Since we last checked in with Golden State Warriors, they were on a three-game win streak heading into a long home stand at Chase Center, with the last loss coming at the hands of the NBA Champs, the Denver Nuggets on December 25th. Over the course of the the Xmas to New Years holiday span, the team continued the losing streak by dropping two more games. A note on that Nuggets game in Denver: Really refs, really? 18 of 18 free-throws for just one (very good) player, Nicola Jokic?? After that game, coach Steve Kerr called the officiating "disgusting", with that many fouls called on the Warriors, and sending Jokic and his teammates on what seemed like a never-ending free-throw line train ride. Do better, refs!
Home-cooking did not produce the winning ways the Dubs had hoped for, as they kicked off their home-stand with a 114-102 loss to a very stingy Miami Heat team. Miami's defense never allowed Golden State to get into an offensive rhythm, and this marked the first time this season that none of the Warriors players broke the 20-point scoring barrier. One continued bright spot is the development of the Dubs two rookies, Trayce Jackson-Davis and Brandin Podziemski, with Jackson-Davis snagging a double-double (points/rebounds).
Saturday night's game was like an early New Year's Day hangover: Listless, at times painful, and just wanting it to end, as the Dallas Mavericks came into town and rolled over Golden State, 132-122. The Splash Brothers combo of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson had off-nights in their shooting game, but a bright spot for the Dubs was Chris Paul, who was placed in the starting lineup and scored 25 points, his highest total of the season. In doing so, Paul also became the 37th player in NBA history to surpass 22 thousand points in his career.
The Warriors kicked off 2024 with a solid bounce-back win over the Orlando Magic. The Magic play "big-ball", and are a young team on the rise, and lead their division in the NBA Atlantic. Coach Kerr continued with his new starting line-up of Curry, Paul, Thompson, Jackson-Davis and Jonathan Kuminga, which led to a solid game for the Dubs on both the offensive and defensive side and beat Orlando, 121-115. Curry (36) and Kuminga (19) combined for 55 points, with Curry, who seemed to be playing like a man on a mission, also snagging four steals. The defense, led by Kuminga and Jackson-Davis's attacking the ball and defensive rebounds, kept pace with the young Orlando team, but the Warriors experience proved to much to overcome as Golden State essentially controlled the rhythm of the game in the fourth-quarter to seal a well-earned victory, and stopping the mini losing skid. Tonight, we come full circle, as Golden State will play host to those same Denver Nuggets of just over two weeks ago. Fans at Chase Center should hopefully be getting their money's worth and a Dubs win! Note: The next evening, the Dubs will be playing the Detroit Pistons, who just recently snapped an all-time NBA history losing streak of 28 games. No win is an easy one in the NBA, but I really hope Golden State wins this one!
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