Kings lose 112-99 to Raptors in first preseason game

Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

By Mary Anne

The defending NBA Pacific Division champion Sacramento Kings took on the Toronto Raptors in their first preseason game on Sunday. The Kings lost 112-99 to the Raptors at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Sacramento fell to 0-1, while Toronto improved to 1-0.

Sasha Vezenkov led the Kings with 12 points and two rebounds. Harrison Barnes and Keegan Murray scored 11 points apiece.

Kings head coach Mike Brown talked to the media ahead of the team’s preseason game No. 1. Brown said: “Whoever is out on the floor, we expect them to play our basketball at the highest of high levels.”

The Kings took an early 2-0 lead thanks to Keegan Murray’s flawless finish at the rim. Murray, a power forward, was part of the 2023 NBA All-Rookie First Team. The Kings poured in the points, such as a tough pick and roll between Malik Monk and JaVale McGee, but the Raptors had an offensive boost late in the first quarter. The Kings and Raptors were tied 35-35 at the end of the first.

The Raptors went on a 6-2 run for a 41-37 lead to open the second quarter. The Kings picked up the pace. Domantas Sabonis fought through contact for a three-pointer but settled for a two-pointer to cut the Raptors’ lead to 58-52 late in the second. The Kings trailed the Raptors 69-55 at halftime.

The 2023 EuroLeague MVP, Sasha Vezenkov, entered the game late in the third quarter and scored his first NBA bucket, but the Kings fell behind. The Raptors led 90-67 with a little over two minutes left in the third. The Kings scored eight points to make it a 20-point game with 59 seconds remaining in a back-and-forth game but trailed the Raptors 95-74 at the end of the third.

The Raptors reached the 100-point mark early in the fourth quarter. The Kings trailed 102-77 with 8:06 left in the fourth, pulled within 15 with 2:54 left in regulation, and Jalen Slawson hustled to chase down a block. But the Kings’ comeback attempt ultimately failed and resulted in a 112-99 loss.

The Kings will take on the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. Pacific.

JaVale McGee to join the L.A. Lakers’ madness

Photo credit: @LakersNation

By: Ana Kieu

As if the addition of LeBron James wasn’t enough, the Los Angeles Lakers continued to fill out a new supporting cast around the Akron, Ohio, native with free agent center JaVale McGee, who reportedly agreed to a one-year, $2.4 million minimum deal, according to league sources who told ESPN’s Chris Haynes.

Free agent center JaVale McGee and Los Angeles Lakers have reached an agreement on a deal, league sources tell ESPN.

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 2, 2018

McGee last played for the Golden State Warriors, where he won two back-to-back championships in 2017 and 2018. Before joining the winning squad, the Flint, Mich., native played for the Dallas Mavericks from 2015-16, Philadelphia 76ers in 2015, Denver Nuggets from 2012-15 and Washington Wizards from 2008-2012.

McGee was initially drafted 18th overall by the Wizards in the 2008 NBA Draft. He played college basketball at the University of Nevada, Reno, from 2006-08.

Green takes home DPOY, Myers named NBA’s top executive

Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year & Assist of the Year Award winner, Draymond Green, poses in the press room at the 2017 NBA Awards at Basketball City at Pier 36 on Monday, June 26, 2017, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

The Golden State Warriors continue its string of good fortune, picking up a pair of season-ending awards with forward Draymond Green taking home the 2016-17 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award and general manger Bob Myers named Executive of the Year for the second time in three seasons at the NBA awards show Monday night in New York.

Two days after the Warriors wrapped up its second NBA championship in three seasons, Green mentioned that he didn’t cared if he won the Defensive Player of the Year award.

Green won the award anyway, edging out two-time winner Kawhi Leonard (Spurs) and Rudy Gobert (Jazz). Green finished second in balloting to Leonard in back-to-back seasons.

The unquestioned heartbeat of the Warriors, Green received 73 of the 100 first-place votes, totaling 434 points. Gobert received 269 points, including 16 first-place votes. Leonard received 182 votes, 11 for first place.

The three finalists accounted for all 100 first-place votes.

Green led the NBA in steals (2.03 per game) and blocks (1.39 per game), with Golden State leading the league in both categories per game as a team.

With a hard-hat and lunch pail mentality, the 6-foot-7 forward finished third in the league in defensive rating and second in defensive win shares. Even though he’s the Warriors’ starting power forward, Green plays the majority of games at center while also playing point forward on offense.

Green averaged 10.2 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, while leading Golden State with 7.0 assists per game.

During his acceptance speech, a smiling Green acknowledge teammates Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant for their commitment to the defensive end of the floor this season.

“This isn’t an individual award,” Green said. “There are five guys out there on the floor at a time. I can’t do this all by myself, so I appreciate them. With KD and Klay not making the All-Defensive team, I appreciated everything they do.”

Earlier on Monday, Green was named to the NBA’s All-Defensive team. Green received 198 of a possible 200 points and voted to the first-team on 99 of a 100 ballots, but was shockingly left off one ballot.

At the Warriors’ championship parade, Green shouted into a microphone: “Can somebody give Bob some fu**ing credit?!”

Well, I guess the NBA heard Green loud and clear when Myers was named the NBA’s Executive of the Year for 2016-17, announced Monday night.

Last June, Myers and the Warriors bought the 38th pick and selected Pat McCaw. McCaw turned out to be a key reserve for Golden State this season.

Then in July, Myers upgraded at small forward allowing Harrison Barnes to leave the Warriors and take a four-year, $94 million maximum deal with the Dallas Mavericks, and signed superstar forward Kevin Durant away from the Oklahoma City Thunder to a two-year, $54.3 million contract.

How that turn out for Golden State? Pretty successful.

Myers also added big-men in Zaza Pachulia, David West and JaVale McGee. All three guys provided the much needed toughness and height the team lost with the departures of Andrew Bogut and Mareese Speights.

Myers also won the award after the 2014-15 season.

 

 

 

 

 

Extra Dribbles: Without Durant, Warriors wallop Trail Blazers in Game two 110-81

Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry drives to the basket against the Portland Trail Blazers during Game 2 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series Wednesday, April 19, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (Ezra Shaw, Getty Images via AP, Pool)

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

OAKLAND — Even without star forward Kevin Durant, who didn’t play due to a left calf strain, the Golden State Warriors were able to impose their will in dominating fashion to take a 2-0 lead over the Portland Trail Blazers 110-81 Wednesday night at Oracle Arena.

Game 3 is Saturday night in Portland.

Check out my takeaways below that led to Golden State’s win in the best-of-7 first-round series:

The Splash Brothers were just damp in Game 2

Stephan Curry (6 of 18 FG) led Golden State with 19 points and Klay Thompson (6 of 17 FG) added 16 points, but the duo combined to shoot just 12 of 35 from the floor (7 of 20 3FG).

Curry couldn’t find the bottom of the basket in the first half, shooting 2 of 10 from the floor with 6 points and 4 assists, while Thompson started cold in the first half, knocking down just 3 of 9 from the floor for 8 points.

Patrick McCaw, who started in place of Durant, had nine points and five rebounds.

I don’t expect the Warriors prized backcourt to have another slow shooting night, especially in Portland, where Golden State will be greeted by a rabid Moda Center in prime time.

Golden State jumped out to a 33-17 lead in the first quarter, shooting 13 of 22 from the field on 11 assists, before finishing with a 31 to 17 assist advantage over the Trail Blazers.

The Warriors turned up the defense in the opening frame, holding Portland to just 6 of 21 from the field.

Golden State’s biggest lead of the game was 32 points 96-64 midway through the fourth quarter.

Draymond Green is always on time: Although he didn’t score 19 points tonight as he did in Game 1 finishing with just 6, Green was up to his old tricks again filling up the stat sheet.

Green recorded 12 rebounds and 10 assists in Game 2, a nice follow up to his 19 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists in Game 1.

Center of attention: There are still times where I scratch my head and wonder how are the Warriors making lemonade out of their weakest position, center?

JaVale McGee actually led Golden State in scoring at halftime, piling up 15 points on 7 of 7 shooting. Granted, a bunch of those shots were putbacks and one spin-move that left Trail Blazers center Noah Vonleh’s head spin.

McGee scored 6 points on 3 of 4 shooting in Game 1 before coming alive for the Warriors in Game 2.

Throw in Zsa Zsa Pachulia’s 10 points on 5 of 8 shooting, James Michael McAdoo’s 7 points on 2 of 5 shooting, and Damian Jones’s free throw, Golden State’s big men contributed 33 points on 14 of 20 shots from the floor.

The Warriors controlled the paint, outscoring Portland 50 to 36 inside and held a 54 to 47 rebounding edge.

There is no secret that the loss of center Jusef Nurkic has been a glaring hole for Portland, who are hoping that the big man could suit up when the Trail Blazers return home for Games 3 and 4.

After gigantic performances in Game 1, Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum were duds in Game 2: Look, the writing is on the wall for the Trail Blazers. Portland has a backcourt that is comparable to the Splash Brothers, but they can’t do it by themselves.

After combining for 75 points on 52% shooting (7 of 15 3FG) in Game 1, Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum couldn’t carry Portland in Game 2 as Lillard and McCollum combined for 23 points on 9 of 34 from the floor.

Golden State put the clamps on Portland’s dynamic backcourt after the pair were virtually un-guardable in Game 1.

McCollum finished with a career playoff-high with 41 points while draining four 3-pointers, but was just 4 of 17 from the floor.

Lillard was missing in action as the Warriors held the Oakland product to just 12 points on 5 of 14 shooting.

Lillard and McCollum are fantastic scorers, but it was forward Maurice Harkless who led Portland with 15 points and eight rebounds in Game 2.

Shabazz Napier was the only other Portland player in double digits with 10 points. Allen Crabbe shot just 3 of 10 in Game 2, finishing with just 6 points and was 0 of 4 from beyond the arc.

This was Golden State’s 12th win in their last 13 meetings with Portland in the postseason. The last time Portland defeated Golden State in the playoffs, it was in Game 3 of last season’s Western Conference Semifinals.

 

 

 

The Warriors do it again, race past the Hornets for another victory

by Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors never trailed in the game against the Charlotte Hornets Wednesday Evening at Oracle Arena. The Dubs came out with guns blazing as they started strong and sent the Hornets down to their sixth straight loss 126-111. The Dubs led by as much by 30 but head coach Steve Kerr rested his regulars in the fourth quarter.

The Warriors were without the services of three key players Wednesday night. Center Zaza Pachulia injured his right shoulder Sunday night in the game against the Portland Trail Blazers as he dove to the floor trying to get control of a loose ball. He has a strained rotator cuff and will be out for a week. David West, who has been out for two weeks with a broken thumb, was not available and should be ready soon. Backup forward/guard Shaun Livingston did not play either. None of this mattered as Steph Curry, and Klay Thompson put on a show in the first half. Steph scored 26 in the half and made 7 3-point shots. Klay also had 26, and he made 4 3-pointers. Kevin Durant had just 7 in the first 24 minutes of play, and the Warriors led 77-56 at the intermission. They outscored the Hornets by 20 in the first quarter as they led 41-21. The Dubs scored 36 in the second quarter but the Hornets found some rhythm, and they kept pace scoring 35 points.

The Warriors kept it going in the third quarter. Steph continued to make 3-point shots, and the Hornets could not keep pace as Golden State led by thirty 96-66 at one point in the period. The Hornets cut the deficit to 25, but the game was well in hand as the quarter finished with the Dubs comfortably leading 108-83. As mentioned earlier, Kerr removed the starters from the game. The backups made a few turnovers and Charlotte outscored the Dubs 28-18 to cut the deficit to 15. The Warriors win 126-111.

Game Notes and stats- The Warriors number one draft pick, Damian Jones, scored his first points ever in the NBA. He took a pass from James Michael McAdoo and made the layup for the bucket. The Warriors bench was all smiles. Jones scored two more for a total of four for the night. /Steph finished the night with 39 points,8 assists, and 5 rebounds in just 31 minutes of action. Klay Thompson also had a big night with 29 points, 8 assists, and 5 boards. Kevin Durant had 18 and had 8 assists and 8 rebounds as he was superb on defense again.Draymond Green’s lime was 8 points, 5 assists, 10 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. JaVale McGee, starting in place of Pachulia, knocked dow 9 and he, too, had 4 blocked shots. The Warriors bench contributed 23 points in helping win the game. The Warriors shut down the Hornets’ leading scorer Kemba Walker holding him to just 7 points. Scoring leader for the Hornets was big Frank Kaminski. Kaminski did not start, but he was able to score 24 and was a force on defense. Marvin Williams had 14, Nicolas Batum 13, and former Warrior Marco Belinelli added 12.

The Warriors shot 49% from the floor. They made 21 3-point shots good for 43.8% They Hornets shot 44.3% from the floor and made 9 three-point shots in thirty-one attempts. The Warriors defense had 9 steals, 11 blocks, and 47 rebounds. The Dubs scored 38 fast break points and outscore the Hornets 42-40 in points scored in the paint.

The Warriors improve to 42-7 while Charlotte drops to 23-27. The Warriors play another back-to-back game Thursday night as they travel to LA to face the Clippers. Hame time is at 7:30 pm.

 

The Warriors start slowly but right the ship in the third quarter to beat the Orlando Magic

by Jerry Feitelberg

The Warriors played a very sloppy first half in the game against the Orlando Magic in Orlando on Sunday. The game had a start time of 12-noon, and many of the players were on 9 am west coast time. The Warriors and the Magic were tied at 50 at the end the first 24 minutes of play. During the halftime, Dub’s head coach must have used some of his “magic”(pun intended) to get the Dubs back on track for the second. Whatever it was, the men in blue and yellow dominated the third quarter, and the Warriors coasted to their 8th straight win by a score of 118-98.

The Warriors ended the first quarter with a 6 point lead 28-22. Orlando, trailing 10-6, went on a 10-0 run to grab the lead 16-10. JaVale McGee entered the game Golden State, and in just five minutes of play, McGee scored 8 points and had an assist to help the Dubs end the quarter on a 13-2 run. McGee scored on a tip-in, a spike, a   layup and on a give-and-go. He recorded an assist when he dished off to Ian Clark who nailed a 3-pointer to give the Dubs the lead 28-22.

The second quarter was a nightmare for the Warriors. They went over five minutes without scoring a point. The Magic scored the first 16 points in the period to lead 38-28. Zaza Pachulia broke the spell with a bucket. The Warriors started to play defense and cut down on turnovers as they were able to come back and take a 50-47 lead near the end of the period. The Magic came back and tied it at 50 to end the half. Steph Curry was the only Warrior in double figures as he knocked down 11. The Magic’s scoring leaders were C.J.Watson and Serge Ibaka with nine each. The Warriors committed 12 turnovers in the half and were not in sync.

Now, we come to the third quarter. The Dubs have been superb all season long in this quarter and on Sunday, they shined. They outscored the Magic 42-24 and led by 18 at the close of the third period. Steph Curry made four 3-point shots, and Klay Thompson added two of his own. With the score 55-50 in Orlando’s favor. The Warriors went on a 19-2 run to lead 69-57. The Warriors kept the pressure on and ended the quarter with an 18-point advantage 92-74

The Warriors defense did not allow the Magic back in the game. Klay Thompson had two more 3-pointers. Andre Iguodala and Patrick McCaw also made a three. Kerr inserted his bench with six minutes left, and they coasted to the win.

Game Notes and Stats- The Warriors won their 8th game in a row and now own a record of 38-6. The Magic, coached by Frank Vogel, fell to 18-28. The game was a sellout in Orlando. The Magic have not been drawing well this year. There were so many Warrior fans in attendance; the team must have felt they were at home. Shaun Livingston did not play as the Warriors gave him the day off. Damian Jones, the number one draft choice of the Dubs this year, saw about six minutes of action in the fourth quarter but did not score.

Now for the stats-Steph Curry led the team with 27 points, six assists, and four boards. Klay Thompson scored 21. Both Steph and Klay hit seven 3-p0int shots. Kevin Durant had another double-double. He pitched in with 15 points, six assists, ten rebounds, and two blocked shots. The big men, Zaza Pachulia and JaVale McGee, scored 14 and 13 respectively. Draymond Green played his usual superb game. His line was 6 points, four assists, and ten rebounds. Patrick McCaw, coming off the bench, added 10. Ian Clark had 7, and Andre Iguodala had a nice game with 5 points, five assists, six rebounds, and one blocked shot. The Magic leading scorers were Elfrid Payton with 23, Bismarck Byombo with 12, C.J.Watson 12, Serge Ibaka 10, Jeff Green 12, and Nikola Vucevic 12.

More stats- the Warriors shot 47.2% from the floor and held the Magic to 43.8%. The Dubs were 19-for-42 from behind the arc. Steph and Klay made seven each. The Dubs outrebounded the Magic 52-41. They had 27 assists on 42 field goals. They had eight steals and four blocks. The one negative was turnovers. They made 12 in the first half but got their act together and committed just 6 in the last 24 minutes of play. They had 37 fast break points and scored 46 in the paint.

After the game, Steve Kerr talked about the team’s defense. “If we can focus on defense, we can run.” “with the firepower we have that means we can get one or more (of our big guns) going .” Kerr also remarked about the crowd cheering for Steph Curry. Kerr said ” everybody loves Steph. There are a lot of supporters on the road.”

The Warriors move on to Miami to face the Heat Monday night. Game time is at 4:30 pm. The Warriors beat the Heat 107-95 on January 10th at Oracle Arena.

 

 

The Warriors and Pistons go at it tooth and nail in Detroit. Golden State hangs on to win

by Jerry Feitelberg

Detroit- The Warriors and Pistons duked it out Friday night at the Palace of Auburn Hills.The game was highly competitive and thrilling from start to finish as the Dubs won their seventh game in a row 119-113 over the Detroit Pistons.

Last year in Detroit, the Pistons beat the Dubs and were hoping to upset the Warriors’ apple cart once again. Didn’t happen as the Warriors were just a little bit better on offense and defense in the last two minutes of the game and were able to record the win. Warrior defensive star, Draymond Green, played just 24 hours after returning to the Bay Area to be with his newborn son on Thursday.

The Warriors led by one 33-32 after the first quarter. The biggest lead was seven, but Detroit went on a 9-0 run and took the lead 24-23. JaVale McGee scored four and Steph Curry had two 3-point shots in the stanza. The Pistons outscored Golden State 27-24 in the second quarter. The Warriors were ahead by four 47-43 when they suddenly couldn’t make a field goal. They went over four minutes in the quarter without a bucket and that allowed the Pistons to regain the lead. The Dubs trailed by four when Steph hit another 3-pointer to trail by one 52-51, but Detroit would come back, and score and the half ended with Detroit in the lead by two points 59-57.

The Warriors, who usually own the third quarter, did not break the game open. They did outscore Detroit by six and led 88-84 at the end of the quarter, but the outcome of the game was still in doubt. JaVale McGee was one of the key players for the Dubs in the quarter. McGee scored nine of his fifteen points in the quarter, and that helped Golden State regain the lead.

The Pistons, at one point in the quarter, fell behind by eight but they would not fold as they came back to trail by four at the close of three. The Pistons and Dubs slugged it out in the final quarter. The Dubs fell behind 91-90 but went ahead by three 102-99. Detroit clawed back and led 104-102. Steph Curry made a layup to tie the game at 104.

Steph made a three to make it 107-14, but Detroit scored the next four points and led 108-107. Kevin Durant hit a three to regain the lead 110-108. Detroit came back and tied the game at 110 with just one minute and forty seconds left to play. The Dubs took the lead for good when Draymond Green made a slam as he was all alone on the weak side and was able to walk in uncontested.

Klay Thompson made a bucket to put the Dubs up 114-110 with 53.2 seconds left in the contest. Detroit scored a deuce, but Klay hit a three and the Warriors led by five 117-112 with 22.1 seconds left. The Warriors could have iced the game then and there but they turned the ball over on an inbound pass the bounced off Kevin Durant’s hands. The Dubs fouled Andre Drummond, and he made just one free throw. The Pistons fouled Steph, and he iced the game with two free throws with just 2 seconds to play. Dubs win 119-113

Game Notes- The Warriors played a very sloppy game as they committed twenty-three turnovers that nearly cost them the game. Detroit scored thirty-three points off the turnovers. The Dubs, however, did play well on defense. They had 41 rebounds, nine steals, and two blocked shots. They also moved the ball well as they had another game with over 30 assists(35 to be exact).

Kevin Durant led the Dubs in scoring with 32 points in 31 minutes of action. Durant had three assists and 8 boards. Draymond Green had another double-double. Green had 12 assists, ten rebounds, 1 blocked shot and just five points in Friday’s game. Steph had 25 points, 8 assists, and 3 rebounds. Klay Thompson had seventeen, but he had two key buckets in the fourth quarter.

JaVale McGee, continuing to improve, had a season-high 15 points. Zaza Pachulia, who had a season-high 15 points against Brooklyn, scored seven and had 7 boards. Ian Clark, David West had six each while Shaun Livingston and Andre Iguodala each had 4. Golden State shot a blistering 55.8% from the floor. The Pistons shot well, too, as they shot 50.6% Leading scoring for Detroit was Tobias Harris, coming off the bench, with 26. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 25. Reggie Jackson knocked down 17, and big Andre Drummond added 15. The Warriors are now 27-4 for the year and Detroit drops to 14-18.

After the game, Steve Kerr had this to say about the team’s performance:”I think there were some good things at the end.” He was not pleased about the “23 turnovers and a lot of careless defense.” He thought the Warriors performance at the end of the game “was a good way to finish but not a good performance overall.”

The Warriors are on their way to Cleveland to face the Cavaliers for the first time since game 7 of the NBA Finals last June. The Cavaliers will be without J.R.Smith who injured his wrist and will be out for a while. Nonetheless, the Warriors will have to still contend with LeBron James, Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving and company.  The game will be played on Christmas Day at 11:30 am.

The Warriors shine on defense beat the Jazz by 30 104-74

by Jerry Feitelberg

The game between the Dubs and the Utah Jazz was billed as a contest between a great offense and a great defense. The Warriors have the best offense and the Jazz the best defense in the NBA. The Jazz held the Memphis Grizzlies to just 73 the other night were 11-2 since November 21st. The Jazz came from 25 down when they played the Warriors earlier in Utah, and they almost beat them, and they were missing four starters. However, after a very, very slow start, the Warriors were able to stop the Jazz offense cold and beat them by thirty 104-74. The Jazz style of play which is to use as much of the 24-second clock as possible and to prevent the Dubs from using the fast break seemed to favor them in the early going. Every time the Warriors appeared to be getting control of the game, Utah coach Quin Snyder would call a timeout. The strategy worked for a while, but once the Warriors opened up a double-digit lead, it became impossible for the Jazz to catch up.

Neither team started well in the first quarter. No one could hit a bucket. The Dubs led 4-2 with just about half the first quarter played. The Warriors played better in the last six minutes of the quarter as Steph Curry led the offense with seven points and the Warriors held the Jazz to just fifteen as the quarter ended with Golden State leading 19-15.

The Warriors owned the second quarter. They continued to play great defense as they caused the Jazz to commit 13 turnovers in the half and the Dubs had seven steals. The game was still close 26-21 when the Dubs put it into gear and outscored the Jazz 29-10 to end the second quarter ahead by 24 points 55-31. Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Steph Curry were all in double figures.

The Warriors put the game away in the third quarter. The Big Four of Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Steph Curry, and Draymond Green were just too much for the Jazz. Backup center JaVale McGee scored two buckets on lobs from Draymond and Patrick McCaw. McGee made a layup for another bucket, and he made a great pass to Draymond to pick up an assist. Steph hit a couple of threes, but the big play was a dunk by Draymond after he made a steal at the other end of the court. The Dubs led 82-54 at the end of three.

Kevin Durant played a few minutes of the fourth quarter but Steve Kerr removed him from the game, and the reserves went the rest of the way. The Warriors committed just four turnovers in the first three-quarters of play, but the bench got a little sloppy and made six in the fourth quarter. It didn’t matter as the Jazz were too far behind to catch up as the Warrior defense was superb and the Warriors were able to put the game in the win column 104-74.

Game Notes- The Warriors, with the win, improved the season record to 25-4 while the Jazz drops to 18-11. Steph Curry had 25 points, KD followed with 23, Klay Thompson had 17 and 5 boards. Draymond Green had another double-double as he had 15 points to go along with 4 assists and eleven rebounds. JaVale McGee scored eight and had seven rebounds off the bench. Rudy Gobert was the only Jazz starter in double figures with eleven. Gobert was a monster on the boards as he pulled down sixteen. Joe Johnson, off the bench, led Utah with 14. Joe Ingles and Trey Lyles each had 11.

The Warriors go East for a three-game road trip. They meet the Brooklyn Nets in Brooklyn Thursday night at 4:30 pm. They travel to Detroit for another back-to-back game Friday night against the Pistons. Game time will be at 4:30 pm. The Warriors then travel to face the LeBron James, Kevin Love and the rest of the Cleveland Cavaliers for the first time since the devastating loss in Game & at the Oracle Arena last June. The game will be on Christmas Day and will be on national television. This is a game that should be on every fan’s calendar.Game time will be at 11:30 am.

 

 

The Warriors return home, down the New York Knicks

by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The Golden State Warriors returned home after a five-game road trip to play the visiting New York Knicks for the first time this season. The Knicks, with a record of 14-11, had to face the Dubs with two of their stars on the sideline. Derrick Rose was unavailable, and Carmelo Anthony did not play due to a sore shoulder. The Warriors were able to handle the rest of the Knicks and sent them down to defeat 103-90.

The Warriors trailed early 6-5 but took the lead for good when Draymond Green sank a three-point shot. The Dubs never looked back. They increased the lead to thirteen at the end of the first quarter. JaVale McGee, starting his second game in a row, was the high scorer for the Dubs with eight in the first quarter. McGee scored on a pass from Kevin Durant, he scored a layup on a pass from Steph Curry. He Made two dunks on lobs to account for his eight points. The Dubs increased the lead to fourteen at the half 59-45. The Dubs’ bench made contributions as the Knicks were able to keep Step nd KD in check. Klay Thompson led the Warrior attack with fourteen. KD had nine and Steph added six. The Dubs shot 52% from the floor and held the Knicks to 38.5% from the field. The Dubs were moving the ball well as the had 26 assists on 27 made baskets.

The Warriors put the game out of reach in the third quarter. About midway through the period, they went on a 14-0 run that sank the Knicks. JaVale McGee continued to play well. Ian Clark was effective coming off the bench as the Dubs increased the advantage to 22 as they owned the lead 88-66 after three-quarters of play. The Dubs played a lackadaisical fourth quarter. Most of the starters were removed from the game. They scored just fifteen points, and the Knicks were able to cut the deficit to twelve but the Dubs were able to run out the clock to preserve the win. Dubs win 103-90.

Game Notes- Klay Thompson was the player of the game for the Warriors. Klay scored twenty-five and had four assists and five boards. JaVale McGee, who played just fifteen minutes, had his best game of the season. He scored a season-high seventeen points. Kevin Durant had a double-double. He knocked down fifteen points to go along with eight assists and fourteen rebounds. Steph Curry scored just eight points, but he had eight assists and ten rebounds. Bench players Shaun Livingston, Ian Clark, Andre Iguodala, and Kevon Looney all made significant contributions to help the Dubs win. Former Warrior Justin Holiday led the Knicks with fifteen points. Brandon Jennings had ten: Courtney Lee nine, Ron Baker thirteen, and the big, big man 7 foot-3 inch Kristap Porzingis

The Warriors had 41 assists on 47 made basket. The team really moved the ball well and were able to find the open man. Steve Kerr said: “this was the lone bright spot of the game.” Kerr said this about the paly of the team during the game:”I didn’t think there was much purpose in the game. We looked tired and disinterested.”

The Warriors improve to 23-4 while the Knicks fall to 14-12.

Before the game, Steve Kerr asked both teams to join him at center court and the fans to stand the remember Craig Sager who passed away Thursday at the age of 65. Sager was a sideline reporter for many years and wore outrageous jackets and ties. He battled leukemia for three years until Thursday. Instead of a moment of silence, Kerr asked for a moment of joy and the teams and the fans responded with a loud and long round of applause for him. Also, before the game, Jerry West presented Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Carmelo Anthony with their Olympic championship rings.

The Warriors face the Portland Trailblazers Saturday night at Oracle Arens at 7:30 pm. The Blazers’ Damian Lillard, who is from Oakland, always plays his best against the Dubs. Should be an entertaining game.

 

The Warriors dominate the Nuggets in Denver

by Jerry Feitelberg

Denver- The Golden State Warriors played well all four quarters of Thursday night’s game in Denver and defeated the young Denver Nuggets 125-101. The Warriors excelled on offense and defense.The Dubs put the pedal to the metal and they did not let up all night long. They Looked like the potent force that everyone expects them to be and they did it for all four quarters. Steph Curry did his work  in just three-quarters of play. Steph tallied thirty-three points. He had seven assists and five rebounds. Steph scored fifteen in the third quarter alone and made seven 3-point shots in the game. The Dubs led by twenty-four at the end of three and Steph sat out the rest of night. The Nuggets entered the game with a record of 3-4 under coach Mike Malone. The Warriors expected to have a tough night as the Nuggets had two 7-foot players, Jusuf Nurkic and Nikita Jokic, in their starting lineup. The Nuggets entered the game leading the league in rebounding. The Warriors’ centers met the challenge.

The Nuggets last lead occurred in the first quarter when they were ahead 6-3. The Warriors went on a 17-2 run to take the lead for good. They led 38-19 at the end of the first quarter. Steph had fourteen in the period. The big story was the play of JaVale Mcgee. McGee entered the game after Zaza Pachulia picked up two quick fouls. Draymond Green added eight points and had two assists and two rebounds in the first twelve minutes of the contest.

The Warriors continued to assert themselves and showed everyone ow good they could be. Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, David West and Shaun Livingston all contributed as the Warriors finished the half leading 65-51. The Nuggets closed the gap near the end of the half, but the Warriors were in complete control.

Steph took command in the third period as he netted fifteen points. He made four 3-pointers and seven for the game.  The Warriors led by thirty-one 97-66 late in the third quarter. Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson played in the fourth quarter, but they came out when the issue was well in hand about halfway through the final stanza. The Warriors win 125-101.

Game Notes- Kevin Durant’s seventy-two consecutive game streak of scoring at least twenty points ended as Durant left with eighteen. Durant had five assists and nine rebounds. Draymond added thirteen, and he also had five assists and nine boards. The Big news was the combined play of Zazu Pachulia, David West, and Javale McGee. They put in a total of nineteen from the center position. McGee had ten, and the play of the big men negated the Nuggets’ Twin Towers. Five Nuggets scored double figures. Rookie Jamal Murray led them with fourteen. The Dubs shot 54.1% from the floor. They made fourteen 3-point shots in thirty attempts for a percentage of 46.7%. The Dubs had forty-four rebounds to tie the Nuggets in that department. The Warriors defense had fifteen steals and six blocked shots in the win. The Warriors improve to 7-2, and the Nuggets drop to 3-5. The Warriors played their ninety-fifth consecutive game without back-to-back losses.

The Warriors return home to face the Phoenix Suns Sunday afternoon at Oracle Arena.at 5 pm PT.