This time, the game went to overtime and the Warriors survived on the effort of Draymond Green and three huge free throws from Andrew Bogut.
Advertisement
Thompson, whose short jumper with 11.4 seconds remaining secured the narrow win, led the Warriors with 26 points on a night when he shot just 8-for-27. He finished with 26 points.
But the Warriors still won in Curry’s absence after All-Star forward Draymond Green (15 points, 13 rebounds) nailed a three-pointer as the clock expired with 40.2 seconds remaining in OT. For pure streakiness, Rocky Marciano, Wayne Gretzky, and Lionel Messi all enjoyed unbroken chains of achievement on a level similar to Curry’s-with Messi’s 2012-2013 feat of scoring in 21 consecutive games, which overlapped with his 2012 record of 91 goals in a calendar year, probably the closest we have to a modern point of comparison. They used a 9-0 run in the second quarter to take a 14-point lead at 56-42. In a live interview after the game, Green said that Kerr told him that he’s a bad (expletive). “The transition defense and the 3-point line, they are so good in both those areas”, Budenholzer said before the game.
Brook Lopez had 23 points, while Thaddeus Young returned 19 points and 15 rebounds for the Nets, who have dropped four of their last six.
Get ready for tonight’s big Atlanta vs Golden State basketball game with a really late start time on the east coast. But first, they have to get past the Clippers and, more importantly, move past Saturday’s loss. Much like the last time these two met, the Warriors built a decent lead over the Hawks, but the Hawks would rally back late to take the lead. Up by only one with less than a minute left, Golden State needed points.
Reserves Scott and Schroder buried 3-pointers as Atlanta scored the game’s next eight points to get within 73-70.
Yes, he’s already beaten his own record for total three-pointers scored in a single season, and there’s still around 30% of the season left to play. Nikola Vucevic had 18, all in the first half, and Elfrid Payton and Dewayne Dedmon added 12 apiece. Starting point guard Jeff Teague came out of the game with 5:11 to go in the third quarter, after two straight turnovers.
Basketball is in the midst of a revolution, and its leader is a scrawny 6-foot-3 point guard from a tiny college with a knack for 3-point shots.
Russell hit a 3-pointer with 53 seconds left and another with 30 seconds to play, capping a spectacular night for the No. 2 overall pick in the draft.
The Warriors shot 39.4 percent (41 of 104) from the field, the lowest this season at home.
Advertisement
With their 109-105 overtime victory in the return to the Bay, the Warriors kept their home record undefeated, and continued towards clinching the Western Conference’s number one seed.
