Klay Thompson says ‘he’ll be fine’ after pulling hamstring in Warriors’ Game 2 win

Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson got hurt early in the fourth quarter of Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors and did not return.

Thompson limped toward the locker room after landing in a split following a three-point attempt.

ESPN’s Doris Burke, who was working courtside, reported during the game that Thompson felt tightness in his left hamstring.

After the game, Warriors coach Steve Kerr reportedly said Thompson told him “he’s fine” but added the severity of the injury remains unclear at this point.

“Klay said he’ll be fine, but Klay could be half dead and he would say he would be fine. We’ll see. He pulled his hamstring. He thinks it is minor, so I don’t know what that means going forward,” Kerr said during the post-game press conference after steering Golden State to a 109-104 win that leveled the series.

Thompson still led the Warriors with 25 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the three-point area that went with five rebounds and five assists in 32 minutes.


Steph Curry shrugged off a slow start to finish with 23 points on 6-of-17 shooting from the field.

The series shifts to Oakland at Oracle Arena for Game 3 on Thursday (Manila time).

source: sports.inquirer.net

Steph Curry, shorthanded Warriors knock out Rockets in Game 6

HOUSTON — Stephen Curry scored all 33 of his points in the second half and the Golden State Warriors overcame Kevin Durant’s absence to finish off Houston in six games, beating the Rockets 118-113 on Friday night to advance to the Western Conference finals.

Klay Thompson added 27 points to help the two-time defending champion Golden State reach the conference finals for the fifth straight year and eliminate Houston for the fourth time in five seasons. The Warriors did it with Durant sidelined by a calf injury sustained in the second half of their Game 5 victory.


James Harden led Houston with 35 points, and Chris Paul added 27.

Harden’s layup got the Rockets within three with less than a minute to go, but Thompson made a 3-pointer with 36.1 seconds remaining to extend Golden State’s lead to 110-104.

Gerald Green then missed a 3 for Houston and the Rockets were forced to foul Curry. He made both shots before Harden’s 3 got Houston within five at 112-107 with 24 seconds left.

Playing with a dislocated finger on his left hand, Curry made two more free throws before P.J. Tucker hit a 3 for Houston. But two more free throws by Curry made it 116-110 with 12.3 seconds left and Harden dribbled it off his foot for the last of his six turnovers.

The Rockets failed to score for a big chunk of the fourth quarter and had to watch the Warriors celebrate a series victory on their home court for the second straight season after they won the conference finals in Houston last year. Harden was 11 of 25 from the field, going 6 of 15 from 3-point range, and went 7 of 12 on free throws.

Curry struggled early, failing to score in the first half for the first time in 102 career playoff games, and had just 10 points through three. But he got going in the fourth, scoring 23 points.

There were questions entering the game about how the Warriors would weather the loss of Durant — and his more than 34 points a game. But they didn’t seem to miss a beat, getting 21 from Thompson in the first half before Curry closed it in the fourth.

The Rockets had a five-point lead to start the fourth and it was tied at 95 with about 7 1/2 minutes to go after three points by Golden State’s Shaun Livingston.

Harden and Curry exchanged baskets soon after that before both teams failed to score for the next 2 1/2 minutes. Houston missed five shots in that stretch and the Warriors missed four before Kevon Looney made a layup to put Golden State on top 99-97 with just under four minutes left.

A 3-pointer by Curry gave the Warriors a five-point lead before Harden ended a scoring drought by the Rockets of almost four minutes with a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 102-100 with about 2 1/2 remaining.

Harden was called for a charge after that before Curry scored all of Golden State’s points in a 5-2 run that made it 107-102 with 90 seconds left.

TIP-INS

Warriors: Durant didn’t make the trip to Houston, remaining in the Bay Area to receive treatment for his injury. The Warriors said he’ll be re-evaluated next week. … The Warriors started Andrew Bogut for Durant and he had three rebounds and zero points. … C Damian Jones, who is out with a torn pectoral muscle, has been cleared for contact drills and could be available later in the playoffs if the Warriors advance. …

Rockets: Tucker had 15 points and has scored at least 10 points in eight of Houston’s last 11 games. … Clint Capela had with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

UP NEXT

The Warriors move on to face the Denver-Portland winner.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Stephen Curry scores 38 to push Warriors past Timberwolves

OAKLAND, Calif. — Steve Kerr long ago ran out of superlatives to describe Stephen Curry.

The Warriors coach isn’t even trying anymore, not with the way his All-Star point guard is playing since coming back from a groin injury.


Curry had 38 points, seven rebounds and six assists, and Golden State beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 116-108 on Monday night in Draymond Green’s return to the Warriors’ lineup.

Klay Thompson scored 26 points and Kevin Durant had 22 as Golden State prepared for Wednesday’s showdown with Toronto by earning its fourth straight win.

Curry went 7 for 14 from 3-point range.

“He’s good at basketball,” Kerr deadpanned. “Nothing he does surprises me. Even on a night he gets off to a slow start he finds a way.”

Curry, who recently returned after sitting out 11 games with an injured groin, got going after missing six of his first nine shots. He made a pair of 3s and scored 14 points in the third quarter, including Golden State’s final nine of the period, and then made consecutive shots from deep after the Timberwolves closed to 101-93 in the fourth.

Thompson and Durant provided plenty of support. It’s the fourth time this season that the trio has scored 20 or more points in the same game.

Curry is averaging 31.4 points in five games since coming back from the injury.

“We were trying to do a lot in the first half just because we had another playmaker out there,” Curry said. “We were playing really, really fast and excited. Just had to settle in and make the simple play. In the second half we kind of slowed down.”

Green, the 2017 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, had seven points, 10 rebounds and seven assists after being sidelined for 11 games with a right toe injury. He made his first shot, a 3-pointer, and then playfully challenged the Timberwolves to come guard him.


“I felt like a kid in the candy store the last few days,” Green said. “To come back off a layoff like that, I felt pretty good. I really had no issues at all. It’s good to get back to who we are.”

Karl Anthony-Towns had 31 points and 11 rebounds for Minnesota. Derrick Rose added 21 points.

“It’s a great team and to beat a great team you’ve got to play 48 minutes,” Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau said. “We didn’t do that.”

The Warriors led 12-0 early and got a spark from Green.

After making his 3-pointer, Green had a second bucket on a goaltending call against Gorgui Deng, and then scored on a driving layup. The excitable Green also picked up a foul for setting an illegal screen and jawed at a referee while walking down the court.

TIP-INS

Timberwolves: Robert Covington scored seven points on 2-of-7 shooting in his return after sitting out Saturday’s loss in Portland. … Rose scored 11 points in the second quarter, and then made an outstanding play to block a 3-point attempt by Jonas Jerebko near the Minnesota bench in the third. … Minnesota has lost six straight to Golden State.

Warriors: Thompson made a buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the first half. … Andre Iguodala did not play because of tightness in his right hip. … Curry, Durant and Thompson have each scored 20 or more points in the same game 35 times as teammates.

COUSINS GETTING CLOSE

DeMarcus Cousins practiced with the Warriors G-League team in Santa Cruz earlier in the day, and then was back on the court at Oracle to put in some extra work before the game against the Timberwolves.

There is still no timetable for Cousins’ return from a torn Achilles tendon, but the four-time All-Star center is definitely getting close.

“We want to make sure he’s really comfortable with his conditioning and movement before we put him out there,” Kerr said. “Everything has come along nicely. This is not about a doctor saying he can’t play. It’s more about when he’s ready to go out there and perform well.”

UP NEXT

Timberwolves: Play at Sacramento on Wednesday night.

Warriors: Host Toronto on Wednesday night. The Raptors beat Golden State 131-128 in overtime on Nov. 29.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Big 3 Durant, Curry, Thompson lead Warriors to 128-111 win over Atlanta

ATLANTA — Golden State’s Big Three went for balance.

Stephen Curry scored 30 points, Kevin Durant had 28 and Klay Thompson chipped in with 27 as the Warriors cruised past the Atlanta Hawks 128-111 Monday night, snapping a six-game losing streak on the road.


All three stars have scored more than 50 points in a game this season.

This time, they spread the wealth .

“Our defense set the tone,” Curry said. “Everybody gets to touch the ball.”

With Curry scoring 18 points in the opening quarter, this one was never in doubt.

Golden State raced to a 34-17 lead in the first 12 minutes — Curry outscored the Hawks by himself — and the defending NBA champions won for only the fourth time in 10 games.

Playing for the second time since missing 11 games with a groin injury, Curry hit his first six shots, four of them beyond the arc . He finished 6 of 10 from 3-point range

“I think he’s now back in the groove,” coach Steve Kerr said. “He looked great handling the ball.”

The Warriors led 61-47 at halftime and stretched the margin as high as 24 points, sending the rebuilding Hawks to their third straight loss.

“We needed a win on the road,” Curry said. “We kind of didn’t want to give them life.”



Despite the win, Kerr said he’s not pleased with his team’s performance.

“We’re not where we need to be by any stretch of the imagination,” Kerr said. “We’ve been kind of uneven to this point.”

John Collins led Atlanta with 24 points , and Trae Young added 20.

But it was a tough night for Young, the rookie guard who the Hawks are hoping to turn into their Curry-like centerpiece. He had seven turnovers and missed all five of his 3-point attempts.

“I really don’t listen to or care about the comparisons,” Young said. “All I’m thinking about are my teammates and putting them in the best position to win.”

The youngster is struggling with his shot, especially from long range. He’s only connecting on 23.9 percent of his 3-pointers.

“They’re picking me up full court,” Young said. “They’re not going to just sag off and let me have open 3s. I’ve got to find a way to knock them down. I will.”

INJURY REPORT

Hawks forward Taurean Prince could be out for an extended period after spraining his left ankle when he came down on Shaun Livingston while shooting.

Prince hobbled to the locker room in the fourth quarter. Afterward, he headed for home on crutches.

“The X-rays were negative,” Prince said. “We’ll have an MRI tomorrow.”

For Golden State, Draymond Green missed his ninth straight game with a sprained toe on his right foot. He’s expected to miss at least the last two games of a five-game road trip, which ties the longest of the season.

TIP-INS

Warriors: Improved to 31-3 when Curry, Thompson and Durant all reach 20 points. … Golden State has won nine in a row over the Hawks, including four straight in Atlanta. … Thompson has scored at least 20 points in nine straight games, the longest streak of his career. … Kevon Looney scored a season-high 14 points . … Quinn Cook picked up five fouls in only 11 minutes.

Hawks: Jeremy Lin returned after missing two games with a sprained left ankle, scoring 14 points and converting a couple of three-point plays after drawing fouls on drives to the basket … DeAndre’ Bembry didn’t have much luck trying to guard Durant, picking up four fouls. … Atlanta had 18 turnovers and went 5 of 26 from outside the 3-point stripe. “We’ve got to value the ball a little bit better than we have,” coach Lloyd Pierce said.

CURRY’S FOULS

The Warriors star went to the bench after picking up his third foul with 2½ minutes left in the first half.

Kerr strolled over near center court, where Vince Carter was checking into the game for Atlanta.

“A lot of people paid good money to see him play,” Kerr said, referring to Curry.

Carter smiled.

Curry picked up only one foul the rest of the way, playing a little over 29 minutes.

ROOKIE OF THE MONTH

Young was named Eastern Conference rookie of the month for October and November after averaging 15.6 points and 7.6 assists in the first month and a half of the season.

Despite the accolades, he isn’t satisfied with his performance.

“Personally, I haven’t played the way I wanted to,” he said. “I know I haven’t.”

UP NEXT

Warriors: Continue their road trip at Cleveland on Wednesday.

Hawks: Host the Washington Wizards on Wednesday.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Thompson hot hand carries Warriors into Game 7 with Rockets

OAKLAND, Calif. — Klay Thompson flashed back to a night he left the arena still in uniform, furious about his forgettable performance against Denver.

It used to be he struggled to shake off a bad night, or even a bad start to a game.

Now, he just keeps shooting. Whenever he feels like it, from wherever. No conscience. A hand or two in his face, no matter.


“I was not always like this. I used to be so hard on myself, especially early in my career,” Thompson said. “… I learned, as I get older, if you play with passion, you play hard, and you leave the game saying I gave everything I have tonight in those 48 minutes, you can live with the result.”

The Warriors’ season lives on largely thanks to Thompson’s shooting touch. Golden State is one win from a fourth straight NBA Finals, headed back to Houston for Monday night’s Game 7.

He came through with the defending champions’ season on the line in another do-or-die Game 6, just as he did two years ago at Oklahoma City. This time he scored 35 points with nine 3-pointers as the Warriors rallied with a huge second half to beat the Rockets 115-86 on Saturday night to force a deciding game in the Western Conference finals.

His defense shined, too. Oh, and the typically subdued Thompson let his emotions flow for all to see: He flexed his biceps Draymond Green style, pumped his arms like Kevin Durant and yelled out the way Stephen Curry often does at Oracle Arena.

Thompson has long been content to be the understated All-Star among the four in Golden State’s starting lineup.

“I just wanted to play with as much passion as I could tonight. Probably sounded more vocal than I usually am,” Thompson acknowledged. “When your back’s against the wall, if your shot’s not falling, you can always control your passion and how hard you play. Usually when I do that, it trickles over to other aspects of my game.”

Curry’s Splash Brother did it in 2016 when he scored 41 points against Durant’s former Thunder team with the Warriors facing elimination. They went on to win Game 7 before falling to LeBron James and the Cavaliers in a seven-game NBA Finals.

Durant had no interest in recollecting, smiling and laughing with Curry as he said, “next question.”


As for Curry?

“I think we both blocked that whole year out of our memory,” the two-time MVP quipped.

No arguing they both appreciate Thompson’s no-fear shooting approach and ability to almost single-handedly turn the tide of a game with a timely 3-pointer or two — or nine.

Once Golden State got going in transition, following clutch defensive stops, Thompson found the looks he so prefers from long range.

“I feel like we’re the best team in the world and most fun team in the world to watch when we’re pushing that ball, getting defensive stops and making plays,” he said. “We’ve got too much talent not just to hit singles like Coach always says. Trust the next man ahead of us. It will end up working in our favor most of the time.”

Thompson shot 13 for 23 and 9 of 14 from deep as the Warriors responded from an early 17-point deficit to dominate James Harden and Houston the final three quarters, outscoring the Rockets 93-47 after trailing 39-22 at the end of the first.

Thompson went a combined 20 of 32 from 3-point range in those two impressive Game 6 shows, Saturday and in 2016.

“I think Klay doesn’t worry too much about repercussions. He doesn’t worry about judgment and results. I think he just loves to play,” coach Steve Kerr said. “He’s so comfortable in his own skin. I just think he wants to go out there and hoop, and he doesn’t worry about much else. So the pressure doesn’t seem to bother him much. He just competes and plays. As I said, the two-way ability of this guy hounding the MVP of the league, most likely, all game, and continuing to rain down 3-pointers, he’s amazing.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Warriors eventually find flow without Green, beat Wolves

OAKLAND, Calif. — Do-everything Draymond Green is fiery, vocal and brings energy on both ends of the court.

On a night the Golden State Warriors were without their emotional leader, it took them a while to find a flow.

Stephen Curry had 34 points, eight rebounds and six assists, and Golden State overcame Green’s absence to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 115-102 on Saturday night for their 11th straight victory.

“It wasn’t as loud, obviously,” Klay Thompson said of missing Green. “Collectively we had to raise our voices to make up for it.”

Curry shot 13 for 19 with four 3-pointers, while Kevin Durant added 28 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and a career-high six blocked shots — the Warriors’ first time ever having someone finish with at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and five blocks. Thompson scored 23 points with four 3s.

Durant figured he had to do more.

“Especially tonight. We missed Draymond,” Durant said. “We were a little stagnant early.”

Green sat out a day after bruising his left ankle at Los Angeles in a collision with teammate Ian Clark, who also missed the game after being hit in the throat on the play.

“Without Ian and Draymond our bench was thinned out,” coach Steve Kerr said.

Zach LaVine scored 31 points with five 3s, while Karl-Anthony Towns had 12 of his 18 points in the first quarter on 6-for-10 shooting. He then quieted down and missed five of his next six attempts before a three-point play with 4:03 remaining to make it a 10-point game.

Without Green, Golden State lacked offensive flow and an interior defensive presence against Towns until finding some rhythm late in the first half and early in the second.

The Warriors went off for a franchise-record 47 assists in their previous home game three nights earlier against the Lakers, but managed only 25 Saturday.

Golden State didn’t get its first field goal of the second quarter until 7:41 remaining on Durant’s three-point play.

“It’s good to see that we can step up in a guy like Draymond’s absence and still have contributions from other guys on the floor,” Curry said.

Kevon Looney made his first career start in place of Green and had six points, three rebounds and two assists in 18 minutes.

Curry’s 17 third-quarter points were his second-most in a quarter this season.

Minnesota handed Golden State one of only two home defeats last regular season, 124-117 in overtime on April 5 — just the Timberwolves’ second win in the last 17 meetings, including Saturday.

The Warriors won their sixth straight home game since a 129-100 season-opening loss to San Antonio, and ninth in 11 meetings with Minnesota dating to 2013.

TIP-INS

Timberwolves: Former Warriors G Brandon Rush was welcomed back on the video board during a first-quarter timeout, and he smiled and waved. … A night after getting 15 steals — five by Ricky Rubio — and forcing 26 turnovers, Minnesota managed only nine steals among the 18 turnovers by Golden State. … The Wolves will host the Warriors on Dec. 11, and Golden State has a nine-game winning streak at Minnesota.

Warriors: Curry had his sixth 30-point performance of the season, while he, Durant and Thompson each went over 20 points in the same game for the seventh time. … Golden State’s streak of 10 straight games with 30 or more assists was snapped. … The Warriors are 36-7 in the second game playing on consecutive nights dating to 2014-15, including 3-1 this season. … They shot above 50 percent for the third straight game. … Golden State wore its slate alternate jerseys for the first time at home, improving to 24-2 all-time in that uniform.

THIBODEAU’S INFLUENCE

First-year Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau paid the Warriors a couple of visits last season in his year out of NBA coaching, a chance to observe Kerr’s practices and catch up with old pal Ron Adams, Golden State’s assistant and defensive guru.

“It was fun to pick his brain and share knowledge and insight,” Kerr said.

Thibodeau called the Warriors “something we aspire to be.”

“Golden State was a good model for us,” he said of focusing on improvement. “They went step by step.”

UP NEXT

Timberwolves: Host the Utah Jazz on Monday for a quick two-game visit home.

Warriors: Host Atlanta on Monday in the second game of a five-game homestand and look to beat the Hawks at home for the fifth time in a row.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Sans Curry, Warriors rout Rockets for 2-0 lead

OAKLAND, California – As Stephen Curry emphatically waved his arms to ignite the crowd and coached from the bench when he could do little else, Klay Thompson and the Golden State Warriors’ supporting cast picked up the slack for their absent NBA MVP to hold off the Houston Rockets 115-106 on Monday (Tuesday Manila time) and take a 2-0 lead in their playoff series.

Thompson scored 34 points and dished out five assists for the defending champions, playing without Curry because of an injured right ankle. Curry cut short his pregame warmup routine after appearing to be in discomfort as he was shooting while putting little pressure on the tender ankle.

Andre Iguodala, last year’s Finals MVP, added 18 points with four 3-pointers and Draymond Green had 12 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists.

Now, Curry has until Game 3 in Houston to get healthy.

James Harden had 28 points and 11 assists to lead the Rockets, losers of six straight and 14 of 15 to Golden State. He made 13 of 15 free throws after not attempting one in the opener.

Big man Marreese Speights hit a key momentum 3-pointer from the baseline with 8.2 seconds remaining in the third quarter to make it 86-79, and the deep, versatile Warriors showed they can win without Curry on the playoff stage just as everybody on the roster believed.

Golden State did it on New Year’s Eve on Houston’s home court and did it again Monday at rockin’ Oracle Arena.
Shaun Livingston, who left Sunday’s practice with an illness, had 16 points and six assists playing in Curry’s place.
After a 26-point victory in Game 1, the Warriors had to work a little harder in Game 2.

Dwight Howard’s dunk of an alley-oop pass with 6:54 left in the third pulled the Rockets within 71-67, but Golden State kept answering with big baskets.

Golden State coach Steve Kerr called for better ball movement, hard cuts and intensity on defense in Curry’s absence. For much of the game, the Warriors did those things well.

“There’s a smaller margin for error,” Kerr said of a lineup minus Curry.

Kerr looked at more film from that Dec. 31 game in Houston the past couple of days after already having watched it before Curry’s latest injury.

Harden went without a free throw attempt in Game 1 for the first time in 30 playoff games with the Rockets. Then on three occasions in the first half, Harden drew a foul beyond the 3-point line and sent the fans into fits. He missed 7 of 8 3-point tries.

But it was Thompson’s three free throws after interim Rockets coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s technical with 7:16 left that helped seal this one. Livingston scored the next time down for a 99-86 lead.

Curry didn’t take part in the morning shootaround or practice after getting hurt late in the first half of his team’s Game 1 win Saturday (Sunday Manila time).

He received treatment Sunday and Monday. He took the court some 90 minutes before tipoff and first went through his normal dribbling session before he started shooting.

At one point, Curry lined up to try a long jumper from the right wing but didn’t release the ball and hopped in apparent pain before throwing the ball in the air, clearly frustrated. He left the court moments later.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Thompson scores 40 to lead Warriors over Mavs

OAKLAND, California—Klay Thompson scored 40 points and Stephen Curry added 33 to help the Golden State Warriors become the second team to post back-to-back 65-win seasons with a 128-120 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night.

Draymond Green added 19 as the Warriors won their 52nd straight regular-season home game and improve their record to 65-7 following a 67-win season a year ago. The only other team to win at least 65 games in consecutive seasons was Chicago in 1995-96 and 1996-97. The Bulls won a record 72 games that first season, a mark the Warriors remain on target to beat after their latest win.

Golden State hit 21 3-pointers to give them a record 938 on the season, breaking the mark of 933 set by Houston last season. Dallas hit 18 3s as the teams combined for a record 39 on the night.

Wesley Matthews scored 26 points and J.J. Barea added 21 for the short-handed Mavericks, who were without three usual starters. David Lee added 12 points, nine rebounds and six assists in his first game back in Oakland since winning the championship with Golden State last season.

The Warriors opened up an 18-point lead in the third quarter before Matthews helped lead Dallas back. He scored 18 points in the quarter as the Mavericks closed to within 102-89 after three. Dallas got the deficit into single digits early in the fourth three times, only to have Thompson respond with 3-pointers each time to restore the double-digit margin.

The Mavericks then closed to 116-113 with just over three minutes remaining on a 3-pointer by Charlie Villanueva. But Harrison Barnes hit a turnaround jumper and Curry scored on a coast-to-coast layup with help from a slick behind-the-back dribble to elude Zaza Pachulia to make it 120-113 with 22:33 remaining.

Curry was involved in one of the few plays that didn’t work on a night dominated by the offenses. Late in the second quarter, he found himself all alone behind the 3-point line. Thompson raised his arms in celebration and started back down to the other end of the court, so sure that Curry would make the open 3. The only problem was Curry decided to pass to an equally open Thompson. The ball hit off Thompson and was nearly a turnover.

Curry made up for that blunder when he hit a 33-footer punctuated by a shimmy dance just before the halftime buzzer to give Golden State a 72-58 lead at the break.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Thompson, Curry tow Warriors to 128-108 win over Blazers

PORTLAND, Ore. — Klay Thompson scored 36 points, making seven 3-pointers, and the Golden State Warriors beat the Portland Trail Blazers 128-108 on Friday night for their fifth straight victory.

Reigning league MVP Stephen Curry added 26 points and nine assists in three quarters for the Warriors (34-2), who led by as many as 25 points and made 18 3-pointers. Draymond Green finished with 11 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists for his eighth triple-double of the season.

Curry started despite continued soreness from a bruised left shin that kept him out of a pair of games late last month. He aggravated the injury again when he crashed into Roy Hibbert on Tuesday night and sat out the fourth quarter of Golden State’s 109-98 victory at the Los Angeles Lakers.

Damian Lillard had a season-high 40 points and 10 assists for Portland, which dropped its third straight.

The Warriors remained unbeaten since a 114-91 defeat at Dallas on Dec. 30.

Portland was coming off a 109-98 loss at home to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday. The loss was notable because starter CJ McCollum was mistakenly left off the active roster turned in before the game and was forced to sit out.

The Warriors jumped out to a 12-2 lead at the start while Portland missed its first nine shots from the field. There was a brief tense moment when Curry collided with Noah Vonleh and came up gingerly.

Green’s fast-break dunk put the Warriors up 24-9 and Thompson had five 3-pointers and 19 points in the opening quarter as Golden State led 38-21.

The Warriors led 74-52 at the break, but Portland opened the third quarter with a 12-4 to cut the margin to 78-65. The threat was short-lived and Golden State stretched the lead to 90-67 after Brandon Rush’s 3-pointer.

It was Thompson’s third straight game with 30 or more points. Rush had a season-high 20 points.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Warriors stave off Nuggets; Faried taken off on stretcher

OAKLAND, California — Klay Thompson made a driving finger roll with 15.6 seconds left in overtime and the short-handed Golden State Warriors stayed undefeated at home, holding off the Denver Nuggets 111-108 on Saturday after Stephen Curry bruised his left leg again.

Following the game, Denver forward Kenneth Faried was taken off the court on a stretcher with a neck brace stabilizing his head. Faried, injured late in the game, raised his arm for a thumbs-up to fans who stuck around.

After being attended to by medical personnel, he left the court approximately 10 minutes after the game ended.

Replays showed Faried took an elbow to the back of the neck. He scored 15 points and had 12 rebounds in nearly 29 minutes for the Nuggets, who lost their fifth straight game.

Curry came back following a two-game absence because of a bruised lower left leg, but sustained a contusion on his left shin and didn’t play the entire second half. The reigning NBA MVP finished with five points, four assists and two steals in 14-plus minutes.

Will Barton, whose two shots late in regulation forced the extra period, missed an off-balance shot following Thompson’s go-ahead basket. Thompson then made one of two free throws before Barton’s desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer hit the rim.

Draymond Green knocked down his first four 3-point tries in the opening 3 1/2 minutes on the way to 29 points, 17 rebounds and 14 assists for his NBA-leading sixth triple-double.

The Warriors had just seven players available for overtime. They blew a 26-point lead before hanging on for their 34th straight regular-season win at Oracle Arena, including a franchise-best start of 16-0 this season.

Barton dunked with 34.5 seconds left and with 0.9 on the clock as the Nuggets rallied to force OT.

Thompson scored 26 points on 11-for-27 shooting for Golden State (31-2). Green’s 18 first-quarter points were a career best for a single quarter.

Danilo Gallinari returned to the Denver lineup and scored 24 points after sitting out six games with a sprained left ankle.

Curry went through his regular pregame routine after missing the past two games, including the team’s second defeat all season Wednesday at Dallas.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Warriors beat Cavaliers 89-83 in NBA Finals rematch

OAKLAND, California—Draymond Green had 22 points and 15 rebounds and the Golden State Warriors got defensive in their NBA Finals rematch against Cleveland, beating the Cavaliers 89-83 on Friday.

Stephen Curry added 19 points and Klay Thompson had 18 for the Warriors, who improved to 28-1 by winning their 32nd straight regular-season home game. Instead of doing it with 3-pointers, defending champion Golden State maintained its edge over Cleveland by limiting the Cavaliers to 32 percent shooting.

LeBron James scored 25 points to lead the Cavaliers. They had their six-game winning streak snapped.

The Cavaliers were short-handed when they lost the final to the Warriors in six games, missing power forward Kevin Love the entire series with a shoulder injury and losing point guard Kyrie Irving to a knee injury late in the first game.

Having both those players healthy for the rematch did little to help Cleveland. Love scored just 10 points on 5-for-16 shooting, and Irving missed 11 of 15 shots in a 13-point game.

With those two struggling, the Warriors built a 10-point lead midway through the fourth quarter following a jumper by Thompson and a layup from Green.

But James responded with a pair of dunks and a blocked shot on Thompson before Love’s tip-in made it 81-77 with just over 2 minutes to play.

James missed two free throws after Cleveland got another stop and Curry responded with a pair of layups around J.R. Smith’s 3-pointer to make it 85-80 with 57.6 seconds to play.

James shot an air ball from 3 with 12.7 seconds to play to end Cleveland’s comeback attempt.

There was an increased intensity at the start of the seventh Christmas Day rematch of the previous season’s finals with fans on edge far more than for most regular season games.

The officials let both teams play through contact early and the Warriors built a 28-19 lead after one behind 10 points and six rebounds from Green.

But the Cavaliers picked up the defense in the second quarter against Golden State’s reserves, taking advantage of an extended absence from Curry who get his strained right calf re-taped in the locker room. The Warriors led 45-42 at the half.

source: sports.inquirer.net

NBA: Golden State Warriors seen to break records this season

LOS ANGELES, United States — AFP looks at trends and topics in the National Basketball Association over the week ending November 22:

Warriors eye season record

They’ve already tied the record for the best start to a season in NBA history.

Now there’s talk that the Golden State Warriors could surpass the record 72-10 season of the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls.

Golden State’s Klay Thompson is on record as saying 73 wins are possible for the defending champions, who moved to 15-0 on Sunday.

Reigning Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry thinks it would be a tall order — but has also indicated it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility.

“We know how hard it was to win 67,” Curry told the San Jose Mercury news. “You feel like, what games did you give along the way? But we’re off to a better start than we were last year, and I think we have talked about we’re a better team, so a lot goes into that.

“That would be nice to hit (72 wins) and something that we would be very proud of obviously. It’s still more to the formula of winning a championship. We want to be at the best we can be, and if that’s 72, 73 wins, then so be it.”

Hero to zero?

Luke Walton is officially the least-recognized record-equaling coach in NBA history.

Walton may have overseen Golden State’s remarkable 15-game unbeaten start to the season, but in the eyes of official statisticians, the rookie coach has zero victories in his wins column.

That’s because Walton is merely keeping the seat warm for Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, who is currently on a leave of absence as he recovers from multiple back surgeries.

Walton, 35, says he’s unfazed by the fact that the wins don’t count towards his record.

“I’m completely okay with the fact that the wins don’t count on any record book for me,” Walton told SI.com recently. “Our concern here is getting the wins and the team continuing to get better while Steve isn’t able to coach.”

Philadelphia (horror) story

While the Golden State Warriors sweep all before them in the upper echelons of the NBA, at the other end of the scale the Philadelphia 76ers are closing in on an unwanted piece of history.

The 76ers have now lost 24 games in a row after Saturday’s 96-91 defeat to Miami, and on current form look well placed to equal their own record of 26 games for the longest losing streak in NBA history, set in the 2013-2014 season, a record they share with the 2010-2011 Cleveland Cavaliers.

Lieberman to reign at Kings?

With the Sacramento Kings languishing near the foot of the Western Conference standings, the pressure is mounting on head coach George Karl.

That has opened up the intriguing possibility that owner Vivek Ranadive could promote Nancy Lieberman to be the first female head coach in NBA history, according to Bleacher Report.

Lieberman, 57, was hired by the team over the summer and could be in line to replace Karl if Ranadive is unable to lure first choice John Calipari from the University of Kentucky.

source: sports.inquirer.net