Table of Contents
What we learned when the Warriors’ offense stalled in the loss to the Cavs originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – the good vibes that carried the Warriors over the weekend were destroyed Monday night.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, the best team in the NBA this season, came to Chase Center, indulged in some early fun before taking on the boosters and leaving the Warriors with a 113-95 loss.
Six Warriors scored in double figures and none reached the 20-point mark. Moses Moody led with 19 points, followed by Jonathan Kuminga with 18 and Trayce Jackson-Davis with 16.
Cleveland’s defense of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland outscored Golden State’s Stephen Curry and Dennis Schröder 48-23.
Leaving a Feel-good victory over the Phoenix Suns On Saturday, the Warriors return looking for solutions to such persistent problems as failed possessions, missed layups and defensive mistakes.
This is the second consecutive season in which Golden State was swept by Cleveland in the two-game season series.
Here are three observations from a game that dropped the Warriors (16-16) to .500:
The offensive goes into a coma
The autopsy of this defeat begins with the second quarter, in which the Golden State offense hid and stayed there.
To be fair, neither team scored a field goal until Andrew Wiggins scored a floater with 7:33 left in the half. From that moment on, it was all Cavaliers. They moved into a commanding position by outscoring Golden State 20-8 for the rest of the half.
How bad was it for the Warriors? They scored 11 points in the quarter, their lowest total in any quarter this season. They shot 4 of 24 from the field and missed all eight of their 3-point shots. And it wasn’t a matter of great defense on the part of the Cavaliers, as they missed open shots from all three levels, failing to even score a single point on Cleveland’s five turnovers in the quarter.
Nine different Warriors had minutes in the quarter, and only two (Andrew Wiggins and Kuminga) scored field goals. The other seven went a combined 0-for-13.
This was the abyss, because it cannot go down any further.
Oh friend
Buddy Hield The decline continues and is approaching the critical stage.
Hield missed open 3-pointers, missed layups and finished with two points on 1-of-8 shooting, including 0-of-3 from beyond the arc.
Here’s how it’s been going for Hield, who was coming off an 0-for-7 shooting night against the Suns on Saturday. Since making his first bid for the Sixth Man of the Year award with good shots, he has cooled off considerably. If Buddy doesn’t score, he’s not being effective.
In the seven games since his 27-point explosion in a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Dec. 8, Hield is shooting 27-for-78 (34.6 percent) from the field, including 15-for-55 (27.3 percent ) from long distance. .
Coach Steve Kerr, speaking two hours before kickoff, expressed confidence that Hield would regain his touch. History says one of the league’s best deep shooters won’t stay refrigerated.
That’s where Hield is now, and it’s hard on the eyes. Harder in the second unit.
A good start is wasted
The Warriors surely remember the first meeting between the teams, on November 8, when the Cavs took a 20-2 lead in less than five minutes, starting a rout that didn’t last long.
There would be no repetition.
Playing fast and forceful from the jump, the Warriors took a lead by seven (16-9) in the first five minutes and maintained a lead well into the second quarter.
Golden State forced four turnovers in the first seven minutes and, despite Cleveland’s size advantage, dominated on the glass, with Trayce Jackson-Davis grabbing eight rebounds in the first quarter, the most in any quarter of his career. .
By executing the offense as designed, with consistent ball movement, the Warriors recorded eight assists in the first quarter and all eight players who stepped on the court made at least one field goal.
A good quarter, however, does not win a basketball game.
Download and follow the Dubs Talk podcast
This embedded content is not available in your region.