In what can be considered the final tune-up game before Monday’s showdown against Cleveland, the Warriors scraped and clawed in the first half but eventually steamrolled the Detroit Pistons 127-107 Thursday night at Oracle Arena.
Nearly every Warriors game so far in 2017 has followed the same pattern: A quick first quarter start, a second quarter lull and a triumphant reminder to an inferior opponent in the third.
The same rang true Thursday. Golden State turned a two-point halftime margin into a 24-point third quarter blowout. All the starters were gradually pulled midway through the fourth quarter and the majority of the crowd streamed for the exits with 5:49 left.
On the night, the Warriors shot 56.2 percent as a team and drained 15/29 of their three-pointers. The Pistons didn’t play poorly, either, they just couldn’t hang with the top dogs.
Steph Curry bursted out of the gates for 14 first quarter points on 6/7 shooting and finished with 24 total and 6 assists. Sporting a new, shorter haircut, Curry was gunning and aggressive. But that aggression did lead to 8 turnovers on the night. Still, there were some vintage Steph shots tonight, and that’s always refreshing.
Steph Curry just doing what Steph Curry does. ?https://t.co/3uDTHqd0lw
— NBA SKITS (@NBA_Skits) January 13, 2017
Par for the course, the back-to-back MVP was not alone against Detroit. Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson both started sizzling in the third quarter. Durant finished with 25 on 10/15 shooting; Thompson ended with 23 points on 9/15 shooting — twins.
Draymond Green entered the night ranking eighth in the NBA in assists and continued his passing prowess against the Pistons. He finished with just 2 points (0/4 shooting), but 13 assists and 9 rebounds.
In an interesting experiment that carried over from Tuesday night, Steve Kerr held both Curry and Durant on the bench for the first four-and-a-half minutes of the second quarter, letting Green and Thompson command the second unit. The Warriors scored just 4 points to open the period, but kudos to Kerr for his constant examination of lineups during the regular season.
In a sequence that was indicative of his growth, Ian Clark hit back-to-back threes in a raucous first quarter moment — the loudest of the night at Oracle Arena. Clark finished with 14 points. Those who questioned whether he could fully replace Leandro Barbosa, yours truly included, have been silenced. It was the ninth time this season Clark has scored in double-figures.
JaVale McGee swatted Boban Marjanovic’s shot into the crowd in the first quarter and finished two gorgeous lobs in the third and fourth quarter. Golden State’s energizer bunny finished with 8 points in 9 minutes. Shaun Livingston added 10 points, Andre Iguodala chipped in 8.
The Warriors will host the Cavaliers Monday in a special Martin Luther King Jr. game at 5 p.m. It’s the final times these two teams will meet in the regular season.