© Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
OAKLAND — The Warriors started Thursday night’s game with two of their four All-Stars back on the floor.
They ended with one.
As the second quarter in Golden State’s 116-107 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks winded down, Warriors forward Kevin Durant went up for a contested layup and appeared to be hit. No whistle. Durant, incredulous, shouted at the referee for several seconds. He promptly ejected Durant, who was held back from the Warriors bench. Oracle Orena bellowed in boos as the referees walked through the tunnel after the first half had concluded.
You can’t say Durant’s return was dull.
The Bucks led the Warriors 58-49 at the half. Durant’s ejection exacerbated Golden State’s first half struggles.
Milwaukee started the second half on a 5-0 run and never looked back. Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo dominated all game long and finished with 32 points. Milwaukee forward Khris Middleton poured in 22 points and guard Eric Bledsoe added 20 points.
Thursday night was the first time Golden State had two of its four All-Stars available since March 11. March has been plagued with injuries to the Warriors, knocking out each of their All-Stars for at least three games.
In addition to Durant, Draymond Green returned on Thursday night, as Stephen Curry (knee) and Klay Thompson (thumb) continued to sit.
The first quarter went as expected. Durant picked apart the Milwaukee defense, scoring 10 points seemingly effortlessly. Point guard Quinn Cook contributed eight points, all via jump shots.
Green dictated the second quarter on both ends. He started off the quarter by hitting a three-pointer — his first bucket of the game. He intercepted passes and created open shots with timely passing, typical of the versatile power forward. He finished with 11 points, six assists, and five rebounds in 28 minutes.
Durant seemed uncharacteristically out of rhythm once he returned in the second quarter. He threw away passes and held the ball for longer than normal, allowing the offense to stagnate. Much of his frustration from a poor second quarter, and perhaps another no-call in the first quarter, boiled over.
Then the ejection came — his league-leading fifth of the season— and everything changed.
Milwaukee outscored Golden State by 11 points in the third quarter, extending the lead to 20. The Warriors fought back and cut the lead to 9 late in the fourth quarter, but the deficit was ultimately too much to overcome.
Thursday night’s loss marked the first time the Warriors lost three straight games, and the second time since Steve Kerr was named head coach prior to the 2014 season.
Ultimately, these results don’t matter, as Golden State has almost certainly secured the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference Standings. What’s most important is entering the playoffs as healthy as possible, while giving the complementary players valuable playing time.
Several of those players contributed on Thursday night. Cook heated up late to score his first 30-point game his career, continuing his hot March. He entered Thursday night averaging 18.1 points and nearly five assists in the past seven games. He was forced to facilitate in the All-Stars’ absence, but with Green and Durant returning Thursday night, Cook thrived in a spot-up shooter role.
Forward Javale McGee and guard Patrick McCaw each added 12 points.
Durant will only have one day to mull over his ejection before returning to the floor. The Warriors travel to Sacramento on Saturday before hosting the Phoenix Suns on Sunday.