Remember the Warriors’ feel-good win against the Cavaliers? Seems like so long ago, Golden State was on the upswing, but now they’re in uncertain waters.
It’s all part of what’s been an eventful week for the Warriors. After beating the Cavaliers soundly, Golden State had a tough-fought win against the Heat; Draymond Green was a late scratch that night, and the Warriors had to play ultra-small ball and gut out a victory.
Next came the back-to-back horror show, allowing both the Magic and Hornets to come back from down double digits in the fourth quarter. To make everything worse for coach Steve Kerr, star guard Steph Curry was himself a late scratch in his hometown of Charlotte because he wasn’t feeling well, per the team. Plus, there was the Draymond Green ejection to close the Hornets loss.
Wow. That’s a lot. There was no update on Curry on Sunday, so in the meantime, here are the plays of the week for the Warriors, defensive edition. Relive some of the highs, and ultimately probably think about of some of the lows, from this wild stretch of games.
Defense is the most important aspect of the team for coach Kerr, as he’s said since the preseason. He wanted a top-10 defense, and he has one, with Golden State No. 5 in the NBA in defensive rating.
That’s something to hang their hat on as the NBA schedule continues, with two tough road games to start the new week, on Tuesday against the Knicks and Wednesday against the Pacers. Hopefully Curry is back, along with centers James Wiseman and Kevon Looney. It won’t be easy, but the Warriors are still looking to build momentum, which has proved to be elusive for Kerr and crew.
(Photo credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports)
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