shots and both his free throws for 12 points in the first quarter. Along with Stephen Curry’s 13 points, Golden State built a 19-point lead before the Clippers blinked. Both Durant and Curry picked up two fouls early.

Curry finished with 21 points, but was whistled for five fouls total.

By halftime with the Warriors holding a commanding 73-52 lead, Durant had 27 points on 10-of-15 field goals, tying a postseason career-high.

Golden State put the game out of reach once Curry drew his fourth foul in the third quarter. The Warriors scored 14 straight points to lead 88-57.

The lead grew up to as much as 35 points for the Warriors, thanks to Alfonzo McKinnie’s 3-pointer late in the quarter.

The real story was Durant, who had to hear that the aforementioned Beverley was in his head for the past three days. Durant torched the Clippers and Beverley for 30 minutes on Thursday night that he didn’t even play in the fourth quarter.

It’s safe to say that had Durant played in the fourth quarter, he would’ve dropped 40 points easily.

Heck, 50 points wouldn’t been out of the question.

Hold off from pressing the panic button on the Warriors

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bleacherreport.com photo: The Los Angeles Clippers routed Golden State Warriors, erasing a 31-point deficit in Game 2 at Oracle Arena in Oakland on Monday night. The series moves to Staples Center in Los Angeles for Game 3 on Wednesday night. 

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Golden State Warriors were riding high, leading the Los Angeles Clippers 73-50 at halftime.

Warriors point guard Stephen Curry led all scorers with 22 points in the first half on 6-of-9 shooting, 4-of-7 from three, and 6-for-6 from the foul line. But in the second half, Curry scored just seven points.

Then the roof caved in.

Golden State couldn’t hold on to its 31-point lead that they built up in the third quarter after starting the frame scoring 21 points on 9-for-9 shooting off eight assists, and saw the Los Angeles Clippers complete the largest postseason comeback in NBA history by shocking the Warriors, 135-131, to take Game 2 of their first-round series to even the best-of-7 series at one game apiece.

Rookie Landry Shamet hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 16.5 seconds remaining to complete the Clippers’ historic comeback over the Warriors.

The Clippers outscored Golden State 85-58 in the second half. In the third quarter alone, Los Angeles outscored Golden State 44-35. The 44 points were the most in a postseason quarter for Los Angeles.

The series shifts to Los Angeles for Game 3 this Thursday night from Staple Center.

Oh yeah, the Warriors lost center DeMarcus Cousins with what is being reported as a “significant” quad injury for an “extended period of time.”

Cousins injured his left quad muscle after diving to the floor following a steal in the first quarter. Cousins immediately grabbed his left side and limped off the floor and into the locker room.

An MRI for Cousins is scheduled for Tuesday, but it is feared that Cousins will miss the rest of the series if not, the remainder of the Warriors’ playoff run.

Before Warriors fans hit the panic button, let me put you at ease: the Warriors will still win this series. I know that’s not nothing new, but its just reassurance from me.

Sure, the top-seeded Warriors were punched in the mouth by the eighth-seeded Clippers on Monday night behind a career-high 36 points and 11 assists from Lou Williams and 25 points from Montrezl Harrell, but it did take a herculean effort for Los Angeles to take down the two-time defending NBA champions in front of a frenzied, sold out Oracle Arena crowd.

Clippers starting point guard Patrick Beverley, who continues to be the team’s biggest mouthpiece, has clearly made life difficult for Kevin Durant in this series. Beverley has been irritating (in a good way) Durant at every point, and even gotten the two of them ejected from Game 1.

You expect Durant, who had 21 points, five rebound and five assists in Game 2 before fouling out, to bounce back in Game 3. Durant finished with more turnovers (9) than shot attempts (8), but shot 11-of-12 from the free throw line.

Klay Thompson scored 17 points and Draymond Green had 14 points with nine assists.

Golden State committed 21 turnovers in Game 1, then follow up with 22 more on Monday night. The Warriors have been flat out sloppy in protecting the basketball.

When the Warriors protect the basketball and limit the turnovers, they are nearly unbeatable. Golden State got away with that in Game 1, but got caught with their hand in the cookie jar in Game 2.

The Clippers made Golden State pay this time around.

Even in the defeat, one positive the Warriors can take from this loss was the game that backup center Kevon Looney had. After Cousins left the game, Looney played big, finishing with a career-high 19 points and making all six shot attempts.

Looney will most certainly start Game 3 in Cousins’ absence. Looney did make 24 starts this season for the Warriors and will look to build off his breakout performance.

Instead of the projected four-game sweep that everyone penciled for Golden State, the Warriors will end the series in five or six games.

The Clippers exasperated all their energy in securing Game 2 and after stealing a game that they had no business of winning, Los Angeles has gotten the Warriors’ full attention and are beaming with confidence.

That’s not a good thing.

Headline Sports with Tony Renteria: Curry is expected back by game one of the playoffs; Kings fire Joerger, Walton most likely successor; plus more

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Photo credit: @theScore

On Headline Sports podcast with Tony:

#1 The Golden State Warriors say that Stephen Curry is day to day after he rolled his ankle in New Orleans on Tuesday night. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr says that Curry should be back by the first game of the NBA playoffs.

#2 Sacramento Kings fired head coach Dave Joerger Thursday after three losing seasons. The firing most likely will be an open door for Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton to take over the coaching job in Sacramento. Wednesday was the last day of the regular season for the Sacramento Kings. They grew, they had won 12 more games than last season, and they have a core of players that are much improved over last season. Tony tells us what the Kings will do to get a viable shot at the playoffs for next season.

#3 It was kind of historical in Boston on Tuesday night when members of the Boston Red Sox and the New England Patriots made an appearance on the field before the Sox ball game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park. Both teams were showing their Championship trophies as both teams won Championships in the first year.

#4 Two players from Bay Area schools were drafted on Wednesday by the WNBA. From Cal, Kristine Anigwe, who was named Defensive Player of the Year, and from the Stanford Cardinal, Alanna Smith. It has to be a pretty big honor for these players to get to the next level and play in the WNBA.

#5 The A’s won another series this time over the Baltimore Orioles on this current road trip after getting swept in Houston by the Astros to start the trip. The A’s defeated the O’s in the four game series and head to Texas to open a three game series with the Rangers starting on Friday night.

Tony does the Headline Sports each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Cousins back ready to face the Nuggets on Friday; Kerr to take a look at him and his Achilles

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Photo credit: @NBAonTNT

On the Golden State Warriors podcast with David:

#1 The Warriors at the halfway mark are first in the Pacific Division game, facing the Denver Nuggets and the Nuggets beat the Warriors earlier in the season. DeMarcus Cousins is back on Friday night.

#2 How has the bench been performing and an assessment on Jonas Jerebko? With Kevon Looney going back to the second unit with Klay Thompson, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Kevin Durant, what’s that going to be like to work Jerebko in the second rotation?

David does the Warriors podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

It was a heck of a basketball game on Saturday night: the Warriors squeaked by the Kings 127-123

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gsw 1-6 final

By Charlie O. Mallonee

Sacramento — The sellout crowd of 17583 fans at the Golden 1 Center on Saturday was treated to a real example of an NBA game in this new era as they saw the Golden State Warriors hold off the upstart Sacramento Kings 127-123. Not only was it an exciting contest, but it was also an NBA record-setting game.

The game featured 18 lead changes and was tied 11 times. The Warriors largest lead was 16 and that came in the first period. The Kings biggest lead of the game was nine points.

The constant end-to-end action had the crowd in a literal frenzy from the opening tipoff to the final buzzer.

The teams “made it rain” to set an NBA record

gsw 1-6 curry
Curry scored a game-high 42 points Photo: @warriors

The teams combined to hit 41 3-point field goals in the game which set a new record for the NBA. The Warriors put in 21-of-47 (44.7%) their attempts from behind the 3-point line. The Kings converted 20-of-36 (55.6%) their shots from long distance in the game.

123 of the 250 total points scored in the game came off 3-point field goals. That is a true representation of where today’s NBA is headed now and in the foreseeable future.

Steph Curry led the 3-point scoring barrage sinking 10-of-20 attempts. The Kings’ Buddy Hield (yes, the guy from Oklahoma who would never be able to hit the 3-pointer in the Association according to scouts) converted 8-of-13 attempts from long range. The big surprise may have been Sacramento’s Justin Jackson who went 5-for-7 from behind the arc.

The fans were in seventh heaven.

The teams played evenly except in one area

gsw 1-6 pic 2

The battle in the paint was dramatic on Saturday night. The Warriors scored 40 points down low while the Kings put up 38 points in the paint.

2nd Chance Points – which can determine the outcome of a game – was a dead-even tie. Golden State scored 14 2nd Chance Points and the Kings 14 of their own. GSW grabbed 12 offensive rebounds, while SAC pulled down 14 rebounds on offense.

The “runaway” Kings dominated the fastbreak points category in this game. Sacramento scored 32 points via the fast break while the Warriors recorded only 15 points via the break. There is no doubt that the Kings love to run.

Top Performers

Kings (19-20)

  • Buddy Hield was the Kings’ leading scorer with 32 points. He also added four assists and five rebounds.

  • Justin Jackson came off the bench to put 28 points. Jackson shot 10-for-14 overall for the game. He also grabbed five defensive rebounds.

  • Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 17 points, dished out seven assists and added six rebounds. He also added three steals.
  • Willie Cauley-Stein recorded another double-double putting up 14 points and hauling in 13 rebounds. WCS keeps hitting that double-double goal.

Warriors (26-14)

  • Steph Curry was the game’s high scorer with 42 points. Curry went 14-for-25 from the field (10-for-20 from 3-point land).
  • Kevin Durant scored 29 points and dished out nine assists.
  • Klay Thompson added 20 points in the contest.
  • That was a total of 91 points from the Warriors big three.

Coach Joerger’s Postgame Analysis

Coach Dave Joerger felt like his team played one its better games of the season.

Joerger loved Buddy Hield’s play and he explained why

Joerger had some great things to say about Justin Jackson

Up next

The Kings will return to action on Monday night when they will host the Orlando Magic at the Golden 1 Center.

The Warriors will host the New York Knicks on Tuesday night in Oakland.

Warriors do the KD Splash in the ATL: Hawks dispatched, 128-111

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By Morris Phillips

The Warriors had that look again on Monday night in Atlanta, and Stephen Curry ascended to the superstar zone first, soon after he shook the hand of Trae Young, his sharpshooter protege, prior to the opening tip.

Curry put up 18 of his game-best 30 points in the first quarter, single-handedly outscoring the Hawks in the frame, as the Warriors posted a momentum-changing 128-111 win.

“We controlled the tempo in the first quarter, the defense kicked in, and that set the tone,” Curry said.

Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson soon joined Curry as all three hit show-off mode at some juncture of the evening. The Warriors’ stars all had 10 made baskets, with Durant finishing with 28 points, and Thompson 27.

Young didn’t fare well facing Curry for the first time. The rookie from Oklahoma forced some passes and never found his shooting stroke. Young finished with 20 points, but need 20 shot attempts to get there, while committing seven turnovers (all on the first half) and failing to make a 3-pointer (0 for 5).

“It’s hard to stop someone like that,” Young said. “He’s going to score. He’s going to find ways to make plays. You just have to try to make it difficult if you can.”

The Warriors led by 17 after one, and by 14 at the half, before finishing the Hawks with a 67-point second half. The Hawks didn’t do themselves any favors with 18 turnovers juxtaposed against 23 assists. Young finished with just three of those assists.

“I thought we played well, then you take the turnovers into the equation and you figure you’re going to have a long night,” said Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce, who served as a Warriors’ assistant during Curry’s rookie season.

Former Warriors Kent Bazemore and Jeremy Lin suffered rougher stat lines than Young, particularly due to being on the floor when Golden State surged. Bazemore missed five of his six shots, and had a team-worst -23 plus/minus.

Lin fared better offensively, with 14 points and 5 assists. But his plus/minus was -17.

Curry offered advice for Young, after missing the rookie’s visit to Oakland last month due to his groin injury that cost him 11 games.

“Don’t worry about comparisons, just play the game, get better,” Curry said of Young.

The Warriors continue their road trip on Wednesday in Cleveland, the site of their most recent World Championship title victory in June.

Steph Being Steph: Curry turns into a bucket factory in 144-122 blowout of the Wizards

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By Morris Phillips

Stephen Curry making trick shots in warmups. Steph piling up buckets during the game. Demoralized opponents trudging back down the floor, heads bowed. Teammates and fans roaring their approval and/or shaking their heads in disbelief.

That stuff’s nothing new. But, based on various observers at Oracle on Wednesday, it never gets old.

“He’s a special player, special scorer, special shooter and he’s taking 35-foot shots.” Wizards coach Scott Brooks. “It’s hard to double-team a guy that far out and he makes them. He’s make them like they are layups.”

The Warriors leaped to a 80-71 lead in a defense-optional first half prompted by Washington being without injured centers Dwight Howard and Ian Mahimi, and opting to go small, run and shoot.

With Curry cooking from the start, the Wizards approach played right into Golden State’s hands.

Curry scored 23 of his 51 points in the first quarter without a 3-point miss. He would go on to make 11 from distance in the game, the tenth time he’s made at least 10 threes in a game.

The 23-point opening quarter? That’s the 20th time Curry accomplished that feat in his career.

“Some of the shooting was just mind-boggling,” coach Steve Kerr said. “Nobody’s ever done what he’s doing, pulling up from I don’t know, 32s.”

The teams combined for 151 points in the first with the Wizards gaining traction with Curry on the bench to start the second quarter. Led by Bradley Beal (23 points) and Kelly Oubre Jr. (17 points) Washington matched buckets for stretches. But the fast pace and rapid scoring simply meant this for the Wizards: they would suffer the oddity of placing six players in double figures only to lose by 22.

Another curious juxtaposition of the numbers saw Kevin Durant (30 points, eight rebounds, seven assists) and Klay Thompson combine for 49 points on 21 of 35 shooting, but be rendered footnotes. How’s that? Durant and Thompson managed just one, crowd-pleasing, made three each.

The Warriors improved to 4-1 while the Wizards fell to 1-3. Curry has scored at least 30 in four of the five contests, and doing so on Monday and Wednesday in only the first three quarters, as he sat through both fourth quarters with the outcome no longer in doubt. Curry, averaging 34.6 ppg, trails only Detroit’s Blake Griffin (36.4) for the NBA scoring lead.

“It’s just one of those nights you just have so much fun playing the game,” Curry said.

51 POINTS AT THE COLISEUM ARENA, I’VE SEEN THIS BEFORE: The 1975 World Champion Warriors were honored before the game, including the team’s singular star, Rick Barry.

On October, 29, 1977, at the old Coliseum Arena, Barry outdid the star-studded 76ers, scoring 51 points in a game that required everything Barry had.

The Warriors slipped past Philadelphia 113-110 as Barry hit 22 field goals–mostly mid-range jumpers–and 7 of 8 from the line. With no three-pointer and the game so close, Barry’s feat was a measure of his skill, stamina and fearlessness in tight spots. Guarded by Dr. J, Doug Collins and primarily George Mcginnis, Barry heard the crowd roar louder and louder as he approached the mid-century mark.

The Warriors head to Madison Square Garden to take on the Knicks on Friday at 4:30 pm PT.

Splash-back: Warriors take on familiar, dominating look in 123-103 rout of the Suns

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By Morris Phillips

You know, the Warriors are a pretty good 3-point shooting team.

Seems obvious, but after three regular season games, the Warriors had missed 50 of 74 attempts from distance and ranked 24th in the NBA in 3-point field goal percentage. Even worse–and much to the consternation of coach Steve Kerr–all the fouling and turnovers (the Warriors ranked 28th out of 30 in both categories) were very un-Warrior like as well.

Then the not-up and still-coming Phoenix Suns walked into Oracle Arena on Monday, and the back-to-back champs got back to business.

In a 123-103 rout of the Suns, Golden State shot 51 percent from the field, 38 percent from three, and led by as many as 28 points, numbers that also caught Kerr’s discerning eye.

“That looked like our team, just the purpose of each possession, driving and kicking and trying to get guys better shots,” Kerr said.

The Warriors won by double-digits for the first time this season while Curry took flight, scoring 15 of his 29 points in the third quarter. Five other Warriors finished in doyble digits scoring led by Kevin Durant with 22. In all, 13 Golden State players saw action, including the NBA debut of first round pick Jacob Evans.

“We’ve got a lot of weapons out there, so they’ve got to play defense,” Jonas Jerebko said. “And it’s tough to play defense when the ball is moving.”

After playing more than 400 ballgames in the four, previous seasons and on the back-end of the new season’s first back-to-back, the Warriors struck fast and quickly fell into self-preservation mode.

The win was Golden State’s 14th consecutive over the Suns in Oakland, and their 16th overall. Both streaks are the longest in franchise history over one opponent.

Klay Thompson suffered an ankle injury and did not return. After the game, Thompson said he considers the injury to be of little concern, and said he could have returned to finish the game if necessary.

Shaun Livingston was scratched due to a knee sprain.

The Suns were led by Devin Booker with 28 points. TJ Warren contributed 27 in a reserve role, and first overall pick in the 2018 draft, Deandre Ayton had 20.

The Warriors continue their homestand against the Washington Wizards on Wednesday at 7:30 pm PT.