Warriors’ depth shows lack of knockout ability without Steph originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – For most of the first half Wednesday night at Chase Center, the distance between the first- and second-place teams in the NBA’s Western Conference was so great that one couldn’t see the other with the naked eye. view.
The second-place Warriors, deeply compromised without superstar point guard Stephen Curry, spent 20 minutes testing their physical limits but finding no answers to the problems posed by conference-leading Oklahoma City.
It wasn’t until the final four minutes of the half that the Warriors found their fury. They closed the half on a 12-5 run, and the momentum continued into the third quarter when they outscored the Thunder 20-12 in the first six minutes. They won the fourth by 11, revitalizing the sold-out crowd (18,064) and restoring self-confidence.
Defense and some high-speed play by the second unit to turn a game that wasn’t a game into one that was, until Golden State’s offensive deficiencies resurfaced late and were to blame for a 105-101 defeat That enters the never-welcome file of “moral victory.”
“We were terrible in the first quarter,” coach Steve Kerr said. “But I loved everything I saw in the last three quarters. The energy, the defense, the rotations. The boys were flying with many good individual contributions. That’s our team. “That’s who we are.”
After trailing by as many as 19 points, the Warriors rode waves created by Kyle Anderson’s slow-motion Euros, The Courage of Pat SpencerDraymond Green’s blocks, Brandin Podziemski’s value, The gusts of Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield’s triples.
It was Golden State’s defense that kept the Thunder from pulling away. With OKC shooting 51.1 percent in the first half but limited to 39.5 percent in the second, there were enough doors, alleys and lanes open that the Warriors, with two or three baskets down the stretch, could have trotted to a surprising victory.
But effort and good intentions are no match for a scoring drought that lasts more than five minutes. The Warriors’ comeback hopes increased when Anderson’s layup provided a 96-93 lead with 5:45 left. Hope was extinguished when the next 14 shots missed.
“I don’t think we made any big decisions down the stretch, the last five minutes,” Kerr said. “It’s pick-and-roll time at the end of the game, and with Steph out, things get a little more complicated for our team.”
The Warriors missed 27 of 46 shots (41.3 percent) in the paint. They shot 7 of 28 in the fourth quarter, including 4 of 15 in the paint. For a team that relies so much on its depth (which, on paper, is a tangible asset), the Warriors looked remarkably unimposing without Curry available to expand the offensive possibilities.
Andrew Wiggins and Kuminga attempted to fill the scoring void late in the game, but were a combined 1-for-8 in the fourth quarter. Only Anderson, with eight points and 3 of 4 shooting, was able to put together an effective offense.
The result was a succession of empty possessions, with Green singling himself out for stopping the drive. Which is brave but not entirely accurate.
“We just have to sit down and make sure we do something,” Green said. “Go into some sets. We were a little spread out and that’s up to me.
“When the game gets to that point, someone has to stop the game and get us into a set. I’m the veteran out there. I am the one with the most experience there is. So, I have to get my head out of my ass, go get the ball and get us in a set. Something that would be beneficial for all of us.”
“Everyone loved him. JK was reaching the hole; he wanted it. (Wiggins) got into the paint a couple of times; he wanted it. (Podziemski) did it too. But our spacing wasn’t right, so they were able to collapse onto the paint. And we didn’t have the proper kicks because our spacing wasn’t right because we weren’t getting into anything. “They were just guys making plays themselves.”
The Thunder (14-4) left town still in first place, while the Warriors (12-6) began the night with their third straight loss and falling to third place, one game behind the Houston Rockets, who were in second place.
Curry, sitting with pain in both knees, watched from the bench. Kerr is optimistic about him returning on Saturday to face the Suns in Phoenix. But that night, the absence of the reigning NBA Clutch Player of the Year was too much for Golden State’s offense to overcome.
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