Then, they blew out the Brooklyn Nets.
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Shedding Deron Williams was expected to have something of a positive effect, and while Williams is hardly putting up a stellar year in Dallas, he did have the talent both to have big games at times, and providing court spacing that just has not been there for Brooklyn.
“Our confidence level is higher now”, said Warriors interim head coach Luke Walton. Toronto Raptors’ Kyle Lowry shoots as Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry, right, defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Toronto, Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015.
Referring to Curry’s uniform number, Green said, “Thirty was 30”. That is to say the Nets are absolutely in a rebuild at this point, with Thaddeus Young and Jarrett Jack (the No. 2 and No. 3 scorers) having little to no trade value. Ultimately, Brooklyn showed why it still has the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference. A three at the end of the quarter by Curry, and suddenly the Warriors led, 87-80.
Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry went toe-to-toe with Curry throughout most of the game.
Klay Thompson chipped in with 26 for Golden State (21-0).
The game looked lost, but the Nets kept fighting.
Lowry cut the deficit to one before Thompson made two free throws with seven seconds to play.
Then, Curry started to feel it. He hit a running bank shot to tie the score at 76, swished a 3-pointer, tossed the ball up to Festus Ezeli for a dunk, completed a 3-point play, and hit another 3-pointer. “The only positive in the game was the fact that we made the huge run and got it to within three (at halftime) and took the lead in the third quarter”. At this point, Curry is still scoring over 30 points per game on average.
“I was trying to get some room to figure out a way to impact the game and things started to click, ” he said.
On paper, it looks merely incredible: 14-for-24 from the field, 9-of-15 from three-point range, 7-for-9 from the free-throw line – just his eighth and nine misses from the stripe all season – 44 points, seven assists, two rebounds, three turnovers, and an uncredited game-winning defensive play, forcing Cory Joseph into a late turnover.
“It’s a shot I’ve done many times in practice, that’s really the only way to explain it”, said Curry, calm and dressed like a magazine model, after the game. Golden State C Andrew Bogut tested out his lower back during pregame warmups and returned after missing Saturday’s game…. Brooklyn led the Warriors by 17 in the first half and held a three-point lead in the final 10 seconds.
Dirk Nowitzki had 19 points and Raymond Felton added 11 points and 10 rebounds.
It’s those types of performances that enable the Warriors to stay ideal.
Toronto roared back in the second, opening the frame with a 22-9 run, capped by a DeRozan dunk, that gave them their first lead since early in the first. Even on nights when they’re battling some fatigue, they can come through it with victories.
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“Yeah, I do think about it, because I thought we should have beaten them out there”, Hollins said before Sunday night’s 114-98 loss. Fresh off a championship, and now undefeated through a quarter of the regular season, the Warriors seem unwilling even to entertain the thought that they could lose. They didn’t worry about us. But ask any Warrior fan about the upcoming game, and I’m nearly positive they’ll utter the same two words about the Pacers.
