Warriors clean up their worst bad habits in dominant win over Hawks originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – The Warriors flew home from Los Angeles on Monday night feeling the pain of defeat worsened by the fact that they had poisoned their own water.
They responded by cleansing the toxins on Wednesday night with a 120-97 defeat of the ragged Atlanta Hawks before 18,064 at the Chase Center.
There were some sloppy moments in the second half, but it wasn’t much of a contest. Golden State built a 21-point lead with 86 seconds left in the first quarter, increased it to 31 and never let the Hawks get closer than 13 over the remaining three quarters.
What the Warriors cared about (or at least should care about) is how they did it. They used the first half to reverse their worst trends from two nights ago, with one problem being constant and the other occasional.
“I loved the first half. The first half was very aesthetically pleasing,” coach Steve Kerr said. “We let our guard down a little bit, especially at the end of the third quarter. The game got away from us a little.
“But it was a lot of fun to see the energy and sharp play in the first half. We just have to keep building on that.”
While it’s clear that the Hawks’ defense doesn’t pose the kind of challenges the Los Angeles Clippers presented two nights ago at the Intuit Dome, it was equally evident that Golden State is capable of healing itself when properly motivated.
After 10 free throws left (9 of 19, 47.4 percent) on Monday night – and failing to go over 72 percent from the line in any of the last five games – the Warriors made 11 of their first 12 against Atlanta before slumping badly. in the second half and finish 12 of 18.
“Guys have to keep working at it,” Kerr said. “It’s not something I’m going to insist on. The boys know they have to work alone. We’ll be fine. We will turn that around.”
Two nights ago, the Clippers scored 31 of their 102 points, courtesy of Golden State’s 19 turnovers. It was the second straight game in which the Warriors offered their opponent 19 giveaways.
They were much stingier on the Hawks, particularly in the first half, with only five turnovers, of which Atlanta got a free throw. In fact, the Warriors were messier in the second half, with 10 turnovers turning into six points.
“Make simple decisions. That’s something we’re stressing this year,” Kerr said for perhaps the 50th time this season. “In the Clippers game we made some very bad decisions, especially in the first half, and that put us behind the 8-ball.
“The decision making was much better to start the game; we only had five turnovers at halftime. That diminished in the second half when I made some bad decisions, but getting off to that start was very important.”
Draymond Green, who spit out six gifts in 32 minutes against Los Angeles, he worked for 28 minutes on Wednesday with nine assists offsetting his three turnovers. Meanwhile, he paved the way for a defense that limited the Hawks to 33.3 percent shooting from the field, including 26.1 percent from beyond the arc.
Lindy Waters III, although unspectacular, earns a passing grade with 10 points, three rebounds and solid defense in his third straight start for De’Anthony Melton, who will have surgery on his left knee and was declared out of season.
Andrew Wiggins had a second straight impressive night, coming off a 22-point game in Los Angeles with a team-high 27 against Atlanta. Trayce Jackson-Davis had his first double-double of the season, with 14 points and 11 rebounds in 22 minutes.
It was mainly about the Warriors taking the opportunity to make some amends against an underdog. Mission accomplished. They left the arena with an 11-3 record and atop the Western Conference.
While first place doesn’t mean much when the NBA season is a week away from Thanksgiving, the Warriors are surely encouraged by the lack of bad habits that will allow them to stay on top for at least a couple of days. further.
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