How Long Will Golden State Warriors' Win Streak Last?
It's been a standard-setting year for the Golden State Warriors, who are rolling toward another franchise record.
Already owners of the strongest start in the organization's history (15-2), the Warriors have approached another high mark with 10 consecutive victories. One more triumph would tie the team record for the longest winning streak, which was set during the 1971-72 season.
If the Dubs can add that record to their resume, they will have earned it. The competition level, which hasn't risen above the 9-8 Miami Heat during this streak, is about to increase dramatically.
Maybe that will help bring the best out of the Warriors. Despite what their record suggests, they haven't always looked impressive of late.
The Orlando Magic (7-13) came within seconds of spoiling Golden State's return to the Bay on Tuesday night.
Behind big outings from Victor Oladipo (27 points, four assists), Kyle O'Quinn (21 points, 11 rebounds) and Tobias Harris (17 points, seven rebounds), the Magic had the Warriors on the ropes—and dangerously close to the canvas. Oladipo's third triple of the night helped Orlando turn a 10-point halftime deficit into a nine-point advantage with 4:11 left on the clock.
But the Warriors found an escape route thanks to the Splash Brothers' synchronized surge. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson scored 14 of their 42 points over the final four minutes. Each player made a pair of perimeter shots down the stretch, including Curry's game-saver with less than five seconds remaining.
Despite shooting 29.6 percent from deep and committing another 15 turnovers, the Warriors survived for a 98-97 win. This was the type of game that would have gotten away from Golden State in the past, and the fact that this team persevered on a night it didn't have its best performance says a lot about the growth of this franchise.
"That's what the good teams do," Andrew Bogut told reporters afterward.
As it pertains to this win streak, though, the Warriors have followed that narrative more than they would like to. This was not the first time they have struggled to get past a lesser opponent.
Just two games prior, the Warriors needed 27 points from reserve big man Marreese Speights (including 16 in the fourth quarter) to secure a five-point win over the reeling Charlotte Hornets. Three games before that, Speights put up 28 points in 25 minutes to help the Warriors get a five-point victory over an Oklahoma City Thunder squad missing both Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant.
Golden State has had to scrape by against teams it should put away regardless of how well its shooters fare. Credit the Warriors for winning these games, but this has been a slate of games they should dominate.
"This, folks, is a not a schedule but a series of charitable donations," wrote Comcast SportsNet's Monte Poole. "The Warriors won't see a less challenging schedule for the rest of the season."
And the breaks are over now. Up next on the Warriors' docket is a date with the New Orleans Pelicans and MVP candidate Anthony Davis.
Last season, the Warriors swept their three meetings with the Pelicans. Davis appeared in two of those three games, shooting a blistering 65.4 percent in those matchups.
The Brow had a quiet 14 points and 11 rebounds during the first game, though his numbers were impacted as much by his teammates—five attempted more field goals than him—as the Warriors. The next time around, he torched Golden State for 31 points and 17 boards.
And, remember, this was before Davis ascended from All-Star to full-fledged superstar force. Before he became, as four-time MVP LeBron James recently put it, "one of the game's elite players."
Davis, like Curry, can change the outcome of a game on his own. What separates the two Team USA teammates, though, is that Curry's club can survive an off-night from him. The Pelicans (8-8) don't really dominate without Davis leading the way.
| Win | 27.5 | 60.6 | 4.3 | 129 | 91 |
| Loss | 22.4 | 50.4 | 1.9 | 119 | 106 |
If the Warriors bring less than their best, the Pelicans could snap this streak at 10 games. Even if Golden State is on its game, that may not be enough if Davis has a heroic effort.
New Orleans is a tough matchup, and the schedule only gets harder from there.
| Dec. 4 | New Orleans Pelicans (8-8) | Home |
| Dec. 6 | Chicago Bulls (11-7) | Away |
| Dec. 8 | Minnesota Timberwolves (4-12) | Away |
| Dec. 10 | Houston Rockets (13-4) | Home |
| Dec. 13 | Dallas Mavericks (14-5) | Away |
| Dec. 14 | New Orleans Pelicans (8-8) | Away |
| Dec. 16 | Memphis Grizzlies (15-2) | Away |
| Dec. 18 | Oklahoma City Thunder (5-13) | Home |
| Dec. 22 | Sacramento Kings (9-9) | Home |
| Dec. 23 | Los Angeles Lakers (5-13) | Away |
During this 10-game winning streak, Warriors opponents have had a combined winning percentage of .304. Over the upcoming 10 games, they'll face teams with a combined .535 mark.
It's harder to pick out guaranteed victories than finding potential problems on the forthcoming slate.
The Chicago Bulls have a healthy Derrick Rose leading the way (for now, at least). The young, athletic Minnesota Timberwolves could pick off the Warriors if they aren't fully focused and ready to run. The Houston Rockets are always a threat with James Harden's potential to erupt, and Dwight Howard has made "significant progress" with his strained right knee, per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
If the Warriors are somehow still streaking at that point, they'll head out for a three-game trek that pits them against the Dallas Mavericks' top-rated offense, another meeting with Davis' Pellies and a Memphis Grizzlies team that owns top-eight efficiency rankings on both sides of the ball. Survive that trip, and the Warriors will be greeted at home by Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
No one should be questioning Golden State's elite credentials at this point. As Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News observed, the Warriors are making quite a mark with this run:
But all good things must come to an end, and Golden State's streak will be lucky to survive the upcoming weekend.
Davis is a two-way monster. If he gets an active night out of Tyreke Evans, a fiery shooting performance from Ryan Anderson or a steady, efficient game from Jrue Holiday, that could be all he needs to put the Warriors in the loss column for the first time since November 11.
Golden State's energy level has been inconsistent throughout this streak. Nothing sinks a team in the Windy City quicker than a bad motor. The Bulls will present a grueling, physical test the Warriors may have no interest in taking.
The Warriors' two losses on the year have come against the Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs. Those two clubs have gone a combined 0-3 against the Rockets, Grizzlies and Pelicans.
The Suns and Spurs are also two of only three teams that have scored more than 105 points on the Warriors. The Mavericks average 110.3 points on a nightly basis. If Golden State gets into a scoring race with Dallas, the Warriors could find themselves outgunned.
Best-case scenario, the Warriors' magic ride stalls during that three-game journey through the Southwest Division. Road tilts with the Mavericks and Pelicans on back-to-back nights are tremendous tests. Follow that up with the Grizzlies, and this starts bordering on cruel and unusual punishment.
The Warriors sit two wins shy of another franchise record, and it's hard to say if they will make it that far. If they do, it would certainly be a feat worth celebrating given the stiffening competition ahead.
Unless otherwise noted, statistics used courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.
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