Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson, right, shoots a 3-point basket against Atlanta Hawks forward John Collins during the first half at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Fri Mar 17, 2023 (AP News photo)
Road Loses Continue To Pile Up For Warriors – Lose To Hawks 127-119
By Barbara Mason
Friday night the Golden State Warriors (36-35) met the Atlanta Hawks (35-35) at State Farm Arena. The Warriors dropped the first game of this road trip to the Los Angeles Clippers 134-126. Every road loss pushes the Warriors further and further away from their ultimate goal a playoff spot.
At home the Warriors are the number two team shooting from beyond the arc but on the road they make whoever they are playing look like world champions. The differential is uncanny as the Warriors seven wins on the road this season and they didn’t get their eighth road win against the Hawks losing 127-119.
Game recap: The Warriors got off to a good start in the first quarter taking a 16-4 lead in the opening minutes. With three minutes left in the quarter the game was tied at 27 and the Hawks had turned this game completely around leading after the first 12 minutes 39-31. There was a bit of trouble brewing after the first quarter for Golden State.
The Hawks continued to lead through most of the second quarter. With 3:25 left in the first half, the Warriors trailed 61-58 and were looking to take the lead into the locker room. Golden State could not get anything going even though they had more rebounds and more field goals.
They struggled from beyond the arc and that was the difference. The Warriors shot at 26.3% while the Hawks had a 39.1% winning the battle from outside. The Hawks led after two quarters 71-66. The Warriors also had nine turnovers in the first half. The Golden State starters all had double digits with the exception of Jonathan Kuminga who was right on the edge with eight points. The Warriors had some work to do in the second half in this must win game.
The Warriors continued to trail in the third quarter. While they did have numerous open shots not a lot of them were dropping. At 5:42 in the third quarter the Warriors trailed 89-77 in yet another shocker on the road. The Warriors were having a miserable three-point shooting night. After three the Hawks led 104-96.
The Warriors did pull to within one point in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter but just could not get over the hump. Golden State was 11 of 40 on three’s a shocking stat.
This was a collective horror show for the Warriors. The three’s failed hitting 11 of 40. They are now seven and 28 on the road. Six players had double digits in the game with Stephen Curry hitting the high with 31 points. Kevon Looney had 16 rebounds and 18 points. Golden State will have to pull it together as they head to Memphis tonight.
There will be little time for the Warriors to digest this one as they take on the Memphis Grizzlies tomorrow with tipoff scheduled for 5:00 PM.