Warriors fans know that Andre Iguodala comes in fits and spurts. When he’s good, he’s been really good. And when he’s been bad, well, he still has been relatively OK — because he’s able to help a team in multiple ways.
The issue, though, with Iguodala is that he sometimes doesn’t impact games consistently enough. He tends to float a little bit. And there have also been times when he’s been downright reluctant to shoot the ball. But without Kevin Durant, Iguodala may have to try to interject himself a little more when it comes to scoring.
That’s what he did in the Warriors’ 119-111 win over the Hawks in Atlanta on Monday. Iguodala scored a season-high 24 points, to go along with five rebounds and four assists in 34 minutes, just one night after logging 30 minutes against the Knicks.
LINK TO ‘WARRIORS WRAPUP,’ THE POSTGAME SHOW FROM WARRIORS AT HAWKS.
The Warriors (52-11) also got contributions from backups Ian Clark and David West, both of whom chipped in with 10 points each.
The Warriors stumbled some in the first half, got down by as many as 15 points, but had whittled it down to 66-61 at halftime. Then in the third quarter the Warriors came alive and took control of the game, forcing eight turnovers that turned into 13 points. By the start of the third quarter the Warriors led by four.
LINK: WARRIORS ARE IN CRITICAL STRETCH — AND MAY NOT EVEN KNOW IT.
Draymond Green picked up his third foul with 9:46 left in second quarter. Thompson picked up his third a little later. That, in part, forced coach Steve Kerr to rely more heavily on his bench unit — Igouodala in particular.
The question now is whether Iguodala can continue to play at a high level to finish up the regular season and beyond. The Warriors can only be at their best if Iguodala is productive and engaged.
But there were plenty of good minutes to go around — from Matt Barnes to Shaun Livingston to Patrick McCaw. Stephen Curry persevered through some highs and lows, finishing with 24 points and nine assists. Curry made 6-of-15 from 3-point range, and as a team Golden State hit 20-of-44 — which is more like it after a brutal start from long distance on the trip.
Bottom line is Dennis Schroder outplayed Curry in the first quarter and it was a big reason why Atlanta led 42-35 after 12 minutes. Schroder went 7-for-9 from the floor, including 4-of-5 from the foul line, for 19 points, while his counterpart, Curry, had just five points on 2-of-5 shooting. The 42 points by Atlanta was a season-high for opponents’ points in a quarter against the Warriors.
LINK: WARRIORS’ SEASON MAY COME DOWN TO WHEN KEVIN DURANT RETURNS.
The Warriors finish their five-game road trip with a record of 3-2. But the tough stretch doesn’t quite end. The Warriors will fly back to the Bay Area for a game Wednesday against the Boston Celtics and then head out on the right immediately after for back-to-back games against Minnesota and San Antonio.
IMHO I think the Warriors are now MORE scary than before Durant got hurt. My logic is that they won 2 years ago with a d instilled by mark Jackson. Kerr did a great job of creating a offensive juggernaut but when Bogut , green missed games lebron went straight down the middle. With Barnes they seem more gritty, more desperate more focused! Would love to see ringless Barkley call west, green, Barnes and McGhee sissys to their face, who if the d gets better, they have enough firepower to win. If the d gets better, Durant becomes the finisher after the second round and the critics can shut their f mouths. Go Warriors!
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