Appreciating the Warriors’ weekend wins; Curry since Christmas; cloaking Lillard and McCollum; Evan Turner’s miss

It was a terrific weekend for the Warriors — another terrific weekend for the Warriors — but those are becoming commonplace around here. The Warriors hammered the LA Clippers, still one of the better teams in the NBA if you take a look, then went up to Portland and beat the Blazers, on the second of a back-to-back, without Stephen Curry.

Those are the kinds of Saturday/Sunday combinations that makes all the rooting worth it for a fan. For Warriors fans, though, these are becoming ho-hum, or that’s what it feels like. The Warriors routed the Clippers 144-98 on Saturday night, then flew up to Portland and beat the Blazers 113-111 on Sunday, to raise their record to 41-7. Yeah, 41-7 looks pretty good when you see it in print, huh?

We talked a lot of Warriors today on 95.7-FM The game. Here is a link to the show, with Warriors talk beginning at 41:30. One of our guests during the show was Monte Poole of Comcast SportsNet Bay Area.

Among the topics:

–Ever since Christmas Day, when he managed just 11 shots in a  loss to the Cavaliers, Stephen Curry has been a different player. He’s been more aggressive, more decisive and calling his own number more. One of the reasons this is happening is because Kevin Durant has made a point to tell Curry, in essence, “Do your thing.” And Curry’s taken the cue.

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‘Warriors WrapUp’: Evan Turner misses wide-open 3 as Warriors hold on for 113-111 win over Blazers; GSW blows 21-point first-half lead but survives late Portland push

“Scary, crazy,” was how Warriors center Zaza Pachulia described the finish to Golden State’s 113-111 win over the Blazers in Portland on Sunday night. The Warriors survived a wide-open, 3-point attempt by Evan Turner at the final buzzer to get out of town with a victory.

The Warriors were playing without Stephen Curry, who missed the game because of the flu.

Link to “Warriors WrapUp,” the postgame show on 95.7-FM The Game.

The Warriors led by 21 points in the first half and were up 106-99 with 38 seconds remaining, before a furious Blazers’ rally gave them one final shot at winning. After a Portland timeout, Turner squared up Kevin Durant on the perimeter, then jab-stepped, which got Durant off balance.

That stumble gave Turner a wide-open look. He missed and Mason Plumlee’s attempted tip-in also missed.

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Curry splendid in the third quarter as Warriors hammer Clippers 144-98

Not a rivalry. Not even close.

The Warriors beat the Los Angeles Clippers for the eighth consecutive time on Saturday, and this one was as emphatic as any of the previous seven. Golden State drilled LA 144-98, getting a splendid third-quarter performance from Stephen Curry, who crammed 25 of his game-high 43 points into that 12-minute stretch.

It seems like a lifetime ago when the Clippers eliminated the Warriors in the first round of the postseason. In fact, it was 2014, when Mark Jackson was the head coach, and ever since then Golden State has dominated the matchup.

Link to “Warriors WrapUp,” the postgame show on 95.7-FM The Game.

–Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant combined for 82 points on 31-for-45 from the field, including a ridiculous 14-for-22 from beyond the arc. The Clippers were playing without point guard Chris Paul, and it might have been interesting to see if he could have done anything with Curry on this night.

–Curry finished 15-for-23 from the field, including 9-for-15 from 3-point range. He also chipped in with nine rebounds and six assists. Because Golden State was in total command, coach Steve Kerr was able to rest his starters for the entire fourth quarter. The Warriors play at Portland on Sunday.

–It’s fascinating to me that the the Clippers’ frontcourt of DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin is a strength of their team. And yet that duo seldom gives the Warriors trouble. Jordan just doesn’t have the offensive game to hurt the Warriors consistently in the paint, and even when he does exert his size and athleticism you can neutralize him by fouling him.

As for Griffin, he finished with 20 points but he just wasn’t much of a factor. He was on the receiving end of a momentum play in the first half, getting blocked by Draymond Green at one end, then not getting back and allow Green to dunk at the other.

 

 

 

 

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