NBA – Deprived of Draymond Green (suspended) and despite a sad 11/40 from 3-pointers, Steve Kerr’s men only cracked at the very end of the game in Atlanta (127-119).
After counting up to 12 points ahead following a hot start (16-4), the Warriors conceded an 18-4 fueled by the Young-Bogdanovic-Okongwu trio in the space of four minutes (39-31 ).
Stunned, the Warriors still held firm, despite an exterior address at half mast. Jonathan Kuminga then Klay Thompson did not fail to slam the circle to support Stephen Curry and return to the game at the break, concluded by a new basket at the last second from Trae Young, close to a double-double at halftime (71-66).
Even close to the goal, however, Golden State failed to take the lead. Atlanta first went back to +14 under the impetus of an aggressive Young-Capela duo (89-74) before returning to resistance against repeated attacks from Jordan Poole and Stephen Curry at 3-points.
The atmosphere was somewhat tense when two consecutive outside missiles signed Stephen Curry reduced the gap to one possession 6 minutes from the end (114-111). But Atlanta hung on. After Onyeka Okongwu, invaluable for snatching points near the circle, it was De’Andre Hunter’s 3-pointer after a real mess that gave the locals a first breath of fresh air (119-113).
Beyond the missed free throws at the end of the game, Stephen Curry took responsibility by attempting a difficult 3-pointer on the wing, without success. He then lost a ball in front of Trae Young, who was quick to end the suspense, Atlanta winning in stride 127-119.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– So close so far. The whole NBA knows the strength of these Warriors and their ability to swallow big gaps in a short time. That night, Steve Kerr’s troops played cat and mouse until the end but ended up getting caught up in their outward clumsiness. The kind of games a Golden State team that doesn’t doubt would probably have taken. The absence of Draymond Green was felt.
– The bad series continues. Golden State’s struggles on the road will remain as the evil that has plagued this team throughout the season. Steve Kerr’s troops have just had a 10th consecutive loss away from home. Their last win away from the Chase Center was almost two months ago…
– The most successful match of the Snyder era?
In place for only two weeks, Quin Snyder may have seen his new team deliver its best game under his command. Atlanta does not offer anything spectacular but has the merit of playing to its strengths with a well-distributed threat and has also been able to benefit from a quick game following the clumsiness of the Warriors on the outside shot. A good omen for the future.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Trae Young. Accuracy, a dose of spectacle and key actions like when he finished the first and second quarters with great composure. Almost in double-double from half-time, he was especially decisive at the very end of the game by snatching a ball from the hands of Stephen Curry to add two more points and finish the job.
✅ Mr. Okongwu. Perfect in this role of opportunistic and effective finisher. He was still invaluable in this match, in the last quarter especially when it was necessary to resist the opposing offensives. A nice scotch on Stephen Curry to his credit as well.
✅⛔ Stephen Curry. 31 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, but he wore himself out over the game trying to find the solution alone. Struggling on the outside address, he also went to rub in the paint, giving Steve Kerr chills with every fall. His 6th ball loss at the worst time sums up the state he was in at this time of the match, exhausted.
⛔ Jordan Poole. Flashes a little too shy when we could expect more from him, and a match generally marked by awkwardness for him too.
THE FOLLOWING
Atlanta (35-35) : the Hawks are expected in San Antonio this Sunday (9:00 p.m.).
Golden State (36-35) : the Warriors continue in “back-to-back” in Memphis tonight (01:00).
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