The Golden State Warriors have been hot to start the season. Their 10-1 is tied for the league’s best record with Toronto.
In a difficult Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors have been dominant. Their only loss came to the 9-1 Denver Nuggets, who currently sit right behind the Warriors in the West. This team has shown a rejuvenated spirit and a desire for regular season excellence.
They’ve kicked off the season to hot by relying on their stars. Since the league’s best team has one of the league’s worst second units, they’ve been forced to put more pressure on their four stars and two superstars.
This reliance, while some find a cause for concern, can really be showcased throughout most of the league’s top teams. It’s a common trend that the best players score the bulk of the team’s points, and for Golden State, that’s just a bit more obvious.
As for their competition, the Warriors have knocked off teams like Minnesota, Memphis, Oklahoma City and New Orleans at home along with Utah in Salt Lake City. These games have down their character and will to win.
That said, here are three reasons why the Dubs have been able to kick the season off to a 10-1 start.
We all knew Zion Williamson was the next big deal, but even Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr was awed by his collegiate debut.
Steve Kerr was so blown away by Zion Williamson that he stopped himself from continuing to hype him up in fear of a fine for tampering. However, there’s virtually zero chance Zion has any say on where he’s draft, and it certainly won’t be by the Golden State Warriors.
To be fair, by the time Zion’s a free agent, Kerr with his back issues might not even still be coaching, assuming that’s over five years from now.
Here’s Kerr’s description of Zion and how he compares to a young LeBron.
Steve Kerr amazed by Zion Williamson last night: “LeBron, I thought that was a one shot deal…” and then realizes he can’t say anything: “Adam, wherever you are, please don’t fine me.” pic.twitter.com/dkmrOG1JcJ
“I probably can’t say anything more,” Kerr said. He never actually said Zion but implied it by saying “the 285” one. Zion, who stands 6-foot-7 and weight 285, has a body many NBA players dream of.
The 18-year-old put on a show two nights ago as the Duke Blue Devils set a Champions Classic record with 118 points.
Zion, who had one nasty crossover slam in the second half, looked explosive, ending the game with 28 points, only a few less than the game-high 33 from teammate and fellow freshman RJ Barrett. Overall, he looked unstoppable and clearly showcased how collegiate players can be NBA ready out of high school.
Here’s a highlight reel of Zion and RJ. They pulled off some rather filthy moves en route to a 34-point victory. Oddly enough, both teams scored exactly 59 points (Duke) and 42 points (Kentucky) in each half.
The Duke Blue Devils still have a long way to go in order to be one of the greatest collegiate teams of all time. Well, this is one heck of a way to kick off their season, a season which should boast some incredible highlights and few losses.
The Blue Devils, much like the Golden State Warriors, have one goal in mind: ultimate domination. That domination will climax with what the Blue Devils hope will be a raised banner in Cameron Indoor. For Golden State, it’ll be a third straight Finals victory.
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Golden State Warriors (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
The Golden State Warriors are known for having a collection of All-Star players who can all impact the game in different ways. Today, we determine who is the most impactful of the bunch.
The Golden State Warriors have perhaps the most star-studded roster of all-time. With the addition of DeMarcus Cousins, they now have five members of the 2017-18 NBA All-Star team. Furthermore, they have a combined total of three MVP’s, five scoring titles and one Defensive Player of the Year award.
Obviously, each one of the Warriors stars has an important role on the team. The Dubs have a very selfless system in place where any player is capable of having a big night. They have a balanced attack and all-around contributions are the key to their success.
Today, we are going to evaluate how each one of the starters is able to impact the game. We will focus on the main five stars of the team. So, this means we will look at Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Kevin Durant and also predict what to expect from DeMarcus Cousins when he makes his debut.
Draymond Green‘s absence was felt in more than one place in the Golden State Warriors’ blowout loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night. It shows he is still the heartbeat of the their team.
Green watched Thursday’s game on the sidelines in a black blazer. He watched as his team got stomped at home by the Milwaukee Bucks, led by MVP-candidate, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and his cohort of long and athletic teammates. He watched as his replacement in the starting lineup, Jordan Bell, get into foul trouble against Antetokounmpo. There was nothing for the former Defensive Player of the Year to do but watch.
It was Green’s first missed game of the season after suffering a reported toe sprain during Monday night’s victory against the Memphis Grizzlies. Over the past two seasons, Green has missed a total of 18 games during the regular season, six coming in 2016-2017 and 12 last season. In 2016-2017, with Green off the court, the Warriors were only +1.6 over their opponents, per NBA.com. Last season, the Warriors were only +2.2 with Green off the court. Although it’s a small sample size, the Warriors are +2.5 without Green on the floor this season.
Although the numbers may not pop out, Draymond Green is still the heartbeat of the back-to-back defending champs. He might not be the engine of the team that Stephen Curry is, or the unstoppable scorer Kevin Durant is or the sniper Klay Thompson is, but he does the dirty work. He draws charges, gets deflections, rotates perfectly on defense and switches onto point guards and centers on the defensive end.
That gritty defensive effort by Green was missed on Thursday night as evidenced by Milwaukee putting on an attack-the-rim clinic (per NBCSBA’s Grant Liffmann).
The Warriors just allowed 84 points the paint. That's the most in the Steve Kerr era (2nd most was 68 @ LAL last season) The most since March 19, 2010 when they allowed 90 points in the paint @ SAS
Part of the reason the Golden State Warriors allowed so many points in the paint was because the Bucks were the aggressor on Thursday night, with Antetokounmpo and Eric Bledsoe attacking the basket at will. Green’s presence would not allow so many points in the paint with his gritty effort.
Green’s energy and ferocity on the glass helps the Warriors with their identity. The former Michigan State product provides Golden State with a toughness and intensity edge that cannot be matched. Green will sometimes rip down one-handed rebounds, while boxing out his man. He averages 7.2 rpg and has had games where he had 13 and 14 rebounds.
The Warriors struggle with long, athletic and physical teams. The Bucks are a prime example with the length and athleticism they possess starting with Antetokounmpo, along with John Henson, Thon Maker, Khris Middleton and Bledsoe. The Houston Rockets were another team who gave the Warriors troubles on the defensive end with physical defenders P.J. Tucker, Chris Paul and Eric Gordon. Their length with Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute gave the Warriors issues. But gone are Ariza and Mbah a Moute due to free agent signings during the summer.
Green can help alleviate some of the offensive pressure the three other stars shoulder. He is a playmaker when Curry gets doubled near the halfcourt circle. On the season, Green is averaging 7.9 assists per game, the best mark on the team and good enough for seventh in the league, and being the first forward on the list. He has had games where he has had 12, 13, 12 and 11 assists. He is the hub on offense, being the primary facilitator while setting screens and doing dribble hand-offs with Curry, Thompson and Durant. Green is also the player who will grab the rebound, and start the fastbreak himself, and with his passing ability, will make the right read.
Green’s best attribute for the Golden State Warriors? His defensive versatility and how he can guard every position on the floor. His feet constantly move as he’s always quarterbacking the defense, and often times, he’ll be a roamer, sniffing out lobs and deflecting passes. He is in the right place at the right time, anticipating a play or two ahead of the opposing offense, knowing where the pass is going to go and who will be receiving the pass. The combination of length, strength, quickness and basketball IQ he possesses has helped mold Green into one of the best all-around defenders in the league.
Above are some of his defensive highlights. Notice how active Green’s hands are, resulting in him getting strips and steals from smaller and bigger players. He is constantly in the right position to get a block, steal or rebound. It seems as if many of the defensive plays Green makes ignite a fast break, which for the opposing team, more times than not, is trouble.
Draymond Green is more of an important piece of the puzzle than some might realize. He might not get the limelight that Curry and Durant do, and even Thompson, but make no mistake, the Golden State Warriors do not win championships in 2015, 2017 and 2018 without his toughness, playmaking ability and defensive prowess. The Warriors need Green to be at his best and healthiest in the playoffs as new challengers such as Milwaukee, the Denver Nuggets, Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors will make it known that their road to a third consecutive title will not be a cakewalk.
Ahead of Thursday's game between the Raptors and Golden State Warriors, the four-time All-Star was asked about his opinion on this Toronto team. In response, Thompson was very complimentary about the Raptors and said he wouldn't be surprised if this week's matchup between the two powerhouses ends up being a preview of the 2019 NBA Finals.
"Right now they are the best," Thompson told the media earlier this week. "I expect them to be there probably throughout the whole season. They got tremendous length, they got so many two-way players, obviously, Kawhi [Leonard] is back and playing at an MVP level, and Kyle Lowry is a great leader as well as - he's a bulldog out there."
"It's going to be a great test for us," he continued. "Who knows, it might be a preview of June. But they've got something really special up there in Canada right now."
Led by Kawhi Leonard, who is averaging 24.7 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, the Raptors currently have the best record in the NBA. They're also the hottest team in the league having won five straight games ahead of their matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday.
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The Warriors, meanwhile, have had their ups and downs so far this season. They got off to a tremendous start in winning 10 of their first 11 games, but they're .500 since Stephen Curry suffered an injury on Nov. 8.
Nevertheless, the Warriors remain the favourites to emerge from the Western Conference. Curry is expected to return to the lineup soon and DeMarcus Cousins, a four-time All-Star the team signed in the offseason, is looking to return after Christmas.
A lot could change between now and June, but, as Thompson alluded to, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Raptors and Warriors in the NBA Finals based on how the opening month of this season has played out.
The Warriors are about to embark on a five-game road trip.
Green is still feeling the lingering effects of a toe sprain. Sources say Green, who has yet to return to practice, likely won’t make it back until at least the Atlanta game next Monday, meaning he’ll miss the Thursday game in Toronto and the Saturday game in Detroit.
In 13 games this season, Draymond Green is averaging 6.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game. The 28-year-old is shooting 44.4 percent from the field, 22.2 percent from beyond the arc and 66.7 percent from the free-throw line.
Green has only played in one game since the incident with Kevin Durant occurred against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center. He had an awful games versus the Houston Rockets, scoring zero points in 23 minutes of action. Green told reporters he probably shouldn’t have played in that game because of his toe, but that he wanted to given everything that was happening between him and Durant.
The Warriors are 15-7 on the season and have won three-straight after losing four games in a row for the first time in the Steve Kerr era.
The Dubs begin a strech of three home games in four days on Wednesday against the Thunder.
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BACK ON WARRIORS GROUND After three games in Texas, the Warriors come home for four straight games at Oracle Arena, beginning Wednesday against the Thunder. The Thanksgiving-eve showdown will open a stretch of three games in four days, all on Warriors Ground. The Dubs have gone 8-1 at home this season and Wednesday’s tilt with the Thunder will be the second of this season’s three head-to-head matchups. Dubs fans might remember the first one more for the team’s pregame Championship Ring presentation and banner unveiling more than the Dubs’ 108-100 win on Opening Night. The Warriors have won their last three regular season matchups with Oklahoma City and they’ll be looking to extend that streak on Wednesday night.
LAST TIME OUT The Warriors shot 5-for-26 on 3-pointers and trailed by as many as 18 points in Sunday's 104-92 loss in San Antonio. Full Recap
MATCHUP AT A GLANCE
GSW
OKC
12-6
10-6
4th in West
5th in West
PTS: 116.6 (6th)
PTS: 111.1 (11th)
REB: 45.7 (13th)
REB: 47.5 (7th)
AST: 28.4 (1st)
AST: 21.3 (26th)
LAST GAME'S STARTERS
GSW: Andre Iguodala, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Jonas Jerebko and Kevon Looney
OKC: Russell Westbrook, Hamidou Diallo, Paul George, Jerami Grant and Steven Adams
INJURY & ROSTER NOTES
GSW: DeMarcus Cousins (left Achilles rehab) and Stephen Curry (left groin strain) are out. Draymond Green (right toe sprain) and Alfonzo McKinnie (left foot soreness) are TBD. Team Notes
OKC: Alex Abrines (illness), Terrance Ferguson (personal) and Andre Roberson (left patellar tendon surgery) are out. Team Notes
QUINN DOING WORK Not a whole lot has gone right for the Dubs over the last week and a half, but one of the bright spots has certainly been the play of Quinn Cook. He has scored in double figures in each of the last four games, and in eight of his last nine games. Cook is shooting 52.6 percent from the field and 48 percent on 3-pointers, and is actually the fourth leading scorer on the team behind Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson. Cook has definitely taken advantage of the opportunity presented with Curry’s injury, and the way he is playing it would seem that he has earned some regular rotation minutes even when Curry returns.
TEAM LEADERS
GSW
OKC
PTS: Curry (29.5)
PTS: Westbrook (24.8)
REB: Green (7.5)
REB: Adams (10.4)
AST: Green (7.2)
AST: Westbrook (8.6)
OKLAHOMA CITY SCOUTING REPORT After starting the season with four straight losses, the Thunder won 10 of their next 11 games before Monday's close defeat in Sacramento. Oklahoma City boasts one of the top defenses in the league, ranking fourth in defensive rating (103.2 points allowed per 100 possessions), and leading the league in both steals (11.1 spg) and forced turnovers (18.3 opponent turnovers per game). Russell Westbrook leads the team in both scoring and assists, and on Monday he returned from a six-game absence due to a sprained left ankle, and also the birth of his twin daughters. In Westbrook’s absence, Paul George was on a tear, scoring at least 30 points in each of the last three games that Westbrook missed. Point guard Dennis Schroder has played well in his first year with OKC, and Steven Adams is one of the league’s toughest bigs, averaging career-bests 15.6 points and 10.4 boards per game. The Dubs haven’t been lighting up the scoreboard lately like they have in the past, and they’ll certainly need to see some shots to start falling if they want to end their current losing streak.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Curry would undergo an MRI on Friday.
"I'm not nervous. I have nothing to go off of. If this was an ankle, I could tell you four days, 12 days," Curry told Marc J. Spears of ESPN's The Undefeated. "But I will see tomorrow. ... I've honestly never done this before, so I have nothing to go off of."
The injury occurred with 6:50 left in the quarter as Curry tried to contest a move by Bucks guard Eric Bledsoe. Curry stayed in the game for a few more moments but then checked out and headed to the locker room.
As the Warriors await the results of Curry's MRI, teammate Kevin Durant didn't sound too concerned about Curry's setback.
"He seemed good to me," Durant said after the game. "I have to talk to him [Friday] to see how he's doing, but hopefully he's doing well."
Curry never found his rhythm during the game, going just 5-for-14 from the field for only 10 points in 26 minutes, his lowest output of the season. This is the first time Curry has played more than 20 minutes in a game and not made a 3-pointer since Feb. 27, 2017, against the Philadelphia 76ers. Curry was 0-for-4 from beyond the arc Thursday.
The Warriors were already without two key veterans against the Bucks, as Draymond Green (toe sprain) and Shaun Livingston (foot soreness) did not dress for Thursday's game.
Green might return Monday against the Los Angeles Clippers, a source told Spears, and after Curry's injury, Livingston could return in the near future.
DeMarcus Cousins will miss the first few months of the season.
The Golden State Warriors shocked the basketball world when they signe DeMarcus Cousins.
Cousins is excited to play with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Kevin Durant. “It’s a team full of high IQs,” DeMarcus Cousins told me.
Cousins is coming off of a serious Achilles’ injury that will likely sideline him until January or February.
When he does come back he believes that he’ll gel.
“I believe everyone on our team has a very high IQ when it comes to the game of basketball,” he said. “All of us know how to play the game of basketball.”
Cousins has never even played in the playoffs during his eight seasons in the league. Assumedly, this season will be his first shot. He’s excited.
“We got guys with the same characteristics that– it’s like play-doh,” he said.
“You can mold them into whatever you want them to be.”
Golden State Warriors (Jane Tyska/Digital First Media/The Mercury News via Getty Images)
The Golden State Warriors have many obstacles standing in their way of a championship this year. Here are the Dubs top five biggest threats.
After winning back to back championships, the Golden State Warriors are in pursuit of another one this year. The road to a three-peat is never easy and the Dubs will experience their fair share of adversity through this journey.
In recent years, the Warriors haven’t struggled too much in the playoffs. They won the 2016-17 NBA championship with an overall playoff record of 16-1. The next season was a bit more difficult, a game seven in Houston nearly ended their season. However, the Warriors prevailed and won their second straight title, finishing with a 16-4 postseason record.
This season, the same familiar opponents as well as a few new up and coming teams. Their path to a coveted fourth championship in five seasons will be filled with challenges. Today, we count down the five biggest threats to the throne so far.
The back-to-back NBA Champion Golden State Warriors, Chase Center and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) today announced HPE will be a Founding Partner of Chase Center, the state-of-the-art sports and entertainment complex being built in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood. Through the partnership, HPE will exclusively provide IT infrastructure and networking solutions to Chase Center that will enable connected experiences for Warriors and Chase Center guests. Technology from HPE and Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, will power the sports and entertainment arena’s IT infrastructure and deliver next generation mobility and indoor location services throughout Chase Center and surrounding district.
Opening in September of 2019, ahead of the Warriors 2019-20 season, Chase Center will be outfitted with the most advanced HPE hybrid cloud and Aruba networking solutions that will enable secure, seamless connectivity. The arena and surrounding district will also create new experiences by delivering custom mobile content and venue-specific services during NBA basketball, concerts, family shows, conventions and more.
“Attending sporting events, concerts and stage performances used to be a passive experience, with fans simply sitting and watching,” said Antonio Neri, President and Chief Executive Officer of Hewlett Packard Enterprise. “Industry-leading servers, storage and strong connectivity combined with new location technology inside the arena and theater and across the entire 11-acre site, makes the entire space a connected, interactive playground.”
It takes advanced hardware and intelligent software to drive an immersive, technology-driven experience that supports an 18,064-seat sports and entertainment arena, a 5,000-person performing arts theater, 100,000 square feet of restaurant and retail businesses, and 580,000 square feet of office space across two office buildings. Networking installations are the first components within a more comprehensive technology roadmap that HPE is building with Golden State Warriors and Chase Center. To power such a data and bandwidth-heavy network, HPE and Aruba are installing the most advanced enterprise switches, wireless access points, security platforms, and network management software.
At the core of the network lies Aruba’s 8,400 core and aggregation switches, which offer flexibility and innovation in dealing with modern application, security and scalability demands in today’s mobile, cloud and Internet of Things (IoT) era. Aruba offers the industry’s most advanced, fully programmable operating system, carrier-grade performance, and an industry-first Network Analytics Engine that proactively monitors and troubleshoots network, system, application and security related issues.
By enabling intelligent automation and network insights, the operating system reduces the time spent on manual tasks, freeing up time for Warriors and Chase Center IT teams to develop new and engaging fan experiences and uncover new ways to drive operational efficiencies for all events in the arena and on the surrounding district.
“Working with the Golden State Warriors and Chase Center provides us with an incredible opportunity to evolve the fan connected experience by delivering the most advanced wireless technology just now coming to market,” said Keerti Melkote, Co-founder and President, Aruba. “Built-in AI-intelligence, location services, and seamless roaming encourages arena visitors to interact and share their experiences with others without fear of low connectivity or mobile data usage.”
“Our partnership with HPE will enable our fans and guests to experience a seamless connected experience from the moment they step onto our site,” said Warriors President and Chief Operating Officer Rick Welts. “HPE’s experience in the connectivity space and their knowledge and understanding of our needs is what makes them a perfect partner for the Warriors and Chase Center.”
About Chase Center Chase Center is a 18,064-seat sports and entertainment arena, set to open in the Fall of 2019, which will anchor an 11-acre mixed use privately financed complex in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood. Chase Center will play host to Warriors basketball, concerts, cultural events, family shows, and more, totaling nearly 200 events a year. The sports and entertainment district will include two office buildings and 29 unique retail locations, along with 3.2 acres of publicly accessible plazas and open space.
About the Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors organization, currently in its 73rd season, is a charter member of the National Basketball Association. Founded in 1946, the Warriors called the city of Philadelphia home for 16 memorable years before moving to the West Coast in 1962 to become the San Francisco Warriors and ultimately, in 1971, the Golden State Warriors when the team moved across the Bay to its current home in Oakland. The team’s storied history includes six NBA Championships, an NBA-record 73 wins during the 2015-16 season, six of the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players and 26 members of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
About Hewlett Packard Enterprise Hewlett Packard Enterprise is a global technology leader focused on developing intelligent solutions that allow customers to capture, analyze and act upon data seamlessly from edge to cloud. HPE enables customers to accelerate business outcomes by driving new business models, creating new customer and employee experiences, and increasing operational efficiency today and into the future.
The back-to-back NBA Champion Golden State Warriors have recalled guard Jacob Evans III from the team’s G League affiliate in Santa Cruz, the team announced today. Additionally, two-way forward Marcus Derrickson will join the team.
Evans III has appeared in two games (one start) with Santa Cruz, averaging 6.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.00 steals in 19.0 minutes per game. The 28th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft has appeared in seven games with Golden State this season and is averaging 0.6 points and 1.0 assists in 6.3 minutes per game.
Derrickson has played in three games (three starts) with Santa Cruz, averaging 17.0 points on 54.1 percent shooting from the field (20-of-37 FG), 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 30.4 minutes per game.
The Golden State Warriors shocked the NBA world when they signed DeMarcus Cousins over the summer. And now, the team is almost ready to reap their rewards.
Cousins, who has been sidelined with a torn Achilles since January, is nearly ready to return to the basketball court. In fact, he’s so close that he was reportedly optimistic that he could debut during the team’s five-game road trip that begins on Thursday. But the team is in no rush, so his return to the court will hopefully come in late December, when everyone can be confident that he’s fully up to speed.
The report, which comes from Logan Murdock of the Mercury News, states that head trainer Rick Celebrini, in addition to the rest of the training staff, determined on Friday that Cousins’ debut would come after Christmas. It states that, despite Cousins’ hopes that he would return in the next few weeks, there were no setbacks, and the team merely wants him in ideal physical form before unleashing him.
Cousins is set to be re-evaluated soon. We’ll let you know as soon as there’s more injury information.
Of the 15 available guaranteed roster spots, the Warriors punted one, by opting to leave it unfilled. That put them at 14. And then the injury bug struck, and the team will be without Steph Curry, Draymond Green, or Shaun Livingston for Saturday’s affair, in addition to DeMarcus Cousins. That puts them at 10. And that’s after they sent rookie Jacob Evans III to the Santa Cruz Warriors, which puts them at nine.
So naturally they need reinforcements before playing a game. So the team is recalling Evans, as well as undrafted rookie Marcus Derrickson, who is signed to a two-way contract, from the G League. They’ll be suited up and ready to play against the pesky Nets.
Evans, who is still getting acclimated to the NBA, has been coming along a little slowly in Santa Cruz, but that’s to be expected. Derrickson, on the other hand, has been playing incredibly well.
They’ll be joined by the Warriors other two-way contract, Damion Lee, who has been with the team for the last few days, and soaked up some garbage time minutes in the team’s loss on Thursday to the Milwaukee Bucks.
That should bring the team’s active players up from nine to 12, which should be enough to get them through the game without wearing anyone out too much.
The Warriors take on the Clippers for the first time this season on Monday night in Los Angeles.
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NEW LOOK IN L.A. The Dubs are in the thick of a seven-game run in which they stay within the state of California, and their one road game in that stretch will be this Monday when they take on the Clippers for the first of four head-to-head matchups this season. The Warriors have won 13 of their last 14 games against the Clippers, and haven’t lost to them in the Staples Center since Christmas Day in 2015.
The Clippers are a different team than the one that was once a rival of the Dubs, and the Warriors will head into this game with a new look as well. The Dubs will debut their new ‘City Edition’ uniforms for this game, as the new uniforms celebrate the strong Chinese heritage that’s present in the Bay Area.
LAST TIME OUT Kevin Durant did a little bit of everything and Quinn Cook filled in nicely for an injured Stephen Curry as the Dubs beat the Nets 113-98 on Saturday evening at Oracle Arena. Full Recap
MATCHUP AT A GLANCE
GSW
LAC
11-2
7-5
1st in West
6th in West
PTS: 121.9 (1st)
PTS: 116.3 (8th)
REB: 45.5 (15th)
REB: 46.7 (10th)
AST: 30.3 (1st)
AST: 22.3 (21st)
LAST GAME'S STARTERS
GSW: Quinn Cook, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Jonas Jerebko and Damian Jones
LAC: Patrick Beverley, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tobias Harris, Danilo Gallinari and Marcin Gortat
INJURY & ROSTER NOTES
GSW: DeMarcus Cousins (left Achilles rehab) and Stephen Curry (left groin strain) are out. Shaun Livingston (right footsoreness) and Draymond Green (right foot/toe sprain) are questionable. Team Notes
LAC: Avery Bradley (left ankle sprain) and Luc Mbah a Moute (sore left knee) are questionable. Team Notes
ALWAYS PREPARED, ALWAYS READY There is no way anyone can replace Stephen Curry. But Quinn Cook has certainly done more than hold his own when filling in for the Dubs’ two-time NBA MVP. With Curry sidelined with a strained groin on Saturday, and Shaun Livingston out as well, Cook took advantage of his opportunity and put in a season-high 27 points, three shy of his career-high. Over 19 career starts – his other 18 starts came last season in place of an injured Curry – Cook owns averages of 15.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game on 50.7 percent from the field, 47.8 percent from three and 86.4 percent from the stripe. Coach Kerr has complemented Cook’s professionalism on a near regular basis, and the guard out of Duke will continue to earn his coach’s praise as long as he stays ready to take advantage of the opportunity at hand.
TEAM LEADERS
GSW
LAC
PTS: Curry (29.5)
PTS: Harris (20.7)
REB: Green (7.2)
REB: Harris (8.9)
AST: Green (7.9)
AST: Beverley (4.2)
L.A. CLIPPERS SCOUTING REPORT The Clippers have won three of their last four games and come into Monday’s game after beating the same Bucks team that dominated the Dubs last week in an overtime thriller on Saturday. With that victory, an emotional one that saw L.A. and Milwaukee players wear black t-shirts during pregame warmups with the word “Enough.” On the chest and the names of the victims of a mass shooting in nearby Thousand Oaks, California, on their backs, the Clippers improved to 5-1 at home. Tobias Harris leads the team in scoring at 20.7 ppg and Danilo Gallinari is right behind him (19.4 ppg), but what makes the Clippers especially dangerous is their bench production. The reigning sixth man of the year, Lou Williams is back at it again (18.6 ppg) and won Saturday’s game for the Clippers with a last-second runner in overtime. Clippers reserves average 55.3 points per contest, and the team as a whole ranks second in 3-point accuracy (39.6% 3FGs), behind only the Dubs (41.9%).
Kevin Durant did a little bit of everything and Quinn Cook filled in nicely for an injured Stephen Curry as the Dubs beat the Nets 116-100 on Saturday evening at Oracle Arena.
The Dubs were down a trio of All-Stars, as Stephen Curry (strained groin), Draymond Green (sprained toe) and DeMarcus Cousins (Achilles injury rehab) all missed the game due to injury, but the team responded against one of the better defenses in the league, shooting 54.9 percent for the game.
Quinn Cook started in place of Curry and made his first seven shots, finishing with 27 points, five assists and four rebounds, and his good friend Durant took over the role of playmaker and tallied 28 points, 11 assists and five rebounds. Klay Thompson added 24 points, his fourth straight game with at least 20 points.
More notable moments from tonight's matchup:
Golden State has won eight-straight games versus Brooklyn (18 of the last 23 overall). The Warriors have won seven consecutive matchups versus the Nets at Oracle Arena (13 of the last 14).
Tonight marked the end of Golden State’s 2018-19 season series with Brooklyn (2-0). The Warriors have swept their season series with the Nets in four-straight seasons.
This marked the second time this season Golden State had three 20-point scorers in the same contest (2-0) with Kevin Durant (28), Quinn Cook (27) and Klay Thompson (24) all recording 20-plus points.
With a capacity crowd (19,596), the Warriors have sold out 299 consecutive games at Oracle Arena (regular season and playoffs). This marks the fourth-longest active sellout streak in the NBA.
Marcus Derrickson made his first-career NBA appearance, posting two points and one rebound in six minutes of play.
The Dubs closed out their longest homestand of the season with a 4-1 record, and they’ll next head off to Los Angeles to take on the Clippers on Monday before coming back home on Tuesday to host the Hawks.
OAKLAND – Game 22, a 116-110 win over the Orlando Magic, was a study in contrasts insofar as the Warriors showed both the worst and best of themselves.
Which makes it perfect for reviewing both aspects.
Here are two positives and two negatives the Warriors can take away from the finale of their four-game homestand Monday night:
POSITIVES
The stars were shining
With Stephen Curry and Draymond Green -- two of the four pillars upon which the Warriors are built -- out of the lineup, it is imperative the other two pillars stand stronger than ever. Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson did exactly that.
Durant, with 49 points, posted his second-straight game with more than 40. He was hyper-aggressive early, hoisting five shots in the first five minutes. He missed four but didn’t back off. He ended up making 16-of-33 from the field.
The real payoff came in the second half, when he recorded two huge blocks and, with 22.2 seconds left, drained a 3-pointer than put the Magic to sleep.
Thompson had 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting from the field through three quarters. He rushed a couple of shots and generally seemed slightly off.
In the fourth quarter, when this game was decided, he was money: 7-of-10 from the field, including 5-of-7 from deep. He finished with 29 points.
Combining for 67 percent of the scoring, Durant and Thompson did what stars are paid to do.
Looney’s late defense
Orlando center Nikola Vucevic is having a fabulous season and it showed in the first half, when he totaled 17 points, 11 rebounds and three assists. He was plus-11 in 16 minutes, heaping most of the abuse on starting center Damian Jones.
Jones didn’t play at all in the fourth quarter. And when Vucevic entered with 6:45 remaining, Warriors coach Steve Kerr replaced Jordan Bell with Kevon Looney.
Despite being three inches shorter and 40 pounds lighter, Looney used leverage and sound technique – and the occasional double-team – to hold Vucevic to seven points on 2-of-6 shooting.
This is not unusual and it’s why Looney is the team’s most trusted big man.
NEGATIVES
Defense takes a brief vacation
After going into the second quarter trailing for eight consecutive games, the Warriors flipped the script against Orlando, holding a one-point lead after one quarter.
Maybe it went to their heads. The second quarter defense was dreadful. The Magic’s second unit, led by the explosive Terrence Ross (13 points, 4-of-4 shooting in 10 minutes), provided the power behind a 39-21 advantage in the quarter.
The Warriors often were a step slow and sometimes simply failed to rotate. Orlando took advantage, shooting 60.9 percent (71.4 percent from deep) in the quarter.
Halftime adjustments were made, but the most important adjustment was improved effort.
Another tough game for Cook
Quinn Cook is in the starting lineup because he’s a scoring threat from deep. The first player to post a 50-40-90 season in the G-League is a pure shooter.
He didn’t have it in this game, scoring eight points on 3-of-10, including a 1-of-6 first half. A couple missed layups led to visible frustration.
The scoring fireworks of Durant and Thompson were enough to offset Cook’s subpar efficiency in this game, but the point guard remains in a bit of a slump, shooting 33.3 percent from the field (but 41.7 percent from deep) over the last four games.
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OAKLAND — For anyone who wanted to write the Warriors off because of injuries to Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Shaun Livingston; for those who viewed Thursday’s blowout loss to the Bucks as a sign that they were slipping — Golden State had a response Saturday.
Even without three key players, they’re still pretty damn good.
The Nets, playing the second-half of a tough back-to-back that started in Denver, weren’t much of a test for the Warriors, as their different-look lineup won the first three quarters of the game and racked up a 24-point lead in a 116-100 win.
Here’s what we learned in the bounce-back win:
Kevin Durant saw a sneak preview
I certainly don’t know what Kevin Durant is going to do this upcoming summer, when he becomes a free agent. I’m leery to even venture a guess. (Imagine that…)
Of course, plenty of people have their own thoughts on his future decision — after all, it will likely change the course of the NBA once again. And I’m sure, despite his public claims to the contrary, that he thinks about it from time-to-time too — but at the moment, any spoken whim or verbalized gut feeling from anyone outside of his tight-knit camp is a baseless conjecture about a decision that’s nowhere close to being made.
But I can’t help but think that Saturday’s game against the Nets could serve as an interesting data point for Durant to consider in June — the Warriors team around him was as close to a facsimile of an outside, viable free agent suitor as he’s going to get wearing blue and gold.
With Stephen Curry and Draymond Green out of the lineup due to injury, Durant was called upon to be the main man for the Warriors on Saturday. Yes, Klay Thompson was still there, and yes, other Warriors stepped up with increased playing time, but Saturday’s game centered around Durant from the start.
He finished with 28 points on 60 percent shooting, with 11 assists, five rebounds, three steals, and a block.
So yeah, he was pretty good. I wonder if he found a bit of extra enjoyment in being The Man once again.
It hasn’t always been easy for Durant to take on that role for the Warriors — there was some contention in the Warriors’ locker room late last season regarding Durant not being more domineering with Curry sidelined with injury. There were plenty of stories written about Draymond Green’s 4 a.m. text message to Durant — challenging him to be more aggressive and attacking on both ends of the court — but the Warriors’ series with the Pelicans was not the first time that gauntlet was thrown.
Durant really hasn’t looked back from that famed call-out on, though — he thrived in big moments for the rest of the playoffs and has stepped up, again and again, the early-goings of this season.
And Saturday’s performance might have been his most impressive performance of the campaign. (That’s saying something, even though the season is 13 games young.)
Durant diligently studies the game and views it as art — there’s no doubt that he derives great pleasure from being a cog (a big one, but a cog nonetheless) of the Warriors’ unparalleled winning machine, but he looked great as the engine Saturday.
Yes, it’s a regular-season game — relatively meaningless in the grand scheme of things — but whatever emotions stemmed from Saturday’s performance (he’s smart enough to be inscrutable when it comes to things like that) could play a role in the summer.
Stephen Curry can take as much time as he needs
Warriors reserve guard Quinn Cook has never lacked for confidence, and that’s what’s made him such an outstanding pickup for Golden State. The Duke product is intimidated by no one, and that, paired with his intelligence and work ethic makes him an easy player to get behind.
The Warriors coaches might decide to get behind Cook for the next few games, as he turned in a stellar performance Saturday, scoring 27 points in 29 minutes on 68 percent shooting.
Nets coach Kenny Atkinson called it Curry-like.
I won’t go that far — Curry is a generation-defining player and I don’t take too kindly to roundball blasphemy — but there was no doubt that Cook was the best point guard on the court Saturday, even with former No. 2 overall pick D’Angelo Russell and the perpetually underrated Spencer Dinwiddie playing for Brooklyn.
Cook earned himself a full NBA contract with his play late last year, when Curry was sidelined for 16 of the final 17 regular-season games and the first round of the playoffs.
Cook didn’t have much of a role in the first 12 games of the season, but he again thrived with Curry out Saturday.
Cook — to steal a fantasy football term — is a handcuff. He plays the role extremely well.
Kerr said after the game that Cook’s performance has no bearing on Curry ’s return date — an obvious and logical statement — but I can’t help but think that some pressure has been relieved after seeing Cook play so well Saturday.
If it takes a week or two longer than expected to get over his thigh injury, that’s ok. Curry can take as long as he needs to get right — the Warriors are in good hands with Cook at the helm for the time being.
Of course, one could have presumed that going into Saturday’s game — Cook is a pro who has proven that he can thrive at the NBA level. A reminder never hurts, though.
The most impressive part of Cook’s performance Saturday wasn’t his offensive game — as good as it was, I’ve seen him do things like that before. No, it was his defense that stood out.
Cook is undersized and that makes him an easy target for opposing offenses, but Kerr called his defensive performance “solid” against the Nets.
I’d call it tenacious.
Cook was clearly trying to prove a point on that end of the court, and with his sweet shooting stroke and controlled ball handling and passing (zero turnovers Saturday), he only needs to be competent there to be a significant plus player.
He was certainly that Saturday.
The Big three can all click at the same time
(Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Durant and Cook (and the forever-dependable Thompson) weren’t the only solid performers on Saturday — the Warriors’ three young big men — Damian Jones, Kevon Looney, and Jordan Bell — all turned in strong performances of their own against the Nets.
Jones’ box score doesn’t necessarily pop — he scored eight points and pulled down six rebounds in 19 minutes — but I thought he was an excellent energy player on Saturday. His rim-running is something to be reckoned with when he plays with the consistent charge and confidence we saw against the Nets. It was an excellent game to build upon for the third-year big who is seeing his first significant and regular playing time this season.
Looney is so solid he’s becoming an afterthought — every night he comes in and gives the Warriors outstanding defensive minutes and a lil’ something on the offensive end. He fouled a bunch Saturday — some of those were tough-luck — but he was a plus-10 in 13 minutes. It’s no accident that he has the best offensive rating in the NBA, the highest net rating on the team (which is second in the NBA). This guy isn’t just a system player — shame on anyone who would even suggest such a thing.
The most important contribution though — at least for the Warriors’ long-term goals — was Bell.
I don’t envy the second-year big out of Oregon. With a logjam at the center position — Jones, Looney, and Green have all been given priority over him — he’s being asked to play more power forward, when he does play. And while Bell can absolutely fill that role, the truth is that he’s better suited for the 5 — his top skills are rim-running and being a super-switchable defender that can also protect the rim.
Power forward minutes require him to complicate his game a bit — he has to space the floor and play a more disciplined defensive role — all while he’s being asked to do the simple, center-centric, things well by the Warriors’ coaching staff.
It’s a difficult balance to be struck, for sure — the spacing problems alone led the Warriors coaches to start Jonas Jerebko over Bell Saturday — but I thought he did an excellent job in striking it against the Nets.
Bell can be an incredible weapon for the Warriors — the only question is how often he can be relied upon.
The Golden State Warriors have started the season a hot 10-2, and they’ve done so behind two MVP-caliber candidates and a handful of improved players.
Albeit the Golden State Warriors did take their second loss of the season a few days ago, they’re still the clear team to beat in the NBA. With two consecutive NBA titles under their belt, a few losses aren’t going to hurt the team’s confidence or chemistry.
Through the first 12, we’ve seen quite a few players set up; meanwhile, there’s also been an array of Warriors that’ve taken a backseat and not performed up to par. In the end, the Dubs are still operating the league’s most lethal offense.
The only team to average 122 points per game or more and have consistently proven that they can break down opponents with ease. Another nice stat to note is that the Dubs are the league’s top team in assists per game.
They’ve been sharing the ball and looking after one another on the court. At the same time, they’ve showcased some of the league’s best single-game performances with Klay Thompson’s 52 and Steph Curry’s 51-point performances.
That said, let’s break down how the Dubs have individually kicked the season off. We’ll be including each of the Warriors main starters along with key second unit options.
For Kevon Looney, games against the Milwaukee Bucks are special. As a Milwaukee native, the opportunity to take on his hometown team means a chance to reflect on his journey and embrace his roots — including the family and friends that pushed the 22-year-old to pursue a career as a professional basketball player.
This year’s game against the Bucks in Oakland, though, was noticeably different. Wati Majeed wasn’t there.
“It was tough for sure,” Kevon said. “I knew he would want me to go out there and play my hardest and represent like he was telling me my whole life to do.”
Throughout the decade-plus that the two were friends, Majeed attended every high school game of Kevon’s at Hamilton HighSchool in Milwaukee, seldomly missing any event. A constant presence in Looney’s life since third grade, on Oct. 14, 2018, Majeed died due to complications with a seizure at the age of 28. Looney found out before the season opener.
“I came into practice and didn’t really tell anybody,” Kevon said. “It was hard to go through practice that day, but I knew he would want me to be there.”
Majeed and Kevon’s friendship began at an early age. Bridging the six-year age gap, the pair met after Majeed and Kevon’s older brother, Kevin, became close friends during their time in high school.
Considered to be family to the Looneys, Majeed would analyze every one of Kevon’s performances.
“He was tough on Kevon,” Kevin said. “If he had 50 points, he should have had 70 points. ‘If it was me, I would have hit 10threes,’ that was just his personality. We were all hard on Kevon, but Wati was going to be the loudest and the funniest.”
Majeed would also bring signs to Kevon’s often under-attended games, where tickets had to be purchased at the high school during school hours. Kevin would frequently buy game tickets in bulk while Majeed helped pass them out to make sure that if any section was full, it was there to support Kevon.
While their friendship often circled back to the game of basketball, the conversations between Kevon and Majeed would have ranged from music and girls to current events and future goals. Perhaps the most frequent, though: The age-old debate about who was the greatest player in the NBA.
“Was it Kobe? Was it LeBron?” Kevon said. “I would always hear his voice growing up. It was the Kobe and LeBron puppet commercial talking about, ‘You gotta be hungry.’ He always used to tell me ‘You’ve gotta be hungry, Kevon,’ like how Kobe would be to LeBron about the rings.”
“Wati used to substitute Kevon’s name for LeBron’s,” Kevin said.
Drafted 30th overall out of UCLA by the Warriors in 2015, Kevon would earn a pair of NBA championship rings, proving to Majeed that he had heard his message about satisfying his hunger.
“When I actually got me a couple [of rings] he stopped saying it after a while,” Kevon joked.
In June, when Kevon returned to Milwaukee after the Warriors had won their third NBA championship in four years, he let Majeed try on the 2017 ring earned in 2017, and let Majeed hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
“He got to experience all of that,” Kevon said. “So that was really cool. It was special.”
Four months later, on October 15, as Kevon prepared for opening night against the Oklahoma City Thunder, he received a text from Kevin.
“I was still asleep but then I got a call from another close friend of mine, who lives with me,” Kevon said. “He asked me, ‘What happened? Did you hear about Wati?’ So I called my brother and he kind of just told me what happened.”
The day before, Majeed’s mother found him unresponsive in the bathroom of their North Milwaukee home. It’s believed that he had fallen during a seizure, hitting his head in the process.
According to Kevin, Majeed did not have a long history of seizures, only having one in his life, six months before the accident, while driving in town. The Majeed family did not perform an autopsy due to their Muslim faith.
While Kevon opened a title-defending season with a 108-100 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, Golden State’s schedule left him unable to attend Majeed’s funeral and memorial service in Milwaukee, which was held only three days after Majeed’s death.
“It sucks that I couldn’t be there but I’m going to go to the grave site when I go back later on this year.” Kevon said. “Go see his family and just go down memory lane and reminisce to celebrate his life.”
This year, Kevon will be playing the season in Majeed’s memory. Remembering the loud, comical and selfless nature of his friend, Kevon writes “R.I.P. Wati” and “Long Live Wati” on his basketball shoes before each game.
On Thursday night, Kevon played his first game against the Bucks without Majeed watching in the stands or on television.Although Golden State suffered a 134-111 loss — their worst of the season — Kevon found individual success, scoring eight points on 2-of-3 shooting and knocking down all four free throws in 21 minutes of play.
“It tough to know that one of my friends that’s always there to talk about the game ain’t going to be there,” Kevon said. “But I know he’s watching from up above.”
